Bhagavad Gita BG 6.35
Chapter 6, Verse 35 — Meaning, Translation & Explanation
श्रीभगवानुवाच । असंशयं महाबाहो मनो दुर्निग्रहं चलम् । अभ्यासेन तु कौन्तेय वैराग्येण च गृह्यते ॥
shri bhagavan uvaca asamshayam maha-baho mano durnigraham calam abhyasena tu kaunteya vairagyena ca grhyate
Meaning
The Blessed Lord said: Undoubtedly, O Mighty-armed, the mind is difficult to control and fickle. But, O Kaunteya, it is controlled through abhyasa (practice) and vairagya (detachment).
Understanding
Krishna's response is remarkably honest: asamshayam (without doubt) — yes, mano durnigraham calam — the mind is difficult to control (durnigraha) and fickle (cala). He AGREES with Arjuna. But then — tu (but, the crucial turn): abhyasena vairagyena ca grhyate — by abhyasa (practice — the repeated, sustained return) AND vairagya (detachment — non-identification with the mind's objects), it IS grhyate (grasped, controlled). Two keys: the positive (practice) and the negative (detachment). Neither alone is enough.
Word by Word
| Word | IAST | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| असंशयम् | asamshayam | without doubt, undoubtedly |
| दुर्निग्रहम् | durnigraham | difficult to control, hard to restrain |
| अभ्यासेन | abhyasena | by practice, by repeated return |
| वैराग्येण | vairagyena | by detachment, by non-identification |
| गृह्यते | grhyate | is grasped, is controlled, is tamed |
| श्रीभगवान् उवाच | śrī bhagavān uvāca | The Blessed Lord said (speaker attribution) |
| महाबाहो | mahā-bāho | O mighty-armed (Arjuna) |
| मनः | manaḥ | the mind (undoubtedly difficult to restrain) |
| चलम् | calam | moving / unstable / restless |
| तु | tu | but / however (but it can be controlled) |
| कौन्तेय | kaunteya | O son of Kunti (Arjuna) |
| च | ca | and (both practice and dispassion) |