The Gita on anxiety and worry
What does the Gita say about anxiety and worry?
The short answer
Most worry lives in a result that hasn't happened yet. The Gita: do the work and let go of the outcome, because staying even in success and failure is yoga (2.48). The restless mind is real, and practice and letting go can tame it (6.35). Steady is the one unshaken in sorrow and free of craving, fear and anger (2.56). And Krishna's last word on it: take refuge in me, and do not grieve (18.66).
The verses
योगस्थः कुरु कर्माणि सङ्गं त्यक्त्वा धनंजय ।
सिद्ध्यसिद्ध्योः समो भूत्वा समत्वं योग उच्यते ॥yogasthaḥ kuru karmāṇi saṅgaṃ tyaktvā dhanaṃjaya
siddhy-asiddhyoḥ samo bhūtvā samatvaṃ yoga ucyate
Having recourse to devotion, O Dhanañjaya, perform actions, casting off all attachment, and being equable in success or ill-success. Such equability is called devotion.
असंशयं महाबाहो मनो दुर्निग्रहं चलम् ।
अभ्यासेन तु कौन्तेय वैराग्येण च गृह्यते ॥asaṃśayaṃ mahābāho mano durnigrahaṃ calam
abhyāsena tu kaunteya vairāgyeṇa ca gṛhyate
Indeed, O mighty-armed one, the mind is difficult to restrain and fickle. But, O son of Kuntī, it can be restrained by constant practice and by detachment.
दुःखेष्वनुद्विग्नमनाः सुखेषु विगतस्पृहः ।
वीतरागभयक्रोधः स्थितधीर्मुनिरुच्यते ॥duḥkheṣv anudvigna-manāḥ sukheṣu vigata-spṛhaḥ
vīta-rāga-bhaya-krodhaḥ sthita-dhīr munir ucyate
He whose heart is not agitated in the midst of calamities, who has no longing for pleasures, and from whom the feelings of affection, fear, and wrath have departed, is called a sage of steady mind.
सर्वधर्मान्परित्यज्य मामेकं शरणं व्रज ।
अहं त्वा सर्वपापेभ्यो मोक्षयिष्यामि मा शुचः ॥sarvadharmān parityajya mām ekaṃ śaraṇaṃ vraja
ahaṃ tvā sarvapāpebhyo mokṣayiṣyāmi mā śucaḥ
Forsaking all duties, come to me as your sole refuge. I will release you from all sins. Be not grieved.
More doubts the Gita answers
Sanskrit from our library: GRETIL's text with Śaṅkara's commentary for chapters 1–17 and the BORI critical edition of the Mahābhārata for chapter 18, each verse checked against the critical edition. English: K. T. Telang's translation (1882), in modern English. Tap a verse number to read its whole chapter.