Bhagavad Gītā · Chapter 2, Verse 60
यततो ह्यपि कौन्तेय पुरुषस्य विपश्चितः।
इन्द्रियाणि प्रमाथीनि हरन्ति प्रसभं मनः।।
इन्द्रियाणि प्रमाथीनि हरन्ति प्रसभं मनः।।
yatato hyapi kaunteya puruṣasya vipaścitaḥ
indriyāṇi pramāthīni haranti prasabhaṁ manaḥ
also searched as "yatato hyapi kaunteya purushasya vipashchitah"
Translation
The turbulent senses, O Arjuna, can forcibly carry away the mind of even a wise man, though he is ever striving.
Vāṇi's rendering
Even a wise man, striving hard, can be swept away — the senses are violent thieves of the mind.
Word by word
| Sanskrit & transliteration | Meaning |
|---|---|
| यततःyatataḥ | of one who is striving, making effort (the final ḥ blends into the following hi) |
| हिhi | indeed, for |
| अपिapi | even |
| कौन्तेयkaunteya | O son of Kunti — Arjuna |
| पुरुषस्यpuruṣasya | of a person, of a man |
| विपश्चितःvipaścitaḥ | wise, discerning, one who knows |
| इन्द्रियाणिindriyāṇi | the senses |
| प्रमाथीनिpramāthīni | turbulent, churning, violent |
| हरन्तिharanti | carry off, steal away |
| प्रसभम्prasabham | by force, forcibly |
| मनःmanaḥ | the mind |
Frequently asked
What does Bhagavad Gita Chapter 2 Verse 60 mean?
It means effort is not immunity. Krishna tells Arjuna that even a discerning man, actively striving, has his mind snatched away by the senses — prasabham, by force. The verse names the difficulty honestly before offering the remedy. Restraint is not a matter of trying harder; something steadier than willpower is needed.
What is the meaning of yatato hyapi kaunteya purushasya vipashchitah?
Yatataḥ is one who is striving; vipaścitaḥ is one who is wise. Krishna places both words in the same breath and then says the senses still win. The wisdom is not being mocked. It is being told the truth about its situation — the pull is real, and it is stronger than good intentions.
Why does Krishna say even a wise person can lose control of the mind?
Because a teaching that promised easy mastery would break the first time you failed. Krishna removes that fragility. The senses are pramāthīni — churning, violent — and their pull does not shrink with knowledge. Knowing this, you stop treating each lapse as proof of your unworthiness.
What should I do when my senses overpower my discipline?
Do not argue with the pull in the moment; that argument is already lost. Krishna's answer arrives in the next verse — the senses are held not by clenching against them but by being fastened to something larger. Meanwhile, notice the sweep without confusing it with your identity. You are what returns afterward.
Themes in this verse
Read every verse this way, held — inside Vāṇi.
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Commentary
Krishna says this right after promising steadiness — and it reads like a warning label on his own teaching. The wise man is not exempt. Not the beginner, not the distracted one: the vipaścit, the one who knows, and who is striving right now. The senses do not negotiate. They take the mind by force, prasabham, the way a thief takes a purse — no argument, no permission asked. Arjuna is being told that effort alone will not hold. If you have ever kept a resolve for weeks and lost it in a moment, you have already met this verse. That is not your failure. That is the terrain.