Gita for Life · Questions of practice
What does the Gita say about self-control?
5 passages of the Gita on this question. Each shows what the verse says, why it belongs here, and Śrīla Prabhupāda’s explanation.
In short
Self-control is not about crushing yourself; it is about becoming the master of your own mind and senses instead of their servant. The Gītā admits honestly that this is hard, and gives a practical way: steady practice, a balanced life, and engaging every sense in Kṛṣṇa’s service.
Train the mind to be your friend, and give every sense something better to do.
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Be honest: the senses are strong
indriyāṇi pramāthīni Bhagavad-gītā 2.60
What the verse says
Kṛṣṇa warns that the senses are so strong and impetuous that they forcibly carry away the mind even of a wise person who is trying to control them. Even one sense on which the mind dwells can carry away a person’s intelligence, as a strong wind sweeps away a boat on the water 2.67.
Read 2.60 in Bhagavad-gītā As It Is
The senses are so strong and impetuous, O Arjuna, that they forcibly carry away the mind even of a man of discrimination who is endeavoring to control them.
Śrīla Prabhupāda explains
Śrīla Prabhupāda notes that many learned sages and philosophers try to conquer the senses, yet even the greatest of them sometimes fall because of an agitated mind, as the great yogī Viśvāmitra did despite severe austerities. Without engaging the mind in Kṛṣṇa, he says, it is very difficult to control the mind and the senses.
“even the greatest of them sometimes fall victim to material sense enjoyment due to the agitated mind.”
Lesson
Self-control begins with humility, not overconfidence. Don’t test yourself by standing close to temptation; respect its strength, and plan around it.
Example
A student who says “I can keep my phone on the desk and not look at it” usually looks at it fifty times. The one who leaves it in another room before studying is not weaker; he is wiser.
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Your mind can be your best friend or your worst enemy
ātmaiva hy ātmano bandhur Bhagavad-gītā 6.5
What the verse says
Kṛṣṇa says we must lift ourselves up by the mind, not degrade ourselves; the mind is the friend of the conditioned soul, and its enemy as well. For one who has conquered it, the mind is the best of friends; for one who has not, it is the greatest enemy 6.6.
Read 6.5 in Bhagavad-gītā As It Is
A man must elevate himself by his own mind, not degrade himself. The mind is the friend of the conditioned soul, and his enemy as well.
Śrīla Prabhupāda explains
Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that by nature we always serve someone. As long as the mind is unconquered, we have to obey lust, anger, greed and illusion; when it is conquered, we willingly follow the Supreme Lord, who is in the heart as the Paramātmā.
“As long as one’s mind remains an unconquered enemy, one has to serve the dictations of lust, anger, avarice, illusion, etc.”
Lesson
Self-control is not a fight against yourself; it is training a friend. An untrained mind gives orders: “Eat this, say that, scroll more.” A trained mind helps you do what you really want to do.
Example
A young professional’s mind says, “Skip your morning chanting, you’re tired.” If he obeys, the mind is his boss. If he gets up anyway, a few weeks later the same mind starts waking him up for it.
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Hard, but possible: practice and detachment
abhyāsena tu kaunteya Bhagavad-gītā 6.35
What the verse says
Arjuna admits that the mind is restless, turbulent, obstinate and very strong, harder to control than the wind 6.34. Kṛṣṇa agrees that it is very difficult, but says it is possible “by constant practice and by detachment.”
Read 6.35 in Bhagavad-gītā As It Is
The Blessed Lord said: O mighty-armed son of Kuntī, it is undoubtedly very difficult to curb the restless mind, but it is possible by constant practice and by detachment.
Śrīla Prabhupāda explains
Śrīla Prabhupāda explains the practice for this age: devotional service, beginning with hearing about Kṛṣṇa. Hearing purifies the mind, and attaching the mind to Kṛṣṇa makes detachment from everything else much easier, as naturally as a hungry man feels satisfied with every mouthful he eats.
“The more one hears about Kṛṣṇa, the more one becomes enlightened and detached from everything that draws the mind away from Kṛṣṇa.”
Lesson
Kṛṣṇa does not say, “It’s easy.” He says, “It’s possible.” Practice means doing it every day, even a little. Detachment grows by itself as you fill the mind with hearing about Kṛṣṇa.
Example
Learning the harmonium felt impossible in the first week. A few minutes every day, and after a year your fingers know the way. The mind learns in the same way.
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When the mind wanders, bring it back, again and again
tatas tato niyamyaitad Bhagavad-gītā 6.26
What the verse says
Kṛṣṇa says that from whatever and wherever the flickering, unsteady mind wanders, one should withdraw it and bring it back under the control of the self.
