108 Best Bhagavad Gita Quotes on Positive Thinking

Introduction to Positive Thinking and Bhagavad Gita

The concept of Bhagavad Gita Quotes on Positive Thinking is intricately tied to its broader spiritual teachings. It presents a perspective emphasizing inner peace, self-awareness, and a balanced approach to life.

  • Defining Positive Thinking: In The Bhagavad Gita , positive thinking is seen as a state of mind that can be achieved by understanding and practicing certain spiritual principles. It is about maintaining inner peace and equilibrium regardless of external circumstances. This includes accepting life’s challenges, understanding the transient nature of success and failure, and finding contentment within oneself.
  • Relevance and Application: The teachings of The Bhagavad Gita are particularly relevant to the concept of positive thinking. They encourage individuals to focus on their duties and actions without attachment to the results. This detachment is seen as a pathway to maintaining a positive outlook, as it helps in overcoming anxiety and stress about outcomes. The Gita’s approach to positive thinking is deeply rooted in self-reflection, self-control, and understanding the larger cosmic order.

Background of Bhagavad Gita

image of a conversation between Prince Arjuna and the god Lord Krishna, who serves as his charioteer. the image depicts how the bhagavad gita quotes on positive thinking came about
A Conversation Between Prince Arjuna and the God Lord Krishna

The Bhagavad Gita often called the Gita, is a 700-verse sacred Hindu scripture part of the Indian epic Mahabharata. It is a conversation between Prince Arjuna and the God Lord Krishna, who serves as his charioteer. This sacred text is renowned for its profound spiritual depth and has become a cornerstone in Hindu philosophy and Indian literature.

  • Overview and Significance: The Gita addresses Arjuna’s moral and philosophical dilemmas as he prepares to battle. It’s a religious scripture and a spiritual guide that discusses humans’ struggles and offers profound, intelligent insights. The teachings of the Gita revolve around essential concepts such as duty (dharma), righteousness, selflessness, and the nature of reality.
  • Cultural Importance: The Bhagavad Gita transcends its immediate cultural and religious context, profoundly impacting various aspects of Indian society. It has influenced numerous leaders and thinkers worldwide, including Mahatma Gandhi, who considered it a spiritual dictionary. The Gita’s influence extends into philosophy, theology, and psychology, guiding how to live a balanced, ethical, and morally upright life.

With its profound spiritual insights, These Bhagavad Gita Quotes on Positive Thinking offers a timeless guide to embracing positive thinking. Its teachings on duty, action, detachment, and self-realization provide a framework for cultivating a positive and balanced state of mind. 

108 Bhagavad Gita Quotes on Positive Thinking

On Self-Realization and Inner Peace - 27 Bhagavad Gita Quotes

image of a man sitting on dock. there is a lake. meditating of bhagavad gita quotes on positive thinking
"Calmness, gentleness, silence, self-restraint, and purity: these are the disciplines of the mind."

The Bhagavad Gita offers profound insights into the journey towards self-realization and inner peace. Each quote reflects deep philosophical thoughts and provides practical guidance for fostering self-awareness and a positive mindset.

Below are 27 Bhagavad Gita Quotes on positive thinking relating to Self-Realization and Inner Peace.

1 - 9 on Self-Realization and Inner Peace

“For one who has conquered his mind, a mind is best of friends, but for one who has failed to do so, a mind is the greatest enemy.”

  • This quote highlights the importance of mastering one’s thoughts and emotions for inner peace.

“Happiness from the senses seems like nectar initially, but it is bitter as poison in the end.”

  • Here, the Gita cautions against seeking temporary pleasure of sense, advocating for a deeper, more sustainable source of happiness.

“Set thy heart upon thy work, but never on its reward.”

  • Emphasizing the value of detachment from outcomes, this quote advocates focusing on the action, not the reward.

“He who is content with whatever comes, without attachment, not disappointed when he gets nothing, is wise.”

  • Contentment and detachment are highlighted as critical aspects of a peaceful mind.

“Calmness, gentleness, silence, self-restraint, and purity: these are the disciplines of the mind.”

