Bhagavad Gita Chapter 6 - Dhyana Yoga - Sloka 35

The entire content of this mail is from Swami Chidbhavananda's translation of The Bhagavad Gita, published by Ramakrishna Mission.

The Restive Mind has to be Resisted 33-36

1 Gita Sloka every day - Chapter 6 - Dhyana Yoga - Sloka 35

Adi Sankaracharya finding the Badrinarayana  swami

Shri Bhagavan Uvacha

Asanshaya mahabaho mano duni gruham chalam I

Abhyasena tu kaunteya vairagyena cha gruhyate II sloka 35

श्री  भगवान  उवाच 

असन्शय महाबाहो मनो दुनिः गृहं चलं ।

अभ्यासेन तु कौन्तेय वैराग्येण च गृह्यते ।। श्लोक ३५

The Blessed Lord said

Doubtless, O mighty armed, the mind is restless and hard to control; but by practice and non-attachment, O son of Kunti, it can be controlled

The sum total of habits of a man is his nature. It has come about as a result of his giving himself ever to the bent of his mind. Unwillingly he has become the creature of his own mind,wonted to restlessness. But the old habits can be eradicated through  new ones. In other words nature can be changed through nurture.An earnest and persistent attempt at the change of nature is abhyasa  or practice.The uncontrollable and restless mind can be controlled and made calm. Practice is the sure means to this end. To wean the mind from its wonted ways and direct it on the ideal is practice. Mind becomes pacified as it gets drawn to the self.

On analysis it maybe found that mind runs after objects to which it has been attached. The evils of such attachments have to be repeatedly and timely presented to the passionate mind. As the force of passion gets put down, mind comes under control. When all the base attachments are wiped out through discrimination, mind blooms into serenity. Practice of non-attachment is therefore auxillary to the practice of meditation.

He who who wants to learn swimming has to be at it repeatedly. It cannot be learnt with one or two attempts. One dares not swim in the boisterous sea just after a day's session. Similarly one has to train oneself to swim in the sea of satchitananda.  Failure in the 1st attempt   is but natural. Sporting it becomes possible only trough persistent practice.

There is a poisonous variety of spider the effect of the bite of which cannot be easily cured. A spell has to be cast first over the patient with the root of turmeric; otherwise no medicine will have any effect on the poison. The worldly man is bitten by the  spider of lust and greed. Unless of the spell of non-attachment is invoked on him, no spiritual practice of his will ever bear fruit. 

Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa