Gita 06.35 – The supreme teacher offers guidance – and confidence

Audio Link: https://www.thespiritualscientist.com/gita-06-35-the-supreme-teacher-offers-guidance-and-confidence/

śrī-bhagavān uvāca
asaṁśayaṁ mahā-bāho
mano durnigrahaṁ calam
abhyāsena tu kaunteya
vairāgyeṇa ca gṛhyate (Bg 6.35)

Word-for-word:
śrī-bhagavān uvāca — the Personality of Godhead said; asaṁśayam — undoubtedly; mahā-bāho — O mighty-armed one; manaḥ — the mind; durnigraham — difficult to curb; calam — flickering; abhyāsena — by practice; tu — but; kaunteya — O son of Kuntī; vairāgyeṇa — by detachment; ca — also; gṛhyate — can be so controlled.

Translation:
Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa said: O mighty-armed son of Kuntī, it is undoubtedly very difficult to curb the restless mind, but it is possible by suitable practice and by detachment.

Explanation:
This marks the beginning of Kṛṣṇa’s response to Arjuna’s apprehension about the feasibility of controlling the mind, as expressed in the previous two verses (33 and 34). Kṛṣṇa addresses this point in the present verse and the following two.

śrī-bhagavān uvāca (the Supreme Personality of Godhead said)
asaṁśayaṁ mahā-bāho: Undoubtedly, O mighty-armed one,
mano durnigrahaṁ calam: the mind is difficult to control and restless.
abhyāsena tu kaunteya: But, O son of Kuntī, by practice
vairāgyeṇa ca gṛhyate: and by detachment, it can be controlled.

In this verse, Kṛṣṇa begins on a very empathetic note. He acknowledges Arjuna’s concern, saying, “Yes, Arjuna, you who are very powerful (mahā-bāho), indeed it is undoubtedly very difficult to control the mind (mano durnigrahaṁ calam).”

The juxtaposition of mahā-bāho and durnigraha is significant. It is not that only those who are weak find it difficult to control the mind. Kṛṣṇa is telling Arjuna, “You are mahā-bāho, and yet, even for you, it is difficult to control the mind.” This powerfully conveys the extent of the challenge involved in controlling the mind. Moreover, He uses the word asaṁśayam—undoubtedly, without any doubt—to further affirm this truth.

Kṛṣṇa usually uses the word “asaṁśaya” in a positive sense to assure the certainty of something. For example, in the eighth chapter, He states: anta-kāle ca mām eva smaran muktvā kalevaram yaḥ prayāti sa mad-bhāvaṁ yāti nāsty atra saṁśayaḥ (Bg 8.5). Here, na saṁśayaḥ—“do not have any doubt”—is used positively to reassure the listener about the guaranteed success on the spiritual path.

Here, in 6.35, Kṛṣṇa uses the same word asaṁśaya from the opposite perspective. He affirms without hesitation that the mind is indeed extremely difficult to control. It is like a student approaching a teacher and saying, “This subject is very difficult,” and the teacher responding, “Yes, I agree—this subject is indeed difficult. There is no doubt about it.” Such an acknowledgment often brings the student a sense of relief, easing their anxiety.

If the student happens to be somewhat arrogant, this kind of response also takes the wind out of his sails. The student might have expected the teacher to dismiss his concern by implying, “You’re not smart enough to understand it; the subject itself isn’t that tough.” In such a scenario, the student would likely become defensive, insisting, “I’m not unintelligent—it’s the subject that’s difficult. The problem lies in how it’s written or explained.”

But when a student is itching for a quarrel or a debate and the teacher calmly agrees, “Yes, it’s a very difficult subject,” the student is taken aback. This is not the response he was expecting. On the other hand, if the student is anxious—thinking, “The subject is so difficult; how will I be able to study it? How will I manage?”—the teacher’s empathetic acknowledgment brings reassurance and comfort.

Similarly, Kṛṣṇa reassures Arjuna with the words, asaṁśayaṁ mahā-bāho mano durnigrahaṁ calam—“O mighty-armed one, there is no doubt that the mind is very difficult to control and restless.”

