Bhagavad Gita 6.35

What Does This Verse Mean?

In this verse, Lord Krishna addresses Arjuna to acknowledge a fundamental truth about the human mind: it is inherently restless and difficult to control on its own. He validates that while the mind's tendency to wander is real, it can be tamed through two specific disciplines. The first discipline is consistent practice (abhyasa) of focusing attention, and the second is developing dispassion (vairagya), or detachment from fleeting sensory distractions.

Where This Happens

This conversation takes place on the battlefield of Kurukshetra during the Mahabharata war, where Arjuna is paralyzed by grief and confusion after seeing his relatives in the opposing army. Following Krishna's initial teachings on duty (Karma Yoga) and the nature of the soul, Arjuna expresses doubt that he can master the mind well enough to perform his kshatriya duties through meditation. The Lord responds here with compassion, acknowledging the difficulty of mental control while offering a practical solution before moving into deeper instructions.

Living It Out Today

Consider a modern professional trying to manage severe anxiety during high-stakes negotiations or deadlines; their thoughts may race uncontrollably from past failures to future worries. To regain focus, they must engage in daily mindfulness practice (abhyasa) to retrain the brain's attention span over time. Simultaneously, they must cultivate dispassion (vairagya) by detaching emotionally from the outcome or their ego's need for validation during the meeting. By combining these two approaches, one can transform a chaotic mental state into clarity and composure.

Explained for Children

Imagine your mind is like a hyperactive puppy that jumps around everywhere you can't catch it; sometimes you just want to sit still, but the 'puppy' wants to play. Krishna tells Arjuna this happens because our minds are naturally wiggly and hard to hold onto. However, he gives us two special tools: first, we must practice training our mind every day like teaching a new trick until it gets better (practice), and second, we need to stop worrying about getting too excited by toys or treats that distract us (dispassion). With patience and these two habits, even the wiggliest puppy can learn to sit calmly beside you.

Key Teachings

1. The Reality of Restlessness
   Krishna acknowledges the inherent difficulty (durnigraha) and fickle nature (calam) of the mind without judgment. Recognizing this struggle as a universal truth removes shame from the practice.
2. The Power of Abhyasa
   Sustained, repeated effort is identified as one half of the solution for taming the mind. This implies that spiritual progress requires daily discipline rather than occasional intense bursts of willpower.
3. Vairagya as the Anchor
   Dispassion or non-attachment acts as the necessary counterbalance to practice, preventing the ego from becoming entangled in the process. Without letting go of the desire for immediate results, true control remains elusive.

Read This Next

1. 2.47 — To understand the foundational principle of acting without attachment (karma-yoga) which supports the Vairagya mentioned in this verse.
2. 3.30 — This chapter details how to dedicate actions to the Divine, a practical method for cultivating the dispassion needed to steady the mind.
3. 12.15 — To see the result of mastering the self and practicing devotion, which leads to the serene state described as desirable by Krishna later in Chapter 6.