Chapter 2 · Verse 60 · Sankhya Yoga
Bhagavad Gita 2.60
Sanskrit
यततो ह्यपि कौन्तेय पुरुषस्य विपश्चितः। इन्द्रियाणि प्रमाथीनि हरन्ति प्रसभं मनः।।2.60।।
Transliteration
yatato hyapi kaunteya puruṣhasya vipaśhchitaḥ indriyāṇi pramāthīni haranti prasabhaṁ manaḥ
In plain words
You've probably promised yourself a hundred times that you won't lose your temper, won't reach for the drink, won't spiral into worry—and then found yourself doing it anyway, hating yourself in the moment. Krishna says: this isn't a character flaw or a sign you're broken, it's the nature of being human. The senses have their own wild momentum, and no amount of willpower alone will stop them. What works is not shame, but a community that holds you, a practice that steadies you, and mercy toward yourself when you slip—because you will, and that's not failure.
Word by Word
Even the wisest among us discover that the senses are wild horses—they will drag the mind away from its highest purpose, no matter how disciplined we believe ourselves to be. This is not failure; it is the nature of embodied existence that Krishna himself acknowledges with compassion.
The teaching here is that discrimination alone is insufficient; we must add practice, patience, and ultimately, surrender to something greater than our individual will. In modern life, this means recognizing that willpower crashes against desire, and we need community, ritual, and spiritual anchoring—not shame—to steady ourselves.
Listen
Bhagavad Gita 2.60 — BG 2.60
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