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श्री भगवानुवाच असंशयं महाबाहो मनो दुर्निग्रहं चलं। अभ्यासेन तु कौन्तेय वैराग्येण च गृह्यते।।6.35।।

śhrī bhagavān uvācha asanśhayaṁ mahā-bāho mano durnigrahaṁ chalam abhyāsena tu kaunteya vairāgyeṇa cha gṛihyate

Sanskrit Chant Recitation
Chapter 6, Verse 35
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Scripture Translation Room

Sanskrit to English Translation

Translator:
The Blessed Lord said, "Undoubtedly, O mighty-armed Arjuna, the mind is difficult to control and restless; but with practice and dispassion, it can be restrained."

A Reading - Rantideb

Why: Krishna agrees the mind is indeed difficult to restrain and restless, but says it can be controlled through practice and dispassion, validating the difficulty while still insisting it's genuinely possible.

In life: being told something is hard but possible, rather than either easy or impossible, is usually the most honest and most useful framing you can receive.

Teaching: hold both halves of this answer together, yes it's genuinely hard, and yes it's genuinely achievable through repeated practice, neither half alone is the whole truth.

śhrī-bhagavān uvāchaLord Krishna said
asanśhayamundoubtedly
mahā-bāhomighty-armed one
manaḥthe mind
durnigrahamdifficult to restrain
chalamrestless
abhyāsenaby practice
tubut
kaunteyaArjun, the son of Kunti
vairāgyeṇaby detachment
chaand
gṛihyatecan be controlled

Deep Classical Commentary (Bhashya)

Author:
6.35 असंशयम् undoubtedly? महाबाहो O mightyarmed? मनः the mind? दुर्निग्रहम् difficult to control? चलम् restless? अभ्यासेन by practice? तु but? कौन्तेय O Kaunteya? वैराग्येण by dispassion? च and? गृह्यते is restrained. Commentary The constant or repeated effort to keep the wandering mind steady by constant meditation on the Lakshya (centre? ideal? goal or object of meditation) is Abhyasa or practice. The same idea or thought of the Self or God is constantly repeated. This constant repetition destroys Vikshepa or the vacillation of the mind and desires? and makes it steady and onepointed.Vairagya is dispassion or indifference to senseobjects in this world or in the other? here or hereafter? seen or unseen? heard or unheard? achieved through constantly looking into the evil in them (DoshaDrishti). You will have to train the mind by constant reflection on the immortal? allblissful Self. You must make the mind realise the transitory nature of the wordly enjoyments. You must suggest to the mind to look for its enjoyment not in the perishable and changing external objects but in the immortal? changeless Self within. Gradually the mind will be withdrawn from the external objects.