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Chapter 2 · Verse 60 · Sankhya Yoga

Bhagavad Gita 2.60

philosophical Mind & Meditation Attachment & Letting Go Jnana & Wisdom

Sanskrit

यततो ह्यपि कौन्तेय पुरुषस्य विपश्चितः। इन्द्रियाणि प्रमाथीनि हरन्ति प्रसभं मनः।।2.60।।

Transliteration

yatato hyapi kaunteya puruṣhasya vipaśhchitaḥ indriyāṇi pramāthīni haranti prasabhaṁ manaḥ

Word by Word

yatataḥ while practicing self-control
hi for
api even
kaunteya Arjun, the son of Kunti
puruṣhasya of a person
vipaśhchitaḥ one endowed with discrimination
indriyāṇi the senses
pramāthīni turbulent
haranti carry away
prasabham forcibly
manaḥ the mind
Simplified Perspective

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.

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Bhagavad Gita 2.60 — BG 2.60

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Sanskrit text from the Bhagavad Gita (public domain). Commentary © Mahakatha.

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