Abhyasa plus vairagya trains the mind.
Krishna speaks to Arjuna
श्रीभगवानुवाच |असंशयं महाबाहो मनो दुर्निग्रहं चलम् |अभ्यासेन तु कौन्तेय वैराग्येण च गृह्यते ||६-३५||
śrībhagavānuvāca . asaṃśayaṃ mahābāho mano durnigrahaṃ calam . abhyāsena tu kaunteya vairāgyeṇa ca gṛhyate ||6-35||
Use this verse as the core mind-training formula.
Meaning
The Blessed Lord said: Undoubtedly the mind is restless and hard to control, but it is controlled by practice and detachment.
Translation: Gita Guidance (original English rendering).
In plain words
Practice and detachment control the mind.
Word-by-word meaning
Tap a word to see its meaning.
Explanation
Krishna gives the central formula for mind training. Keep returning through practice and loosen attachment through detachment.
Read the traditional commentary
Krishna's reply is a model of wise teaching. He does not dismiss Arjuna's difficulty; he honors it — asamshayam, 'undoubtedly,' the mind is hard to control and restless. By acknowledging the truth of the struggle, he meets the seeker where he actually stands. But then comes the great word of hope: tu, 'but.' The mind is hard to master, yet master it one can.
The method is the Gita's timeless prescription: abhyasa and vairagya — practice and dispassion. Abhyasa is patient, repeated effort, returning the mind again and again to its focus, building over time the grooves of stillness. Vairagya is the gradual loosening of attachment to the objects that pull the mind outward; as desire fades, the mind's reason to wander fades with it.
These two work together like two wings. Practice trains the mind toward the center; dispassion removes the magnets that drag it away. The wind that seemed uncontrollable can indeed, through these, be tamed.
In daily life
Repeat the practice and release what pulls you away.
Daily meditation plus reduced phone-triggering is a modern form of this teaching.
Try this today
Choose one repeated practice and one attachment to reduce.
I train my mind through practice and detachment.Reflect
Which do I need more: practice or detachment?
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Quick check
What does ‘असंशयम्’ mean in this verse?
Krishna on perseverance, in other chapters
- Verse 12.9If the mind will not settle on God, train it through patient, repeated practice.
- Verse 18.52Solitude, moderation, restraint, and steady meditation prepare the mind to realize the Eternal.
- Verse 8.8A wandering mind is steadied not by force but by patient daily practice that gradually trains it to rest in the Divine.
- Verse 9.14A devoted life is built from constant small acts of remembrance and reverence, woven steadily into the whole of one's days.
Swipe left for 6.36 · Self-control makes yoga possible.
Questions about Bhagavad Gita 6.35
Who says Bhagavad Gita 6.35, and to whom?
Krishna speaks to Arjuna in verse 6.35, in Chapter 6, Dhyana Yoga (Dhyana Yoga).
What does Bhagavad Gita 6.35 mean?
The Blessed Lord said: Undoubtedly the mind is restless and hard to control, but it is controlled by practice and detachment. (Translation: Gita Guidance (original English rendering).)
What is the lesson of Bhagavad Gita 6.35 for daily life?
Repeat the practice and release what pulls you away. Daily meditation plus reduced phone-triggering is a modern form of this teaching.
What do the Sanskrit words in Bhagavad Gita 6.35 mean?
असंशयम् — without doubt / undoubtedly; महाबाहो — O mighty-armed one; मनः दुर्निग्रहम् चलम् — the mind is hard to control and restless; अभ्यासेन तु — but by practice; कौन्तेय — O son of Kunti (Arjuna).
Where does verse 6.35 come in the Bhagavad Gita?
It is verse 35 of 47 in Chapter 6, Dhyana Yoga. The next verse is 6.36.