Bhagavad Gita Chapter 6, Verse 34

Chapter 6 – Dhyana Yoga · Speaker: Arjuna

Sanskrit verse

चञ्चलं हि मनः कृष्ण प्रमाथि बलवद् दृढम् ।
तस्याहं निग्रहं मन्ये वायोरिव सुदुष्करम् ॥

Transliteration

cañcalaṃ hi manaḥ kṛṣṇa pramāthi balavad dṛḍham .
tasyāhaṃ nigrahaṃ manye vāyoriva suduṣkaram ॥

Meaning

For the mind is restless, turbulent, powerful and obstinate, O Krishna; I consider it as hard to control as the wind.

Word meanings

चञ्चलम् – restless
हि – for, indeed
मनः – the mind
कृष्ण – O Krishna
प्रमाथि – turbulent, agitating
बलवत् – powerful
दृढम् – obstinate, unyielding
तस्य – of it
अहम् – I
निग्रहम् – control, restraint
मन्ये – consider
वायोः – of the wind
इव – like
सुदुष्करम् – extremely difficult

Anvaya (word order)

कृष्ण, हि मनः चञ्चलं प्रमाथि बलवत् दृढम् (अस्ति); तस्य निग्रहं वायोः इव सुदुष्करम् अहं मन्ये ।

Explanation

In the previous verse Arjuna hinted at his difficulty; now he draws a vivid picture of the mind's nature. He gives four adjectives that together amount to a complete psychology of the human mind.

First, chanchala — restless. The mind does not stay in one place for a moment; it leaps from thought to thought. Second, pramathi — turbulent, churning. As curd is churned, the mind agitates body and senses, overpowering a person and dragging him in wrong directions. Shankara says it disturbs body and senses and makes one helpless.

Third, balavat — powerful. It is so strong that it will not heed even the voice of reason. Fourth, dridha — obstinate. Shankara compares it to the tantunaga, something so tough it cannot be cut; whatever object it seizes, it does not easily let go. A habit, a desire, a fear — once it takes root, it is hard to uproot.

Arjuna then gives a powerful image: controlling it is like restraining the wind. The wind cannot be held in a fist or tied down. The address 'Krishna' is meaningful here too; one sense of the name is 'the one who attracts' — you who draw every mind to yourself, please show me how to master mine. The question shows that the Gita does not turn away from the real difficulties of human life.

Context

In 6.33 Arjuna said that because of the mind's restlessness the yoga of equanimity seems impossible to sustain. Here he describes the mind's nature in detail. In the next verse (6.35) Krishna gives his famous answer: practice and dispassion.

Life lesson

If your mind feels uncontrollable, you are not alone — even a great hero like Arjuna felt the same. Understanding and acknowledging the power of the mind is the first step toward mastering it.

Key terms

Pramathi: churning, agitating
Balavat: powerful
Dridha: obstinate, unwilling to let go
Nigraha: control, restraint