यतो यतो निश्चरति मनश्चञ्चलमस्थिरम् ।
ततस्ततो नियम्यैतदात्मन्येव वशं नयेत् ॥
ततस्ततो नियम्यैतदात्मन्येव वशं नयेत् ॥
Hindi · हिन्दी
यह अस्थिर और चञ्चल मन जहाँजहाँ विचरण करता है, वहाँवहाँसे हटाकर इसको एक परमात्मामें ही लगाये ॥
English
Whenever the restless, unsteady mind wanders, bring it back under the control of the true self.
What this verse means
Each time the mind runs off, bring it back again and again to the true self.
Context & commentary
Krishna is still teaching Arjuna on the battlefield at Kurukshetra, where the warrior’s mind must be trained like a wild horse. After telling him to withdraw the mind from distraction, Krishna gives the practical method: every time it escapes, bring it back.
Why this verse still matters
You open your phone to check one message and lose twenty minutes. The practice is not to shame the drift — it is to notice it, and return.
The takeaway
Progress comes from returning, not from never drifting.
Word-by-word translation
यतो यतः (wherever) / निश्चरति (wanders out) / मनः (the mind) / चञ्चलम् (restless) / अस्थिरम् (unsteady) / ततस्ततः (from there, from there) / नियम्य (restraining) / एतत् (this) / आत्मनि (in the true self) / एव (only) / वशम् (under control) / नयेत् (should bring)
This verse is part of Bhagavad Gita Chapter 6: Dhyana Yoga — The Yoga of Meditation, which contains 47 verses.
Explore related themes: manas (49 verses), dhyana (31 verses), self mastery (16 verses)