A core teaching · grounding in mood · easy to enter
“Steady wisdom begins when the senses stop ruling your attention.”
Therefore, O mighty-armed one, the wisdom of one whose senses are fully restrained from sense-objects is steady.
The verse in reading order — each Sanskrit word with its meaning beneath. Tap a word to focus on it.
Read literallytherefore · whose · O mighty-armed one · restrained · in every way · the senses · from sense-objects · of that one · wisdom · is established
A person who fully controls the senses and keeps them away from objects of desire develops steady understanding.
Krishna speaks this verse, on the battlefield of Kurukshetra, in the chapter titled "Sankhya Yoga" (The Yoga of Knowledge).
Verse 68 sits in Chapter 2 of the Bhagavad Gita — Sankhya Yoga, "The Yoga of Knowledge". The chapter has 72 verses in total.
A home cook trying to eat better keeps snacks out of the house instead of resisting them every evening. Restraint becomes a settled pattern, and her choices at the table get steadier.
Did you like this verse?
Krishna calls Arjuna mighty-armed and says wisdom is steady once the senses are fully restrained.
What this verse means
A person who fully controls the senses and keeps them away from objects of desire develops steady understanding.
Context & commentary
Krishna keeps building the ladder of inner mastery: first the senses must no longer drag the mind outward. Then clear judgment can stand firm.
What it looks like today
A home cook trying to eat better keeps snacks out of the house instead of resisting them every evening. Restraint becomes a settled pattern, and her choices at the table get steadier.
“You feel less pulled around when attention stops chasing every temptation.”
Explore related themes: self mastery (16 verses), indriya nigraha (14 verses)