Bhagavad Gita · Chapter 6: The Path of Meditation

Bhagavad Gita 6.19

yathā dīpo nivātastho neṅgate sopamā smṛtā | yogino yatacittasya yuñjato yogamātmanaḥ ||

"Like a lamp in a windless place that does not flicker": this is the comparison used for the yogi of controlled mind who practises the yoga of the self.

Modern context

This is one of the loveliest images in the Gita. A lamp in a windless place does not flicker. Two things are worth noticing. The flame is still alive and burning, so this is a bright, awake stillness and not a dull or sleepy one. And the flame is steady because the wind has stopped. It is not straining to stay upright. The steady mind is the same: alert and luminous, still because the winds of desire and worry have dropped.