  • This quote speaks to the cultivation of mental virtues for achieving inner peace.

“As a strong wind sweeps away a boat on the water, even one of the roaming world of the senses on which the mind focuses can carry away a man’s intellect.”

  • The Gita warns about the dangers of uncontrolled senses leading one away from wisdom.

“One who sees inaction in action, and action in inaction, is intelligent among men.”

  • This paradoxical statement encourages seeing deeper realities beyond surface-level actions.

“When meditation is mastered, the mind is unwavering like the flame of a lamp in a windless place.”

  • The Gita extols the virtues of meditation in stabilizing the mind.

“There is neither this world nor the world beyond nor happiness for the one who doubts.”

  • Doubt is seen as an obstacle to spiritual and mental peace.

10 - 18 on Self-Realization and Inner Peace

“A person can rise through the efforts of his own mind; or draw himself down in the same manner. Because each person is his own friend or enemy.”

  • This emphasizes self-effort and personal responsibility in shaping one’s mindset and life.

“One who has control over the mind is tranquil in heat and cold, in pleasure and pain, and in honor and dishonor.”

  • Inner peace comes from equanimity in all situations.

“The self-controlled soul, who moves amongst sense objects, free from either attachment or repulsion, he wins eternal Peace.”

  • Detachment from extremes leads to lasting peace.

“Delusion arises from anger. The mind is bewildered by delusion. Reasoning is destroyed when the mind is bewildered.”

  • The chain reaction of negative emotions and their impact on peace is outlined here.

“One who has renounced attachment to the fruits of action, who is ever content, and free from all kinds of desires, does not act though he may be engaged in all kinds of actions.”

  • Renunciation of attachment to outcomes is seen as crucial to inner peace.

“When a person is devoted to something with complete faith, I unify his faith in that. Then, when his faith is completely unified, he gains the object of his devotion.”

  • The power of faith and devotion in achieving one’s goals.

“A person is said to have achieved yoga, the union with the Self when the perfectly disciplined mind gets freedom from all desires.”

  • Freedom from desires is a path to union with the Self.

“From the highest planet in the material world down to the lowest, all are places of misery wherein repeated birth and death take place. But one who attains to My abode, O son of Kunti, never takes birth again.”

  • The material world’s impermanence and the spiritual realm’s eternal nature.

“The wise, engaged in devotional service, take refuge in the Lord and free themselves from the cycle of birth and death by renouncing the fruits of action in the material world.”

  • Spiritual wisdom as a means to transcend worldly attachments.

19 - 27 on Self-Realization and Inner Peace

“Even if you are the most sinful of all sinners, yet you shall cross over all sin by the raft of knowledge.”

  • Knowledge is a powerful tool for transformation.

“He who has no attachments can really love others, for his love is pure and divine.”

  • True love is free from selfish attachments and lust of possession.

“Whatever action is performed by a great man, common men follow in his footsteps.”

  • The influence of exemplary individuals on society.

“Better is one’s own duty though devoid of merit than the duty of another well discharged.”

  • The importance of following one’s own path.

“A gift is pure when it is given from the heart to the right person at the right time and right place, and when we expect nothing in return.”

  • The purity of selfless giving.

“It is better to live your destiny imperfectly than to live an imitation of somebody else’s life with perfection.”

  • Authenticity in living one’s own life.

“I am the same to all beings. I favor none, nor am I partial to anyone. I am the father of all and the same to all.”

  • The universal love and impartiality of the divine.

“Among all kinds of killers, time is the ultimate because time kills everything.”

  • The relentless power of time.

“The wise who knows the truth thinks, ‘I do nothing at all’; for in seeing, hearing, touching, smelling, eating, walking, sleeping, breathing, he thinks, ‘The senses move amongst the sense objects.'”

  • The realization that actions are performed by the senses and the Self is beyond these actions.

These Bhagavad Gita Quotes on Positive Thinking offer deep insights into understanding the Self and finding inner peace. They guide one towards a heightened self-awareness and a mindset rooted in positivity and spiritual wisdom.

