Gita 06.23 – Yoga brings disconnection from our infatuation with misery

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taṁ vidyād duḥkha-saṁyoga-
viyogaṁ yoga-saṁjñitam

Word-for-word:
tam — that; vidyāt — you must know; duḥkha-saṁyoga — of the miseries of material contact; viyogam — extermination; yoga-saṁjñitam — called trance in yoga.

Translation:
This indeed is actual freedom from all miseries arising from material contact.

Explanation:
taṁ vidyād duḥkha-saṁyoga-viyogaṁ yoga-saṁjñitam—Know that the severance from contact with misery is called yoga.

In this verse, Kṛṣṇa gives one definition of yoga as the cessation of misery, or disconnection from misery. Generally, the verses of the Bhagavad-gītā appear as four lines in English or two lines in Devanāgarī. However, sometimes the division of a verse is made according to semantic content rather than poetic structure. “Semantic content” simply means the meaning being conveyed.

If we look at the next verse, it introduces a different thought (sa niścayena yoktavyo yogo ’nirviṇṇa-cetasā). Because the focus shifts, Śrīla Prabhupāda divides the verse here, beginning the next section with the new idea. Thus, in this verse we find only two lines.

The emphasis here is on the glorious nature of the achievement granted by yogic perfection. In the previous three verses, Kṛṣṇa spoke about samādhi—how one delights in inner happiness (paśyann ātmāni tuṣyati), how one experiences supreme happiness (sukham ātyantikaṁ), and how one transcends misery (yasmin sthito na duḥkhena guruṇāpi vicālyate).

After explaining all this, Kṛṣṇa now moves forward and describes how this state is, in fact, yoga. The word “yoga” carries multiple meanings. Beyond its common usage, there are also technical definitions of the term. For example, when Kṛṣṇa says yukta ity ucyate yogī (Bg 6.8), He describes such a person as yukta, or properly connected.

Kṛṣṇa presents various understandings of yoga throughout the Bhagavad-gītā. In the second chapter, He offers two definitions: samatvaṁ yoga ucyate (Bg 2.48), “being equipoised is yoga,” and yogaḥ karmasu kauśalam (Bg 2.50), “yoga is the art of skillful action”—working in such an expert way that one does not become bound by work. Samatvam is one definition of yoga, and karma-su kauśalam is another.

Here, in this verse (Bg 6.23), Kṛṣṇa defines yoga as disconnection from the connection with misery (taṁ vidyād duḥkha-saṁyoga- viyogaṁ yoga-saṁjñitam). The soul, being sat-cit-ānanda—eternal, conscious, and blissful—is by nature never linked with the miseries of this world. However, due to the desire to enjoy matter, the soul becomes entangled and suffers greatly in material existence. When the soul’s connection with matter is severed, that disconnection also frees it from misery. In this sense, the end of misery itself is yoga, as Kṛṣṇa explains here.

Just as if a person decides to watch a movie expecting entertainment, but it turns out to be a ghastly horror film—so terrifying that one desperately wants to stop watching—yet the remote stops working, the power switch fails, and the television cannot be turned off. One is forced to sit there, unable to escape, compelled to keep watching the dreadful scenes.

The soul finds itself in a similar predicament, trapped in material existence. Especially after recognizing the misery of worldly life and desiring to escape, the soul discovers it cannot break free. But when the soul is finally able to disconnect from material consciousness and liberate itself, that disconnection, Kṛṣṇa explains here, is yoga.

This is, in one sense, similar to yoga’s citta-vṛtti-nirodha, which is described as the definition of yoga. When consciousness moves in the material direction, citta—the embodied consciousness—becomes absorbed in matter. When that movement of embodied consciousness within matter ceases, it is called yoga according to Patañjali’s Yoga-sūtras.

Here, Kṛṣṇa expresses the same truth in a different way, highlighting its result. It is like when a person stops watching a horror movie—the moment the watching ends, all the horror previously experienced also ends. In the same way, Kṛṣṇa declares in this verse: duḥkha-saṁyoga-viyogaṁ yoga-saṁjñitam.

Here, there is an alliteration of words—the word “yoga” occurs three times in these two lines: duḥkha-saṁyoga-viyogaṁ yoga-saṁjñitam. This is yet another example of the poetic nature of the Bhagavad-gītā, where a philosophically profound message is conveyed through words that are not only precise and meaningful but also carry a poetic appeal.

Kṛṣṇa uses two words—taṁ vidyāt (“know that to be”) and yoga-saṁjñitam (“this is called yoga”)—to describe disconnection from the connection with misery (duḥkha-saṁyoga). By emphasizing the idea of connection through both viyoga (disconnection) and saṁyoga (connection), and then repeating yoga once more, Kṛṣṇa conveys that the entire process of yoga is essentially about connection. It is about giving up one kind of connection and establishing another.

In bhakti-yoga, these two processes happen in parallel. Rather than consciously giving up one connection to take up another, the devotee simply focuses on cultivating one kind of connection—the spiritual. By developing this connection, all other connections are automatically redefined so that they no longer bind the soul.

Instead of merely rejecting the material, the devotee focuses on embracing the spiritual. When the spiritual is fully embraced, the material is naturally released—not because it is abandoned or renounced, but because the consciousness is no longer captivated by it. As the devotee concentrates on Kṛṣṇa and absorbs himself in the supreme spiritual reality, the effort itself diminishes attachment to worldly things. In this way, the soul becomes well situated, free from misery, and established in spiritual fulfillment.

In conclusion, Kṛṣṇa here speaks primarily about freedom from misery in terms of disconnection from matter. As the Bhagavad-gītā progresses, the connection with Kṛṣṇa will also be emphasized—both in this chapter and in the first verse of the next chapter.

At this stage, however, Kṛṣṇa defines yoga as disconnection from the connection with misery. Even on its own, this is a great achievement for those trapped in material suffering. Such an achievement is attained through the practice of yoga.

Thank you.