Shloka 34
चज्चलं हि मन: कृष्ण प्रमाथि बलवद् दृढम् | तस्याहं निग्रहं मनन््ये वायोरिव सुदुष्करम्,क्योंकि हे श्रीकृष्ण! यह मन बड़ा चंचल, प्रमथन स्वभाववाला,* बड़ा दृढ़* और बलवान” है। इसलिये उसका वशमें करना मैं वायुके रोकनेकी भाँति अत्यन्त दुष्कर मानता हूँ
cañcalaṃ hi manaḥ kṛṣṇa pramāthi balavad dṛḍham | tasyāhaṃ nigrahaṃ manye vāyor iva suduṣkaram ||
Arjuna said: “For, O Kṛṣṇa, the mind is indeed restless—turbulent in its impulses, powerful, and stubbornly firm. Therefore I consider its restraint to be exceedingly difficult, like trying to hold back the wind.” In the ethical setting of the Gītā’s discipline of yoga, Arjuna admits that inner self-mastery is not a simple moral wish but a demanding practice: the very instrument needed for right action (the mind) resists control with immense force.
अजुन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the practical difficulty of mental discipline: the mind is naturally restless, forceful, and resistant to restraint. Ethical and spiritual life therefore requires sustained practice and methods of yoga, not mere intention.
In dialogue with Kṛṣṇa, Arjuna responds to teachings on yoga by voicing a realistic objection: controlling the mind seems as hard as restraining the wind, setting up Kṛṣṇa’s subsequent guidance on how such control can be approached.