“No doubt the mind is restless and hard to hold. But it can be trained, through steady practice and by letting go.”

The restless mind can be trained

In the verse before this one, Arjuna complains: “The mind is restless, stubborn, powerful. Controlling it is like trying to control the wind!” Anyone who has tried to meditate, or to study with a phone nearby, knows the feeling.

What’s lovely is that Lord Krishna doesn’t argue. Asaṃśayam: “without doubt, you’re right.” He validates the struggle first. Then he gives a method with two parts:

1. Abhyāsa: steady practice. Doing the thing again and again, gently, without drama. A skill, not a gift. Every time the mind wanders and you bring it back, that is the practice working.

2. Vairāgya: letting go. Not caring so much about every passing want. The less we chase every notification, craving and worry, the less the mind gets pulled around.

Modern habit science says much the same: small, consistent actions plus fewer distractions. The Gita said it first, and said it kindly.

For kids: the mind is like a puppy. It runs off. You don’t shout at it; you just keep bringing it back. One day it learns to sit.