The Yoga of Meditation

Arjuna elaborates on the nature of the mind and the difficulty of controlling it. 'Cañcalaṁ hi manaḥ kṛṣṇa'—O Krishna (kṛṣṇa), the mind (manaḥ) is indeed (hi) restless (cañcalam). This means: Arjuna is acknowledging the mind's restless nature—it doesn't stay still, it constantly moves. 'Pramāthi balavad dṛḍham'—turbulent (pramāthi), strong (balavat), and obstinate (dṛḍham). This means: the mind is not just restless—it's also turbulent, creating agitation. It's strong—powerful, forceful. And it's obstinate—firm, stubborn, unwilling to be controlled. These are all qualities that make control difficult. 'Tasyāhaṁ nigrahaṁ manye vāyor iva suduṣkaram'—I (aham) think (manye) the control (nigraham) of it (tasya) is very difficult (suduṣkaram), like (iva) the wind (vāyoḥ). This means: Arjuna compares controlling the mind to controlling the wind—both seem impossible. The wind is invisible, powerful, constantly moving—you can't catch it, you can't hold it. Similarly, the mind seems impossible to control. This is an honest assessment of the challenge.