Bhagavad Gita 6.35

śrī-bhagavān uvāca
asaḿśayaḿ mahā-bāho
mano durnigrahaḿ calam
abhyāsena tu kaunteya
vairāgyeṇa ca gṛhyate

Translation of Bhagavad Gita 6.35

Lord Sri Krishna said: O mighty-armed son of Kunti, it is undoubtedly very difficult to curb the restless mind, but it is possible by suitable practice and by detachment.

Commentary by Sri Vishvanatha Chakravarthi Thakur of Gaudiya Sampradaya:

Accepting what Arjuna has said, Krishna gives a conclusion.

What you have said is certainly true. But though a disease may be very serious, by taking the right medicine according to the doctor’s prescription repeatedly, after a long time the disease gets cured. Similarly, thought the mind is difficult to control, it is possible to control it by repeated practice according to the direction of the guru, by constant application of the process of meditation on the Supreme Lord (abhyasena) and by dissociation from the objects of enjoyment (vairagyena). As Patanjali says in his sutras, abhyasa-vairagyabhyam tan-nirodhah (Yoga Sutras 1.12): the mind is controlled by practice and detachment.

Since you defeated many great warriors in battle (maha-baho), and even defeated Lord Siva, can you not defeat the mind? If you are able to defeat the soldier called the mind by the weapon of the great process of yoga, then you can be called Mighty-armed. O Kaunteya, you should not fear: as you are the son of my aunt Kunti, it is proper that I help you.

Commentary by Sri Ramanuja of Sri Sampradaya:

6.35 The Lord said — No doubt, the mind is hard to subdue on account of its fickle nature. However, it can be subdued with difficulty by cultivating favourable attitude in the direction of the self by repeated contemplation of Its being a mind of auspicious attributes (these being eternality, self-luminosity, bliss, freedom from Karma, purity etc.), and by the absence of hankering produced by seeing the host of evil qualities in objects other than the self hankered for.

Commentary by Sri Sridhara Swami of Rudra Sampradaya:

Responding in regard to Arjuna’s queries about control of the mind, Lord Krishna states that the mind is almost impossible to control; yet by constant practice, abdication from sense objects by dispassion and repeated meditation on the atma or soul it is possible to restrain and control the mind. With the senses withdrawn, being free from the obstacles of lethargy and distractions by means of incessant practice and dispassion, the mind remains immersed in the Supreme Self. It is stated in the Vedic scriptures that the tranquil mind in equanimity resides in the Brahman or spiritual substratum pervading all existence. Free from all conceptions and modifications is what is known as samadhi.

Commentary by Sri Madhvacharya of Brahma Sampradaya:

Sri Madhvacharya did not comment on this sloka.

Commentary by Sri Keshava Kashmiri of Kumara Sampradaya:

Then Lord Krishna responding to Arjuna’s queries concurs that without a doubt the mind is extremely difficult to control and similar to confining a cyclone in a pot; but Arjuna should shake off his trepidation and make the effort, for the mind can be brought under control by the repeated practice of meditation. One should first withdraw the mind from the influence of sense objects and then focus the mind in concentration internally on the atma or soul. By practising indifference towards sense objects, dispassion will arise in the senses and the mind will show no interest and will not gravitate to anything else other than the atma. This is accomplished by reflecting on the transient nature of anything other than the atma and contemplating on the inherent defects in such transient objectives. The vocative words maha-bahu meaning mighty armed one indicates in a general sense that only a superior person trained in such practice will meet with success whereas a normal person will not be able to. In the specific sense maha-bahu means one whose arms are mighty enough to control an enemy should be mighty enough to control the enemy knows as the turbulent mind. The particle tu meaning but denotes there should be no lethargy in effort.

Commentary by Sri Adi Shankaracharya of Advaita Sampradaya:

6.35 Mahabaho, O mighty-armed one; asamsayam, undoubtedly-there is no doubt with regard to this; that the manah, mind; is durnigraham, untractable; and calm, restless. Tu, but; it-the modifications of the mind in the form of distractions-grhyate, is brought under control; abhyasena, through practice- abhyasa means repetition of some idea or thought of the mind one some mental plane [‘Some mental plane’ suggests some object of concentration.]-; and vairagyena, through detachment-vairagya means absence of hankering for enjoyment of desirable things, seen or unseen, as a result of the practice of discerning their defect. That mind is thus brought undr control, restrained, i.e. completely subdued. By him, however, who has not controlled his mind-

Commentary by Sri Abhinavagupta of Kaula Tantra Sampradaya:

6.35 Asamsayam etc. Through an attitude of desirelessness, the craving for sense objects is destroyed. Through practice, stage after stage, the side of emancipation is occupied [by the mind]. Hence both are included. Regarding this, it has been said by the revered author of the Bhasya as : The restraint of mental modifications depends on both [the attitude of desirelessness and practice]. Hence is this solemn declaration :

Sanskrit to English Word for Word Meanings:

śrī-bhagavān uvāca — the Personality of Godhead said; asaḿśayam — undoubtedly; mahā-bāho — O mighty-armed one; manaḥ — the mind; durnigraham — difficult to curb; calam — flickering; abhyāsena — by practice; tu — but; kaunteya — O son of Kuntī; vairāgyeṇa — by detachment; ca — also; gṛhyate — can be so controlled.