On Duty, Action, and Detachment - 27 Bhagavad Gita Quotes

image showing selfless action.as represented in bhagavad gita quotes on positive thinking
"Actions do not cling to me because I am not attached to their results. Those who understand this and practice it live in freedom."

The Bhagavad Gita offers insightful teachings on duty, action, and detachment. These quotes emphasize the significance of performing one’s duty with a spirit of selflessness and maintaining a positive mindset through detachment from the fruits of actions. 

Below are 27 Bhagavad Gita Quotes on positive thinking relating to Duty, Action, and Detachment.

1 - 9 on Duty, Action, and Detachment

“Perform your obligatory duty because action is indeed better than inaction.”

  • You advocate the importance of action over inaction and fulfilling one’s responsibilities.

“One who performs his duty without attachment, surrendering the results unto the Supreme Lord, is unaffected by sinful action.”

  • The concept of acting without attachment to outcomes as a path to spiritual purity.

“The wise should work without attachment, for the welfare of the society.”

  • We are encouraging selfless service and working for the welfare of others and the greater good.

“You have a right to perform your prescribed duties, but you are not entitled to the fruits of your actions.”

  • We are emphasizing the importance of duty while detaching from the results.

“Whatever you do, whatever you eat, whatever you offer or give away, and whatever austerities you perform – do that, O son of Kunti, as an offering to Me.”

  • We are encouraging the dedication of all actions to a higher purpose.

“When your intellect transcends the mire of delusion, then you will attain to dispassion of what has been heard and what is yet to be heard.”

  • The attainment of a higher state of understanding beyond confusion and delusion.

“Actions do not cling to me because I am not attached to their results. Those who understand this and practice it live in freedom.”

  • The idea of liberation through detachment from the results of actions.

“As the ignorant perform their duties with attachment to results, the learned may similarly act, but without attachment, for the sake of leading people on the right path.”

  • The responsibility of the wise is to lead by example.

“Let your aim be the good of all. Then carry out your task in life with an unswerving devotion to truth, refusing to yield to selfish desires or to the errors of human nature.”

  • Advocating for a life dedicated to truth and the greater good.

10 - 18 on Duty, Action, and Detachment

“He who is rooted in oneness realizes that I am in every being; wherever he goes, he remains in Me.”

  • The understanding of universal oneness and seeing the divine in all.

“Those who see action in inaction and inaction in action are truly wise among humans.”

  • The deep understanding of action and inaction in a human being spiritual context.

“One who is not disturbed by happiness and distress and is steady in both is certainly eligible for liberation.”

  • Equanimity as a path to freedom.

“One who can control his senses by practicing the regulated principles of freedom can obtain the complete mercy of the Lord and thus become free from all attachment and aversion.”

  • The role of self-control in achieving spiritual liberation.

“For one who has been honored, dishonor is worse than death.”

  • The transient nature of honor and dishonor.

“Even a little endeavor in practicing the regulative principles of bhakti-yoga protects one from the most dangerous type of fear.”

  • The protective power of spiritual practice.

“Work done as a sacrifice for Vishnu has to be performed; otherwise, work binds one to this material world.”

  • The concept of performing good work is a sacrifice to avoid material entanglement.

“Those who are free from anger and all material desires, who are self-realized, self-disciplined, and constantly endeavoring for perfection, are assured of liberation in the Supreme in the very near future.”

  • The assurance of spiritual liberation for those who are disciplined and enlightened.

“A man engaged in devotional service rids himself of both good and bad actions even in this life. Therefore, strive for yoga, which is the art of all work.”

  • The transformative power of devotional service.

19 - 27 on Duty, Action, and Detachment

“There is no work that affects me, nor do I aspire for the fruits of action.”

  • The divine perspective on action and detachment and not just for work’s sake.

“He who is satisfied with gain which comes of its own accord, who is free from duality and does not envy, who is steady in both success and failure, is never entangled, although performing actions.”

  • In the face of dualities, the state of being content with what life brings and remaining unattached from such dualities.

“Yoga is skill in actions.”

  • Defining yoga as the skillful performance of actions.

“The ignorant work for their own profit, Arjuna; the wise work for the welfare of the world, without thought for themselves.”