Read 6.26 in Bhagavad-gītā As It Is
From whatever and wherever the mind wanders due to its flickering and unsteady nature, one must certainly withdraw it and bring it back under the control of the Self.
Śrīla Prabhupāda explains
Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that one who controls the mind, and so the senses too, is called a gosvāmī, while one controlled by the mind is a godāsa, a servant of the senses. Serving Kṛṣṇa with purified senses, he says, is the way to bring them under full control.
“a self-realized yogī has to control the mind; the mind should not control him.”
Lesson
The mind will wander; that is its nature. Self-control is not a mind that never wanders, but the patient habit of bringing it back, without anger at yourself, as many times as it takes.
Example
While chanting your rounds, you notice you have been thinking about tomorrow’s meeting. Don’t scold yourself; simply return to hearing the holy name. Each return is the practice.
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Like the tortoise: use the senses with purpose
kūrmo ’ṅgānīva sarvaśaḥ Bhagavad-gītā 2.58
What the verse says
Kṛṣṇa says that one who can withdraw his senses from their objects, as a tortoise draws its limbs into its shell, is truly situated in knowledge.
Read 2.58 in Bhagavad-gītā As It Is
One who is able to withdraw his senses from sense objects, as the tortoise draws his limbs within the shell, is to be understood as truly situated in knowledge.
Śrīla Prabhupāda explains
Śrīla Prabhupāda says the test of a yogī or devotee is that he controls his senses according to plan, while most people are servants of the senses. Following the do’s and don’ts of scripture, the devotee uses his senses for particular purposes in the Lord’s service and draws them back otherwise, just as the tortoise does.
“The tortoise can at any moment wind up his senses and exhibit them again at any time for particular purposes.”
Lesson
Self-control is not refusing to use your senses; it is using them for a purpose, and drawing them back when there is no good purpose. Ask yourself: “Why am I looking at this, eating this, saying this?”
Example
You open your phone to send one message for work. Send it, and close the phone. That small act of drawing back is the tortoise in daily life.
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Keep a balanced daily life
yuktāhāra-vihārasya Bhagavad-gītā 6.17
What the verse says
Kṛṣṇa says that one who is temperate in eating, sleeping, working and recreation can mitigate all material pains by practising yoga. Eating too much or too little, or sleeping too much or too little, makes yoga impossible 6.16.
Read 6.17 in Bhagavad-gītā As It Is
He who is temperate in his habits of eating, sleeping, working and recreation can mitigate all material pains by practicing the yoga system.
Śrīla Prabhupāda explains
Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that excess in the body’s demands blocks spiritual progress. For eating he gives a simple key: when we are used to accepting only prasādam, food first offered to Kṛṣṇa, our eating becomes regulated.
“As far as eating is concerned, it can be regulated only when one is practiced to take and accept prasādam, sanctified food.”
Lesson
Big victories over the mind are built on small daily habits: regular meals, regular sleep, regular work and rest. A tired, overfed or sleepless body makes the mind much harder to manage.
Example
A student who sleeps at 2 a.m., skips breakfast and lives on snacks finds it hard to focus on anything, let alone control his mind. Fix the timetable first, and the mind follows more easily.
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Let intelligence guide the mind
manasas tu parā buddhir Bhagavad-gītā 3.42
What the verse says
Kṛṣṇa describes an order: the working senses are higher than dull matter, the mind higher than the senses, intelligence higher than the mind, and the soul higher still than intelligence.
Read 3.42 in Bhagavad-gītā As It Is
The working senses are superior to dull matter; mind is higher than the senses; intelligence is still higher than the mind; and he [the soul] is even higher than the intelligence.
Śrīla Prabhupāda explains
Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that with intelligence we should understand our real position as souls, and then engage the mind always in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. When the mind is engaged in this way, by surrender to Kṛṣṇa, it becomes strong, and the senses lose their power to harm.
“even though the senses are very strong, like serpents, they will be no more effective than serpents with broken fangs.”
Lesson
Don’t argue with every craving at the level of the senses. Step up: let your intelligence remind your mind who you are, an eternal soul and servant of Kṛṣṇa, and what you truly want.
Example
At 11 p.m. the mind says, “One more episode.” Intelligence answers: “I want to be up for the morning programme, and I am not this tired body’s servant.” The decision is made one level higher.
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Fix the mind on Kṛṣṇa: the real secret
yukta āsīta mat-paraḥ Bhagavad-gītā 2.61
What the verse says
Kṛṣṇa says that one who restrains his senses and fixes his consciousness upon Him is known as a person of steady intelligence.
