कर्मेन्द्रियाणि संयम्य य आस्ते मनसा स्मरन् | इन्द्रियार्थान्विमूढात्मा मिथ्याचारः स उच्यते || ६ ||
karmendriyāṇi saṁyamya ya āste manasā smaran indriyārthān vimūḍhātmā mithyācāraḥ sa ucyate
karma-indriyāṇi—the five organs of action; saṁyamya—controlling; yaḥ—who; āste—remains; manasā—by the mind; smaran—thinking of; indriya-arthān—sense objects; vimūḍha-ātmā—the deluded self; mithyācāraḥ—a hypocrite; saḥ—he; ucyate—is called.
“One who restrains the organs of action but whose mind continues to dwell on sense objects is deluded and is called a hypocrite.”
Outward renunciation combined with inward craving is the worst form of hypocrisy. The Gita here condemns the show of spirituality without its substance. Unless the mind is redirected toward the Divine — in the Vaishnava tradition, toward Krishna — mere external restraint only deepens the bondage by adding pride and self-deception to the already present desire.
When you fast, observe silence, or maintain other disciplines, honestly examine whether the mind is also quiet or whether it is secretly planning, desiring, or scheming. A practice that changes only external behaviour while leaving the mind untouched does little good. Pair every outer discipline with a corresponding inner redirecting of attention toward the Divine.