tasmat tvam uttishtha ,yasho labhasva – Therefore stand up and attain glory. (Gita-11/33)
This verse is the essence of all the advice given by the lord to every seeker on the path of spiritual life. The Lord systematically explains how a person should lead his life.
Uttishtha is a beautiful Sanskrit word. It means to get up from slumber and to be awake. Most individuals engrossed in the material world are asleep to the spiritual. When one arises from that slumber then every task thought and word becomes an expression of spirituality. Uttishtha could mean to stand firm on the path of spirituality. The path of spirituality is extremely slippery and one who cannot stand firm may fall down. Uttishtha also means to be established above. The human mind is restless in the lower centers. When one is able to fix the attention on the top above the pituitary and the fontanel one is in the state of uttishtha.
Katha Upanishad has a similar message:
Uttishtatha Jagrata prapya varannibodhata - Arise, awake and strive sincerely to reach the divine goal. 1:3:14
The Lord is saying, 'Wake up, stand firm and remain on the top, and by this you will attain the glory of self-realization'.