The Gita and the mind

The mind is restless: what the Bhagavad Gita says (6.33 to 6.40)

Anyone who has tried to meditate knows the problem. You sit down, and the mind rushes everywhere. Near the end of Chapter 6, Arjuna says it out loud on our behalf. Doctor explains Krishna’s answer, and why it is good news.

Arjuna’s doubt (6.33)

Krishna has been teaching how to control the mind. Arjuna replies, in effect: this all sounds good, but I do not see how it can last. Maybe for a short time, but not for long. In his reading, the next verses reassure every seeker who asks: can a restless mind be controlled?

He describes the mind in Arjuna’s words as chanchala and asthira. It jumps like a monkey from branch to branch, and even when it sits still it fidgets. It is insatiable like fire, always demanding.

As hard to control as the wind (6.34)

Verse 34: “the mind verily O Krishna is restless is turbulent it’s strong and obstinate I consider it to be as difficult to control as the wind.” We have all seen what a hurricane can do to a house. A mind can be just as destructive. One cruel leader can rile up a whole country and destroy millions of people.

Krishna agrees first (6.35)

Krishna’s answer begins by agreeing: yes, the mind is restless and hard to control. Then he says it can be controlled, with practice and dispassion, abhyasa and vairagya.

He points out a lesson in how Krishna answers. Krishna could have said, what do you know, listen to me. That usually ends in an argument. Instead he agrees first, then gently offers another view. He suggests we try the same with a spouse, a boss or a colleague.

Practice, abhyasa

As a child he thought abhyasa just meant studying textbooks. Here, he explains, it means study and repetition to get rid of your habits. Building a new habit takes time, but it can be done. In Episode 74 he puts it simply: abhyasa is “routine daily habit and study”. More on practice in How to control the mind.

Letting go, vairagya, is not willpower

“Renunciation it can’t be done with willpower.” He admits he used to think it meant gritting your teeth. It actually comes more easily with knowledge.

His example is sweets. You can tell yourself you like sweets but must not eat them, and grit your teeth. Or you can understand that, with severe diabetes and a doctor telling you to lose weight, these things that look so good are poison for you. You are not required to dislike sweets. You gain the knowledge that balances the liking. “If we change our conviction then we can change our mind.”

More on this: Is your mind your friend or your enemy?.

Not a part-time effort (6.36)

In verse 36 Krishna again agrees that this yoga is hard for the uncontrolled, and says it is reached by striving. He says it cannot be part-time: praying one day a week and swindling people the other six does not work.

He suggests a question to ask yourself: “why am I not able to do this?” His answer is usually our desires, which pull us along. Whether we fulfil a desire or not, it tends to grow.

What if I try and fail? (6.37 to 6.39)

Arjuna then asks the question many of us carry. What about the person who has faith and tries, but whose mind wanders and who never reaches the goal? Has he lost both worlds, like a cloud torn away from the others that drifts off and disappears?

Nothing is wasted (6.40)

Krishna’s answer: “neither here nor even hereafter is there destruction for him who tries verily none who does good comes to grief.”

In his reading, whatever you gain stays with you. To the extent you grow, your mind becomes more peaceful, because the selfish desires that made all the noise quieten. A peaceful mind focuses better, a focused mind is more productive, and so you gain in this life too.

More on this: The steady mind: the sthitaprajna verses.

Signs you are making progress

He describes the signs from his own experience. Parties and shopping trips that once mattered no longer pull at you. You lose something that would once have upset you and you say, it does not matter. You feel more at peace.

He calls it an upward cycle. As you draw the mind away from the world, you can study and practise more, the mind comes further under control, you start serving others, and desires start to drop. Every step you take counts.

The cave

He closes with Plato’s allegory of the cave, which his teacher Gautam Jain introduced to him. People chained in a dark cave take shadows on the wall for life. One frees himself and walks into the dark, seeing nothing at first. Then he sees a tiny speck of light, keeps going, and comes out into the sun. The restless mind is the walk through the dark. The speck of light is enough to keep going.

More on this: Intrusive thoughts and OCD.

These pages share teachings from the Gita, not medical advice. If a restless or racing mind is affecting your sleep, work or health, please speak to a doctor.