Bhagavad Gita on overthinking and anxiety
Arjuna said it first: the mind is restless, stormy and stubborn, as hard to hold as the wind. Krishna did not tell him to stop thinking. He agreed, and then gave him two things to practise. These are the verses where that conversation happens, and the ones around it that explain why a mind replays what it cannot control.
Skip to the verse for your situation ↓7 verses from the Gita
- Bhagavad Gita 6.34 · Arjuna
Arjuna names the problem honestly: the mind feels impossible to hold.
चञ्चलं हि मनः कृष्ण प्रमाथि बलवद्दृढम् । तस्याहं निग्रहं मन्ये वायोरिव सुदुष्करम् ॥
“The mind is restless, turbulent, stubborn, and strong. I think controlling it is as hard as controlling the wind.”
क्योंकि हे कृष्ण मन बड़ा ही चञ्चल, प्रमथनशील, दृढ़ जिद्दी और बलवान् है । उसका निग्रह करना मैं वायुकी तरह अत्यन्त कठिन मानता हूँ ॥
It feels honest to admit how hard inner control can be.
Meaning and commentary → - Bhagavad Gita 6.35 · Krishna
Krishna agrees, then gives the method: steady practice and letting go.
श्री भगवानुवाचअसंशयं महाबाहो मनो दुर्निग्रहं चलं । अभ्यासेन तु कौन्तेय वैराग्येण च गृह्यते ॥
“The mind is hard to control, but it is mastered through practice and detachment.”
श्रीभगवान् बोले हे महाबाहो यह मन बड़ा चञ्चल है और इसका निग्रह करना भी बड़ा कठिन है यह तुम्हारा कहना बिलकुल ठीक है । परन्तु हे कुन्तीनन्दन अभ्यास और वैराग्यके द्वारा इसका निग्रह किया जाता है ॥
You are not stuck with a chaotic mind forever. Repeated practice can change what once felt impossible.
Meaning and commentary → - Bhagavad Gita 2.14 · Krishna
Feelings arrive and leave. You are asked to bear them, not to solve every one.
मात्रास्पर्शास्तु कौन्तेय शीतोष्णसुखदुःखदाः । आगमापायिनोऽनित्यास्तांस्तितिक्षस्व भारत ॥
“Contacts with the senses, O son of Kunti, bring heat and cold, pleasure and pain. They come and go; they are impermanent. Endure them, O Bharata.”
हे कुन्तीनन्दन इन्द्रियोंके जो विषय जड पदार्थ हैं, वो तो शीत अनुकूलता और उष्ण प्रतिकूलता के द्वारा सुख और दुःख देनेवाले हैं तथा आनेजानेवाले और अनित्य हैं । हे भरतवंशोद्भव अर्जुन उनको तुम सहन करो ॥
You do not have to be ruled by every sensation. Calm endurance gives you room to choose wisely.
Meaning and commentary → - Bhagavad Gita 2.47 · Krishna
Your part is the action. The outcome you keep replaying was never yours to hold.
कर्मण्येवाधिकारस्ते मा फलेषु कदाचन । मा कर्मफलहेतुर्भूर्मा ते सङ्गोऽस्त्वकर्मणि ॥
“You have a right to action alone, never to its fruits. Do not become the cause of the result, and do not cling to inaction.”
कर्तव्यकर्म करनेमें ही तेरा अधिकार है, फलोंमें कभी नहीं । अतः तू कर्मफलका हेतु भी मत बन और तेरी अकर्मण्यतामें भी आसक्ति न हो ॥
There is relief in giving your full effort without carrying the burden of the result.
Meaning and commentary → - Bhagavad Gita 2.48 · Krishna
Evenness of mind, in success and failure, is what the Gita calls yoga.
योगस्थः कुरु कर्माणि सङ्गं त्यक्त्वा धनञ्जय । सिद्ध्यसिद्ध्योः समो भूत्वा समत्वं योग उच्यते ॥
“O Dhananjaya, perform actions while established in yoga, abandoning attachment. Remain equal in success and failure, for equanimity is called yoga.”
हे धनञ्जय तू आसक्तिका त्याग करके सिद्धिअसिद्धिमें सम होकर योगमें स्थित हुआ कर्मोंको कर क्योंकि समत्व ही योग कहा जाता है ॥
You can stay calm without stopping action. Inner balance makes effort cleaner and less painful.
Meaning and commentary → - Bhagavad Gita 6.5 · Krishna
Lift yourself by yourself. The mind can be your friend as well as your enemy.
उद्धरेदात्मनाऽऽत्मानं नात्मानमवसादयेत् । आत्मैव ह्यात्मनो बन्धुरात्मैव रिपुरात्मनः ॥
“Lift yourself by yourself; do not let yourself fall. The true self is its own friend, and the true self is its own enemy.”
अपने द्वारा अपना उद्धार करे, अपना पतन न करे क्योंकि आप ही अपना मित्र है और आप ही अपना शत्रु है ॥
You are not helpless in your own life; the way you handle yourself changes everything.
Meaning and commentary → - Bhagavad Gita 2.56 · Krishna
The steady person: not shaken by sorrow, not chasing pleasure, free of fear and anger.
दुःखेष्वनुद्विग्नमनाः सुखेषु विगतस्पृहः । वीतरागभयक्रोधः स्थितधीर्मुनिरुच्यते ॥
“The steady-minded sage is unshaken by sorrow, free from craving in joy, and beyond attachment, fear, and anger.”
दुःखोंकी प्राप्ति होनेपर जिसके मनमें उद्वेग नहीं होता और सुखोंकी प्राप्ति होनेपर जिसके मनमें स्पृहा नहीं होती तथा जो राग, भय और क्रोधसे सर्वथा रहित हो गया है, वह मननशील मनुष्य स्थिरबुद्धि कहा जाता है ॥
You do not have to be ruled by every rise and fall. Calm can remain while life changes.
Meaning and commentary →