“Nigraha” means discipline, and “durnigraha” refers to something that is very difficult to discipline. This is the same word Arjuna used in the previous verse: tasyāhaṁ nigrahaṁ manye vāyor iva su-duṣkaram—controlling the mind is su-duṣkaram, extremely difficult.

Kṛṣṇa essentially agrees with Arjuna and reiterates the point by using durnigrahaṁ—extremely difficult to control. He also employs the same word “calam” that Arjuna used earlier. In verses 6.33 (cañcalatvāt sthitiṁ sthirām) and 6.34 (cañcalaṁ hi manaḥ kṛṣṇa), Arjuna describes the mind as cañcala—that which moves rapidly and restlessly.

Normally, when someone approaches us with a problem, they often need more than just guidance—they also need encouragement to gain the confidence to address it. Even if the guidance is perfect, without confidence it may not help. For example, if someone receives a new machine that isn’t working and another person provides instructions—“Press this, adjust that, and it will start working”—the instructions alone may not be effective unless the person feels confident in applying them.

If the client is not very tech-savvy and generally uncomfortable with technology, he may struggle to understand the instructions and feel apprehensive: “Will I be able to follow this? Will it work?” However, if the person guiding him reassures him—explaining that the instructions are written in simple, non-technical language, understandable even for beginners, and that any unfamiliar terms are clearly explained in the manual—the client’s confidence grows. By acknowledging the initial difficulty but emphasizing that the process is designed for people like him, the guide helps the client feel capable and encouraged to proceed.

When a tech assistant guides a nervous tech user in this manner, the user not only regains confidence but also becomes more receptive, ready to understand, assimilate, and apply the guidance that follows. Thus, instilling confidence is just as important as providing instructions.

Here, Kṛṣṇa instills confidence in Arjuna by acknowledging the difficulty: “Yes, it is indeed difficult.” He reassures Arjuna that it is not because he is below average or inadequate, nor that everyone else finds it easy while he alone struggles. If a teacher were to say, “This is so easy—everyone manages it, and you’re the one failing; you must be incompetent,” the student, especially if already nervous, would feel deflated, disheartened, and dejected. Such discouragement could even lead the student to give up on the subject, the course, or perhaps the entire school.

Hence, a teacher must provide both guidance and confidence. The first thing Kṛṣṇa does is instill confidence by saying, “Undoubtedly, O Arjuna, you are very powerful, yet the mind is extremely difficult to control.” A careless teacher might respond to a student’s struggle by saying, “If you find this subject difficult, just give up or study something else.” Kṛṣṇa, however, does not do that. Instead, He acknowledges the difficulty but reassures Arjuna that with sincere effort, mastery is possible—just as a good teacher would encourage a student to persevere despite challenges.

Kṛṣṇa continues in the next two lines: abhyāsena tu kaunteya vairāgyeṇa ca gṛhyate. Abhyāsa refers to practice. By diligently performing the same activity repeatedly—by earnestly trying to control the mind—the mind gradually becomes habituated to focusing on Kṛṣṇa and develops attachment to Him. Through such sustained effort, it attains transcendental stability, becoming fixed on Kṛṣṇa. However, this requires consistent and sincere practice.

Next, Kṛṣṇa says vairāgyeṇa ca gṛhyate. Here, vairāgya does not necessarily refer to a renounced order of life since the context here is the mind. Vairāgya has two levels of meaning in this verse. On one level, it refers to abstaining from things that fuel the mind’s restlessness. Certain temptations, when indulged, make the mind agitated and unruly. Avoiding such stimuli is one aspect of vairāgya.

Another level of vairāgya involves not expecting immediate results, which also requires detachment. Just as a horse trainer cannot expect a horse to be comfortable being ridden overnight, spiritual practice demands patience and persistence. This form of vairāgya is the ability to continue practicing diligently without anticipating instant transformation, steadily cultivating the mind’s focus and stability over time.

In conclusion, Kṛṣṇa, in this verse, reassures Arjuna by acknowledging that the mind is indeed difficult to control. But by disciplined practice (abhyāsa) and detachment (vairāgya), one can indeed gradually train the mind, attain stability, and develop a steady focus on Kṛṣṇa.

Thank you.