Bhagavad Gita Chapter 2, Verse 61

Chapter 2 – Sankhya Yoga · Speaker: Krishna

Sanskrit verse

तानि सर्वाणि संयम्य युक्त आसीत मत्परः ।
वशे हि यस्येन्द्रियाणि तस्य प्रज्ञा प्रतिष्ठिता ॥

Transliteration

tāni sarvāṇi saṃyamya yukta āsīta matparaḥ .
vaśe hi yasyendriyāṇi tasya prajñā pratiṣṭhitā ॥

Meaning

Restraining all the senses, he should sit in yoga, intent on Me as the Supreme; for he whose senses are under control has wisdom that is firmly established.

Word meanings

तानि – them (the senses)
सर्वाणि – all
संयम्य – having restrained
युक्तः – united in yoga, concentrated
आसीत – should sit, should abide
मत्परः – intent on Me, regarding Me as supreme
वशे – under control
हि – for
यस्य – whose
इन्द्रियाणि – senses
तस्य – his
प्रज्ञा – wisdom
प्रतिष्ठिता – is firmly established

Anvaya (word order)

तानि सर्वाणि (इन्द्रियाणि) संयम्य, युक्तः मत्परः आसीत । हि यस्य इन्द्रियाणि वशे (सन्ति), तस्य प्रज्ञा प्रतिष्ठिता ।

Explanation

In the previous verse Krishna warned that the senses forcibly carry away even the striving sage. Now He gives the remedy, and with it one of the most important words in the Gita appears for the first time — ‘matparah’. It is often regarded as the first clear hint of bhakti, devotion, in the Gita.

The remedy has three parts. First, ‘tani sarvani samyamya’ — restrain all the senses; leave not even one unguarded, for as 2.67 will say, a single sense is enough to sweep the intellect away. Second, ‘yukta asita’ — sit established in yoga, collected and balanced. Third, and most important, ‘matparah’ — with Me as the supreme goal, wholly devoted to Me.

The acharyas interpret ‘matparah’ with a beautiful variety. For Shankara it means one for whom ‘I, Vasudeva, the inmost Self of all’ is the supreme goal; the seeker abides in the Supreme, knowing himself to be not separate from It. Ramanuja places special emphasis on devotion here. He says the senses cannot be conquered by one's own effort alone; when the mind is fixed on the all-auspicious Lord, that refuge burns away all impurities, just as fire aided by the wind burns up dry grass. Madhva too teaches that sense-control is impossible without surrender to the Lord and His grace.

Despite these differences the core message is one: victory over the senses comes not merely by saying ‘no’ but through a higher ‘yes’. This carries forward the teaching of 2.59, that the taste for objects disappears on seeing the Supreme. When the mind finds a great, beloved and sacred centre, it stops wandering — like a calf tied to a post, which may leap about but stays near the post.

The last line of the verse is stated like a principle: ‘vashe hi yasyendriyani tasya prajna pratishthita’ — he whose senses are under control has steady wisdom. It is both a test of the sthitaprajna and a path for the seeker.

In practical life this means: choose a lofty centre for your mind — God, a sacred ideal or a great goal of service. When the centre of life is clear, petty attractions lose their power by themselves.

Context

Verse 2.60 warned that the senses can overpower even a striving sage. Here the remedy is given — sense-restraint together with devotion to the Lord. In the next two verses (2.62–63) Krishna shows step by step how, without such restraint, dwelling on objects leads to a person's downfall.

Life lesson

Do not merely fight your weaknesses; give your mind a high and beloved centre. When the heart is joined to God or a sacred purpose, restraint ceases to be a burden and becomes natural.

Key terms

Matpara: one who holds the Lord as the supreme goal, devoted to Him
Samyama: restraint of the senses and mind
Yukta: established in yoga, concentrated and balanced