Focus and a restless mind

1. 1

   If your mind won’t sit still, you are in good company

   cañcalaṁ hi manaḥ kṛṣṇa Bhagavad-gītā 6.34

   What the verse says

   Arjuna tells Kṛṣṇa that the mind is “restless, turbulent, obstinate and very strong,” and that controlling it seems to him “more difficult than controlling the wind.”

   Read 6.34 in Bhagavad-gītā As It Is

   For the mind is restless, turbulent, obstinate and very strong, O Kṛṣṇa, and to subdue it is, it seems to me, more difficult than controlling the wind.

   Śrīla Prabhupāda explains

   Śrīla Prabhupāda says that for a person in the busy world, who has to deal with so many opposing things, it is certainly very difficult to control the mind. The mind is so strong that it sometimes overpowers even the intelligence.

   “For a man in the practical world who has to fight so many opposing elements, it is certainly very difficult to control the mind.”

   Lesson

   Losing focus does not mean you are lazy or not clever enough. Even a great hero like Arjuna said this honestly. Start there: stop blaming yourself, and start training your mind.

   Example

   You read the same paragraph on thermodynamics three times and remember nothing, because your mind was replaying yesterday’s test. That doesn’t mean you can’t do it. It is simply the mind being the mind, and a mind can be trained.

2. 2

   Make your mind your friend

   bandhur ātmātmanas tasya Bhagavad-gītā 6.6

   What the verse says

   Kṛṣṇa says: “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.”

   Read 6.6 in Bhagavad-gītā As It Is

   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.

   Śrīla Prabhupāda explains

   Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that the whole purpose of yoga practice is to control the mind so that it becomes a friend in fulfilling the real purpose of human life. One who cannot control his mind lives with his greatest enemy.

   “The purpose of practicing eightfold yoga is to control the mind in order to make it a friend in discharging the human mission.”

   Lesson

   The same mind that distracts you can become your best study partner. A trained mind reminds you of your goal, gets you up on time and keeps you at your desk. Don’t fight your mind like an enemy; train it like a friend.

   Example

   An untrained mind says, “Just one more video.” A trained mind says, “Finish this chapter first; you’ll feel great.” Both voices are your own mind. Every small win makes the friendly voice a little louder.

3. 3

   One aim, not a hundred branches

   vyavasāyātmikā buddhir Bhagavad-gītā 2.41

   What the verse says

   Kṛṣṇa says that those on the path of devotion “are resolute in purpose, and their aim is one,” while the intelligence of those who are irresolute “is many-branched.”

   Read 2.41 in Bhagavad-gītā As It Is

   Those who are on this path are resolute in purpose, and their aim is one. O beloved child of the Kurus, the intelligence of those who are irresolute is many-branched.

   Śrīla Prabhupāda explains

   Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that the firm purpose of a devotee comes from knowing that Kṛṣṇa is the root of everything. Just as water poured on the root of a tree reaches every branch and leaf, serving Kṛṣṇa serves everyone: oneself, one’s family and the whole world.

   “As water on the root of a tree is automatically distributed to the leaves and branches, in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, one can render the highest service to everyone—namely self, family, society, country, humanity, etc.”

   Lesson

   A mind with one clear aim is calm; a mind pulled in a hundred directions gets tired. Make Kṛṣṇa the root of your life, and in your daily study give the mind one clear task at a time. Root first, then the branches.

   Example

   Ravi sits down with physics notes, a chemistry module, a maths sheet and three tabs open on his phone. An hour later he has touched everything and finished nothing. The next day he writes one aim on a sticky note, “Finish 20 organic questions,” and keeps everything else closed.

4. 4

   When the mind wanders, bring it back again and again

   yato yato niścalati Bhagavad-gītā 6.26

   What the verse says

   Kṛṣṇa says that 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.

   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 says that the mind is flickering and unsteady by nature, but a self-realized person must control the mind; the mind should not control him. One who is controlled by the mind is called a servant of the senses.

   “The nature of the mind is flickering and unsteady.”

   Lesson

   You will not stop the mind from wandering on the first day. What you can do is notice it and come back, without getting angry with yourself. Every return is a small win. Coming back fifty times in one study session is not failure; it is fifty wins.

   Example

   You are solving a problem and suddenly you are thinking about the canteen menu. No scolding, no giving up: just say “back” to yourself and look at the next line of the question. The next time it happens, do the same again.

5. 5

   Practice and letting go make it possible

   abhyāsena tu kaunteya Bhagavad-gītā 6.35

   What the verse says

   Kṛṣṇa agrees that it is “undoubtedly very difficult to curb the restless mind,” 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 that Kṛṣṇa accepts Arjuna’s difficulty but says that by practice and detachment it is possible. In this age the main practice is hearing about Kṛṣṇa, which clears the mind of doubts and slowly frees it from whatever pulls it away from Him.

   “But at the same time He suggests that by practice and detachment it is possible.”

   Lesson

   Focus is like a muscle: it grows with daily use. Practice means a fixed routine: the same time, the same place, small goals. Detachment means gently stepping away from what keeps pulling you off track. And hearing about Kṛṣṇa gives the mind a better place to rest.

   Example

   At first Ananya can’t study for more than ten minutes. She sets a timer for 25 minutes, keeps her phone in another room and takes a short break after each round. In a month, two hours of real study feels normal. Practice did what willpower alone could not.

6. 6

   Be like a lamp where no wind blows

   yathā dīpo nivāta-stho Bhagavad-gītā 6.19

   What the verse says

   Kṛṣṇa says: “As a lamp in a windless place does not waver,” so one whose mind is controlled “remains always steady in his meditation on the transcendent Self.”

   Read 6.19 in Bhagavad-gītā As It Is

   As a lamp in a windless place does not waver, so the transcendentalist, whose mind is controlled, remains always steady in his meditation on the transcendent Self.

   Śrīla Prabhupāda explains

   Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that a truly Kṛṣṇa conscious person, always absorbed in thinking of the Lord he worships, stays as steady as a lamp in a place where no wind blows.

   “A truly Kṛṣṇa conscious person, always absorbed in Transcendence, in constant undisturbed meditation on his worshipable Lord, is as steady as a lamp in a windless place.”

   Lesson

   A flame flickers when the wind hits it, and your focus flickers when distractions keep blowing in. You can’t stop every wind, but you can choose a sheltered place: a clear desk, the phone out of reach, one book open, and Kṛṣṇa in your heart.

   Example

   Vikram’s hostel room is noisy, so he studies in a quiet corner of the library with earplugs and only the book he needs. The boy who couldn’t focus for twenty minutes now studies steadily for an hour: the same mind, less wind.

If you can’t focus for weeks, or you feel low, tired or hopeless most of the time, please talk to a parent, a teacher, your warden or a friend. You can also call Tele-MANAS, the national mental-health helpline, on 14416: it is free, open 24×7 and available in many languages.

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.