Verse 6.6

Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration, Word-for-word and English translation of verse 6.6:

बन्धुर् आत्मात्मनस् तस्य येनैवात्मात्मना जितः ।
अनात्मनस् तु शत्रुत्वे वर्तेतात्मैव शत्रु-वत् ॥ ६ ॥

bandhur ātmātmanas tasya yenaivātmātmanā jitaḥ |
anātmanas tu śatrutve vartetātmaiva śatru-vat || 6 ||

bandhuḥ–the friend; ātmā–the mind; ātmanaḥ–of the soul; tasya–of that; yena–by whom; eva–certainly; ātmā–the mind; ātmanā–by the soul; jitaḥ–has been conquered; anātmanaḥ–for a person without controlled senses; tu–but;śatrutve–in harmful activity; varteta–may engage; ātmā–the mind; eva–just; śatru-vat–like an enemy.

For that living entity who has conquered his mind, the mind is his friend, but for he who has not conquered his senses, his mind works against him just like an enemy.

Commentary: Sārārtha-Varṣiṇī Ṭīkā

(By Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura; the innermost intention of the commentary named ‘the shower of essential meanings’)

Whose mind is their friend and whose mind is their enemy? To answer this, Śrī Bhagavān is speaking this verse beginning with the word bandhuḥ. For the soul who has conquered his mind, the mind is his friend. But for the soul who is anātmā, whose mind is uncontrolled, it acts harmfully like an enemy.