2.68 — Give the mind a reliable direction

Sanskrit · Teaching film · Everyday practice

Speaker: Krishna, addressing Arjuna.

The shloka

तस्माद्यस्य महाबाहो निगृहीतानि सर्वशः ।
इन्द्रियाणीन्द्रियार्थेभ्यस्तस्य प्रज्ञा प्रतिष्ठिता ॥ ६८ ॥

Brief meaning

Krishna therefore connects established wisdom with senses restrained from being carried off by their objects.

In the conversation

Krishna links disciplined integration, contemplation, peace and happiness, and compares the wandering mind to a boat carried off by wind. The image explains vulnerability to distraction. It does not mean that thought must be forcibly silenced or that ordinary emotion makes a person spiritually worthless.

Everyday reflection

You intend to speak with a family member, but each notification pulls your attention away. Place the device out of reach for the conversation and make a simple agreement about the time you can give. When the mind wanders, return to the words being spoken. The boundary serves a relationship, rather than becoming a performance of self-control. What is the boat you are trying to steer today, and which manageable interruption is repeatedly taking it off course?

Consider today: Create a realistic boundary that supports your attention.