  • Contrasting selfish action with selfless action for the welfare of the external world.

“By abstaining from work no one attains freedom from action; nor does he rise to perfection by merely renouncing work.”

  • The necessity of action in the clear path to spiritual perfection.

“He who is devoid of attachment, who does not rejoice when he obtains good, nor lament when he obtains evil, is firmly fixed in perfect knowledge.”

  • The state of equanimity is a sign of actual knowledge.

“One who shuns selfish attachment to the fruits of work and remains ever content and dependent on no one but himself – although engaged in all kinds of undertakings, such a person, O Prince, is said to be in the renounced order of life.”

  • The ideal of renunciation in action.

“It is better to engage in one’s own occupation, even though one may perform it imperfectly, than to accept another’s occupation and perform it perfectly.”

  • The value of following one’s own path and duty.

“Renunciation of the fruits of action is better than meditation; meditation is better than knowledge; knowledge is better than performance of sacrifices.”

  • The hierarchy of spiritual practices leading to liberation.

These Bhagavad Gita Quotes on Positive Thinking emphasize the profound importance of performing one’s duty with a spirit of detachment of old ways or new and selflessness. They guide individuals towards a positive thinking mindset, rooted in the understanding that true fulfillment comes from selfless action and a dispassionate approach to the results of one’s endeavors.

On Path to Spiritual Wisdom and Enlightenment - 27 Bhagavad Gita Quotes

minimalist image of Bhagavad Gita Quotes on Positive Thinking
"One who has wisdom and discernment is always calm and collected; such a person is in true knowledge."

In the Bhagavad Gita, profound quotes beautifully articulate the path to spiritual wisdom and enlightenment. These teachings guide us toward spiritual awakening and contribute significantly to cultivating a balanced and positive mindset.

Below are 27 Bhagavad Gita Quotes on positive thinking relating to Spiritual Wisdom and Enlightenment

1 - 9 on Spiritual Wisdom and Enlightenment

“One who has wisdom and discernment is always calm and collected; such a person is in true knowledge.”

  • We are highlighting the importance of wisdom and discernment in achieving a state of calm and understanding.

“The truly wise mourn neither for the living nor for the dead.”

  • Emphasizing a deeper understanding of life and death, transcending ordinary emotional reactions.

“There is nothing in the world as purifying as knowledge; one who has attained purity of heart through prolonged practice of karma yoga automatically sees the light of truth in the self in course of time.”

  • Stating the purifying power of knowledge, its long practice, and its role in revealing inner truth in due course.

“When you move amidst the world of sense, free from attachment and aversion alike, there comes the peace in which all sorrows end, and you live in the wisdom of the self.”

  • The attainment of peace through detachment from the sensory world leads to self-realization.

“A person is said to be established in self-realization and is called a yogi when he is fully satisfied by virtue of acquired knowledge and realization.”

  • Defining a yogi is someone who finds fulfillment in knowledge and spiritual realization.

“He who is able to resist the force of desire and anger before he quits his body is a yogi and is happy.”

  • The control of desires and anger as a pathway to happiness and yogic achievement.

“The disunited mind is far from wise; how can it meditate? How can it be at peace? When you know no peace, how can you know joy?”

  • The necessity of a united mind for meditation, peace, and joy.

“When a person responds to the joys and sorrows of others as if they were his own, he has attained the highest state of spiritual union.”

  • Empathy and oneness with others as an indicator of spiritual maturity.

“This divine wisdom is a direct perception of the truth, much superior to any indirect knowledge of the scriptures or hearsay.”

  • Valuing direct spiritual experience over second-hand knowledge.

10 - 18 on Spiritual Wisdom and Enlightenment

“He who sees me everywhere and sees everything in me will not be lost to me, and I will not be lost to him.”

  • The realization of the omnipresence of the divine.

“When your intellect, perplexed by what you have heard, shall stand immobile and steady in the self, then you shall attain self-realization.”

  • The role of intellect in achieving self-realization.

“Those who see with eyes of knowledge the difference between the body and the knower of the body and can also understand the process of liberation from bondage in material nature, attain to the supreme goal.”

