Bhagavad Gita 2.61

tāni sarvāṇi saṁyamya

yukta āsīta mat-paraḥ

vaśe hi yasye’ndriyāṇi

tasya prajñā pratiṣṭhitā

 

“Restrain the senses, hold them tight,

Focus them on me, in my guiding light.

One who thus keeps the senses controlled,

Stands steady in wisdom, content and whole.”

 

My dear Lord, please let me remember that self-control is not meant to make me the controller of myself. It is meant to make me a better cooperator with you.

Bless me so that I can prioritize cooperation with your plan more than subordination of my senses to my plan.

When I try to control myself, my senses repeatedly show me how little control I actually have over them. Such failures make me feel embarrassed, mortified, even hopeless and worthless. On the few occasions when I am able to control my senses for some time, I tend to become proud and try to parade my superiority over those who are not able to exhibit similar control over their senses.

In this way, even the endeavor for sense control gets me caught in the duality of self-condemnation when I fail and self-congratulation when I succeed.

If I am to rise above this duality, then I need to remember it is for one purpose—to connect with you, become absorbed in you, and dedicate myself to your service.

Therein, in loving harmony with you, will my heart find supreme satisfaction.

Please, O Lord, let me use whatever control I have over my senses to engage them—and indeed, to engage my entire self—in your service.

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02.61 One who restrains his senses, keeping them under full control, and fixes his consciousness upon Me, is known as a man of steady intelligence.

Let self-control take me closer to you not deeper into duality