A metaphor · reflective in mood · a little context helps
“One uncontrolled sense can carry the mind away.”
As the winds carry a boat on water, even one roaming sense can sweep away the mind's discernment.
The verse in reading order — each Sanskrit word with its meaning beneath. Hover a word to focus on it.
Read literallyof the senses · indeed · roaming · which · the mind · follows after · that · of this one · takes away · discernment · the wind · like a boat · on water
If even one sense runs after its objects, it can pull the mind along and destroy clear judgment, like wind pushing a boat off course.
Krishna speaks this verse, on the battlefield of Kurukshetra, in the chapter titled "Sankhya Yoga" (The Yoga of Knowledge).
Verse 67 sits in Chapter 2 of the Bhagavad Gita — Sankhya Yoga, "The Yoga of Knowledge". The chapter has 72 verses in total.
You open one app “for a minute,” then your focus is gone. A single unchecked pull can scatter the whole mind before you notice.
Did you like this verse?
It teaches you to treat attention as fragile: one unchecked sense can derail judgment.
What this verse means
If even one sense runs after its objects, it can pull the mind along and destroy clear judgment, like wind pushing a boat off course.
Context & commentary
On Kurukshetra, Arjuna is still frozen, and Krishna is showing why inner control matters before action begins. Even one sense chasing its object can drag the mind away and sink discernment, just as wind overturns a boat.
Why this verse still matters
You open one app “for a minute,” then your focus is gone. A single unchecked pull can scatter the whole mind before you notice.
“A small lapse of attention can undo a lot of inner steadiness.”
Explore related themes: manas (49 verses), buddhi (26 verses), indriya (19 verses)