Read 2.61 in Bhagavad-gītā As It Is
One who restrains his senses and fixes his consciousness upon Me is known as a man of steady intelligence.
Śrīla Prabhupāda explains
Explaining the word mat-paraḥ (“fixed on Me”), Śrīla Prabhupāda points to the life of King Ambarīṣa and quotes Śrīla Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa:
“The senses can be completely controlled only by the strength of devotional service to Kṛṣṇa.”
Lesson
Self-control is not only holding the senses back; it is giving them something better to do. When the mind is fixed on Kṛṣṇa and the senses are busy in His service, there is little left over for the old pulls.
Example
A boy who spends Sunday cooking for the temple feast, singing in the kīrtana and serving guests goes home tired and happy. He never had to fight his senses all day; they were busy with Kṛṣṇa.
Engage every sense: King Ambarīṣa’s example
In the purport to 2.61, Śrīla Prabhupāda quotes the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam on how King Ambarīṣa engaged his mind, words and senses in Kṛṣṇa’s service. Among them:
- Fix the mind on Kṛṣṇa’s lotus feet.
- Use your words to describe the abode of the Lord.
- Use your hands to clean His temple.
- Use your ears to hear His pastimes.
- Use your eyes to see His form.
- Use your tongue to taste the tulasī leaves offered to Him.
- Use your feet to travel to the holy places of His temples.
- Use your head to bow down to Him.
- Let your desires be to fulfil His desires.
“all of the senses must be engaged in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, for that is the correct technique for controlling the mind.”
Servant or master? Two ways to live with the senses
| Servant of the senses | Master of the senses | Verse |
|---|---|---|
| “I’m strong; temptation can’t touch me.” | “Even the wise can be swept away, so I stay careful.” | 2.60 |
| “My mind tells me what to do.” | “I train my mind to be my friend.” | 6.5 |
| “It’s too hard; I give up.” | “It’s hard, but possible with daily practice.” | 6.35 |
| “My mind wandered again; I’m hopeless.” | “It wandered; I gently bring it back.” | 6.26 |
| “My senses go wherever they are pulled.” | “I use my senses for a purpose, and draw them back otherwise.” | 2.58 |
| “I eat, sleep and scroll as I feel like.” | “I keep a balance in eating, sleeping, work and rest.” | 6.17 |
| “Self-control means only saying no.” | “Self-control means engaging every sense for Kṛṣṇa.” | 2.61 |
Our reflections, each based on the verse named beside it.
Ask yourself
- Where do I overestimate my strength and stand too close to temptation?
- Is my mind more often my friend or my boss?
- What one small practice can I keep every single day?
- Are my eating, sleeping and screen habits helping my mind, or fighting it?
- Which of my senses could I engage in Kṛṣṇa’s service this week?
The essence
Self-control is not a war against yourself but the training of a friend. Practise patiently, keep your life balanced, and fix the mind on Kṛṣṇa: when every sense has something better to do, mastery comes naturally.
The headings, explanations, lessons, examples, table and questions are ours, written to help you apply the verses. The Sanskrit lines, the verse translations and Śrīla Prabhupāda’s quoted words are from Bhagavad-gītā As It Is as published on vedabase.cc, unaltered.
All the verses for this topic
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Bhagavad-gītā 6.5–6
A man must elevate himself by his own mind, not degrade himself. The mind is the friend of the conditioned soul, and his enemy as well.
Show the other 1 verses of 6.5–6
For him who has conquered the mind, the mind is the best of friends; but for one who has failed to do so, his very mind will be the greatest enemy.
Bhagavad-gītā 6.6 Why this verse is here
Controlled mind is the best friend and uncontrolled mind is the worst enemy (6.5-6 uddhared ātmanātmānaṁ...)
From the thematic compilation Self-control
Śrīla Prabhupāda explains
From the purport to 6.5
The word ātmā denotes body, mind and soul-depending upon different circumstances. In the yoga system, the mind and the conditioned soul are especially important. Since the mind is the central point of yoga practice, ātmā refers here to the mind. The purpose of the yoga system is to control the mind and to draw it away from attachment to sense objects. It is stressed herein that the mind must be so trained that it can deliver the conditioned soul from the mire of nescience. In material existence one is subjected to the influence of the mind and the senses. In fact, the pure soul is entangled in the material world because of the mind's ego which desires to lord it over material nature. Therefore, the mind should be trained so that it will not be attracted by the glitter of material nature, and in this way the conditioned soul may be saved. …
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Bhagavad-gītā 6.35
The Blessed Lord said: O mighty-armed son of Kuntī, it is undoubtedly very difficult to curb the restless mind, but it is possible by constant practice and by detachment.
