Chapter XVII · Śloka 16
Śrī Kṛṣṇa uvāca
मनःप्रसादः सौम्यत्वं मौनमात्मविनिग्रहः |
भावसंशुद्धिरित्येतत्तपो मानसमुच्यते ||
भावसंशुद्धिरित्येतत्तपो मानसमुच्यते ||
manaḥ-prasādaḥ saumyatvaṃ maunam ātma-vinigrahaḥ |
bhāva-saṃśuddhir ity etat tapo mānasamucyate ||
bhāva-saṃśuddhir ity etat tapo mānasamucyate ||
Serenity of mind, gentleness, silence, self-restraint, and purity of being — these are called the austerity of the mind.
The tapas of the mind is the most subtle and the most decisive: a mind that has become naturally serene, gentle, and inwardly still. Bhāva-saṃśuddhi — purity of being — goes deeper than thought or behavior; it is the fundamental condition from which all acts arise.