  • It is understanding the distinction between a lesser goal, the physical body, and the soul as a step towards liberation.

“They are forever free who renounce all selfish desires and break away from the ego cage of ‘I,’ ‘me,’ and ‘mine’ to be united with the Lord.”

  • The liberation is achieved by renouncing ego and selfish desires.

“He who has renounced selfishness, who understands the principles of self-sacrifice and has realized that the true nature of the self is eternal, achieves cosmic consciousness and knows the spiritual truth.”

  • Self-sacrifice and self-realization as pathways to cosmic consciousness.

“Just as a candle cannot burn without fire, men cannot live without a spiritual life.”

  • The essential nature of spiritual life for actual existence.

“One who is not disturbed in mind amidst the threefold miseries or elated when there is happiness, and who is free from attachment, fear, and anger, is called a sage of steady mind.”

  • The qualities of a sage are equanimity, detachment, and freedom from negative emotions.

“In the still mind, in the depths of meditation, the Self reveals itself.”

  • Meditation is the key to revealing the Self.

“The peace of God is with them whose mind and soul are in harmony, who are free from desire and wrath, who know their own soul.”

  • The peace that comes with self-knowledge and harmony of mind and soul.

19 - 27 on Spiritual Wisdom and Enlightenment

“A person is considered still further advanced when he regards honest well-wishers, affectionate benefactors, the neutral, mediators, the envious, friends and enemies, the pious and the sinners all with an equal mind.”

  • The advanced spiritual state is marked by equal regard for all.

“Those whose minds are established in sameness and equanimity have already conquered the conditions of birth and death.”

  • Equanimity is a victory over the cycle of birth and death.

“The yogi who is happy within, who rejoices within, and who is illuminated within, becomes fully liberated in the Brahman and attains the supreme eternal bliss.”

  • Inner happiness and enlightenment are the path to ultimate liberation.

“When a person is devoted to something with complete faith, I unify his faith in that. Then, when his faith is completely unified, he gains the object of his devotion.”

  • The power of faith and devotion in achieving spiritual goals.

“Those who are free from anger and all material desires, who are self-realized, self-disciplined, and constantly endeavoring for perfection, are assured of liberation in the Supreme in the very near future.”

  • The characteristics of those who are assured of spiritual liberation.

“Knowledge is the ultimate purification.”

  • Affirming knowledge as a means of purification.

“The ignorant differentiate between spiritual knowledge and devotional service, but the wise see devotional service and knowledge as one.”

  • The unity of knowledge and devotional service in spiritual practice.

“Yoga is the journey of the self, through the self, to the self.”

  • We are defining yoga as a self-reflective spiritual journey.

“As the heat of a fire reduces wood to ashes, the fire of knowledge burns to ashes all karma.”

  • The transformative power of knowledge in spiritual enlightenment.

These Bhagavad Gita Quotes on Positive Thinking underscore the essential role of spiritual wisdom and enlightenment in achieving a balanced and positive mindset. They guide seekers on a path of self-discovery, inner harmony, and a deeper understanding of the universe and one’s place in it.

On Persistence, Effort, and Realization of Destiny - 27 Bhagavad Gita Quotes

image of man climbing a mountain. depecting bhagavad gita quotes on positive thinking
"When a person is devoted to something with complete faith, I unify his faith in that."

The Bhagavad Gita richly emphasizes the themes of persistence, effort, and the realization of destiny. These quotes provide valuable insights into how steadfast attempts and a sense of purpose can shape our destiny, inspiring positive thinking and action.

Below are 27 Bhagavad Gita Quotes on positive thinking relating to Persistence, Effort, And Destiny

1 - 9 on Persistence, Effort, and Destiny

“You have the right to work but never to the fruit of work.”

  • Stresses the importance of action without attachment to outcomes, a cornerstone of positive effort.

“It is better to strive in one’s own dharma than to succeed in the dharma of another.”

  • Highlights the importance of fulfilling one’s unique role and destiny.

“A disciplined mind brings happiness.”