Why this verse is here
Kṛṣṇa’s solution: Control the mind by practice and detachment
From the study outline of the chapter
Śrīla Prabhupāda explains
From the purport to 6.35
The difficulty of controlling the obstinate mind, as expressed by Arjuna, is accepted by the Personality of Godhead. But at the same time He suggests that by practice and detachment it is possible. What is that practice? In the present age no one can observe strict rules and regulations, such as placing oneself in a sacred place, focusing the mind on the Supersoul, restraining the senses and mind, observing celibacy, remaining alone, etc. By the practice of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, however, one engages in nine types of devotional service to the Lord. The first and foremost of such devotional engagements is hearing about Kṛṣṇa. This is a very powerful transcendental method for purging the mind of all misgivings. The more one hears about Kṛṣṇa, the more one becomes enlightened and detached from everything that draws the mind away from Kṛṣṇa. …
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Bhagavad-gītā 2.59
The embodied soul may be restricted from sense enjoyment, though the taste for sense objects remains. But, ceasing such engagements by experiencing a higher taste, he is fixed in consciousness.
Why this verse is here
By experiencing a higher taste, one can easily control one’s mind and senses from sense objects. (2.59 viṣayā vinivartante...)
From the thematic compilation Bhakti, the Topmost Yoga
Śrīla Prabhupāda explains
From the purport to 2.59
Unless one is transcendentally situated, it is not possible to cease from sense enjoyment. The process of restriction from sense enjoyment by rules and regulations is something like restricting a diseased person from certain types of eatables. The patient, however, neither likes such restrictions, nor loses his taste for eatables. Similarly, sense restriction by some spiritual process like aṣṭāṅga-yoga, in the matter of yama, niyama, āsana, prāṇāyāma, pratyāhāra, dharaṇā, dhyāna, etc., is recommended for less intelligent persons who have no better knowledge. But one who has tasted the beauty of the Supreme Lord Kṛṣṇa, in the course of his advancement in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, no longer has a taste for dead material things. …
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Bhagavad-gītā 2.61
One who restrains his senses and fixes his consciousness upon Me is known as a man of steady intelligence.
Why this verse is here
Sense control is possible only by dedicated bhakti unto Kṛṣṇa – mat-paraḥ (2.61 tāni sarvāṇi saṁyamya...)
From the thematic compilation Bhakti Throughout the Gītā
Śrīla Prabhupāda explains
From the purport to 2.61
That the highest conception of yoga perfection is Kṛṣṇa consciousness is clearly explained in this verse. And, unless one is Kṛṣṇa conscious, it is not at all possible to control the senses. As cited above, the great sage Durvāsā Muni picked a quarrel with Mahārāja Ambarīṣa, and Durvāsā Muni unnecessarily became angry out of pride and therefore could not check his senses. On the other hand, the King, although not as powerful a yogī as the sage, but a devotee of the Lord, silently tolerated all the sage's injustices and thereby emerged victorious. The King was able to control his senses because of the following qualifications, as mentioned in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam:
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Bhagavad-gītā 3.41–43
Therefore, O Arjuna, best of the Bhāratas, in the very beginning curb this great symbol of sin [lust] by regulating the senses, and slay this destroyer of knowledge and self-realization.
Show the other 2 verses of 3.41–43
The working senses are superior to dull matter; mind is higher than the senses; intelligence is still higher than the mind; and he [the soul] is even higher than the intelligence.
Bhagavad-gītā 3.42 Thus knowing oneself to be transcendental to material senses, mind and intelligence, one should control the lower self by the higher self and thus—by spiritual strength—conquer this insatiable enemy known as lust.
Bhagavad-gītā 3.43 Why this verse is here
One can conquer lust by regulating the senses and making the mind steady by deliberate spiritual intelligence.
From the study outline of the chapter
Śrīla Prabhupāda explains
From the purport to 3.41
The Lord advised Arjuna to regulate the senses from the very beginning so that he could curb the greatest sinful enemy, lust, which destroys the urge for self-realization, and specifically, knowledge of the self. Jñānam refers to knowledge of self as distinguished from non-self, or, in other words, knowledge that the spirit soul is not the body. Vijñānam refers to specific knowledge of the spirit soul and knowledge of one's constitutional position and his relationship to the Supreme Soul. …
Everyday questions answered by these verses
Related topics
Each verse is linked to this topic by a statement in our primary study source, shown under “Why this verse is here”. The verses and Śrīla Prabhupāda’s words are quoted from Bhagavad-gītā As It Is, unaltered.