Bhagavad Gita BG 6.34
Chapter 6, Verse 34 — Meaning, Translation & Explanation
चञ्चलं हि मनः कृष्ण प्रमाथि बलवद् दृढम् । तस्याहं निग्रहं मन्ये वायोरिव सुदुष्करम् ॥
cancalam hi manah krishna pramathi balavad drdham tasyaham nigraham manye vAyor iva su-dushkaram
Meaning
The mind is truly fickle, O Krishna — turbulent, powerful, unyielding. I consider its control to be as difficult as controlling the wind.
Understanding
Arjuna's elaboration — a vivid and exact description of the uncontrolled mind: cancalam (fickle, wavering), pramathi (turbulent — pra+math, the churning/overwhelming force), balavat (powerful), drdham (unyielding, hard). And the famous simile: its nigraha (control, restraint) is su-dushkaram (exceedingly difficult — very hard) vayor iva (like the wind). Trying to hold the wind. This verse has spoken for meditators across ages — the struggle is real. Krishna doesn't contradict this — he acknowledges it.
Word by Word
| Word | IAST | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| प्रमाथि | pramathi | turbulent, overwhelming, churning |
| बलवत् | balavat | powerful, strong |
| दृढम् | drham | unyielding, hard, firm (negatively: obstinate) |
| निग्रहम् | nigraham | control, restraint, holding down |
| सुदुष्करम् | su-dushkaram | exceedingly difficult, very hard |
| चञ्चलम् | cañcalam | restless / fickle / unstable |
| हि | hi | for / indeed (the mind is restless) |
| मनः | manaḥ | the mind |
| कृष्ण | kṛṣṇa | O Krishna |
| तस्य | tasya | its / of it (the mind) |
| अहम् | aham | I |
| मन्ये | manye | think / consider / believe |
| वायोः | vāyoḥ | of the wind (more difficult to control than wind) |
| इव | iva | like / as (comparison) |