  • Links self-discipline with the achievement of happiness, emphasizing the role of personal effort.

“The wise unify their consciousness and abandon attachment to the fruits of action.”

  • Advocates for a mindset focused on action, not rewards.

“Sever the ignorant doubt in your heart with the sword of self-knowledge. Observe your discipline. Arise.”

  • Encourages conquering doubts through self-knowledge and discipline.

“Those who are motivated only by desire for the fruits of action are miserable, for they are constantly anxious about the results of what they do.”

  • Warns against the anxiety and misery that come from attachment to outcomes.

“When a person is devoted to something with complete faith, I unify his faith in that.”

  • Highlights the power of faith and devotion in achieving goals.

“Reshape yourself through the power of your will; never let yourself be degraded by self-will.”

  • Encourages shaping one’s destiny through solid willpower.

“Man is made by his belief. As he believes, so he is.”

  • The profound impact of belief on man’s self-identity and destiny.

10 - 18 on Persistence, Effort, and Destiny

“The ignorant work for their own profit, the wise work for the welfare of the world.”

  • Contrasts selfish efforts with selfless actions for the greater good.

“To action alone hast thou a right and never at all to its fruits; let not the fruits of action be thy motive; neither let there be in thee any attachment to inaction.”

  • Reinforces the principle of acting without attachment to results.

“Set thy heart upon thy work, but never its reward.”

  • It focuses on the importance of dedicating oneself to work rather than its rewards.

“Perform all thy actions with mind concentrated on the Divine, renouncing attachment and looking upon success and failure with an equal eye.”

  • Encourages performing exemplary acts focusing on the divine and equanimity towards outcomes.

“There is neither this world nor the world beyond nor happiness for the one who doubts.”

  • The detrimental effect of doubt on achieving success and happiness.

“As the kindled fire consumes the fuel, so in the flame of wisdom, the embers of action are burnt to ashes.”

  • Wisdom is a tool to transcend the binds of action.

“The meaning of Karma is in the intention. The intention behind action is what matters.”

  • Emphasizes the significance of intention behind actions.

“Those who are free from anger and all material desires, who are self-realized, self-disciplined, and constantly endeavoring for perfection, are assured of liberation in the Supreme.”

  • The liberation is achieved through freedom of material things, self-discipline, and constant effort.

“A gift is pure when it is given from the heart to the right person at the right time and at the right place, and when we expect nothing in return.”

  • The purity and selflessness of giving.

19 - 27 on Persistence, Effort, and Destiny

“No effort in this world is lost or wasted; a fragment of sacred duty saves you from great fear.”

  • Every effort has its value and contributes to one’s spiritual journey.

“What is work and what is not work are questions that perplex the wisest of men.”

  • The philosophical complexity surrounding the nature of work.

“One must learn to tolerate them without being disturbed.”

  • The importance of tolerance in the face of life’s challenges.

“Curving back within myself, I create again and again.”

  • The concept of self-reflection and continuous self-creation.

“Even a little effort toward spiritual awareness will protect you from the greatest fear.”

  • The significant impact of even a tiny step toward spiritual growth.

“He who has let go of hatred, who treats all beings with kindness and compassion, who is always serene, unmoved by pain or pleasure.”

  • The ideal state of being is marked by kindness, serenity, and equanimity.

“One who has control over the mind is tranquil in heat and cold, in pleasure and pain, and in honor and dishonor.”

  • The tranquility is achieved through mastery over the mind.

“The power of God is with you at all times; through the activities of mind, senses, breathing, and emotions; and is constantly doing all the work using you as a mere instrument.”

  • It is understanding oneself as an instrument or song of god for a higher power.

“By self-control and by renouncing all attachments, the willful soul enjoys tranquility.”

  • The tranquility gained through self-control and detachment.

These Bhagavad Gita Quotes on Positive Thinking are potent reminders of the importance of persistence, effort, and realizing one’s destiny. They inspire readers to adopt a mindset that embraces positive thinking and purposeful action, laying the foundation for a life of fulfillment and spiritual growth.

Bhagavad Gita Quotes on Positive Thinking Sources

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