Karma Yoga · Verse 40

Bhagavad Gita 3.40

Desire conquers by hijacking the mind's own instruments.

Wisdom translation, edited by Ankur Shukla. Commentary AI-drafted, human-reviewed. Reviewed June 2026. Methodology →

इन्द्रियाणि मनो बुद्धिरस्याधिष्ठानमुच्यते ।
एतैर्विमोहयत्येष ज्ञानमावृत्य देहिनम् ॥
Hindi · हिन्दी
इन्द्रियाँ, मन और बुद्धि इस कामके वासस्थान कहे गये हैं । यह काम इन इन्द्रियाँ, मन और बुद्धि के द्वारा ज्ञानको ढककर देहाभिमानी मनुष्यको मोहित करता है ॥
English
The senses, the mind, and the discerning mind are said to be its seat. Through them, it deludes the embodied person by veiling understanding.

What this verse means

Desire works through the senses, the restless mind, and the discerning mind. It clouds understanding and makes a person act blindly.

Context & commentary

On the Kurukshetra field, Arjuna is still frozen, and Krishna is tracing the enemy inside the human system. Desire does not attack from outside; it uses the senses, the restless mind, and even the discerning mind to cloud judgment.

Why this verse still matters

You open a message you knew would pull you off course, and suddenly the whole evening is gone. The pull did not begin in the app; it began in the chain of attention.

The takeaway

You are less helpless when you can see how desire takes over your mind.

Word-by-word translation

इन्द्रियाणि (the senses) / मनः (the mind) / बुद्धिः (the discerning mind) / अस्य (of this) / अधिष्ठानम् (seat, basis) / उच्यते (is said to be) । / एतैः (through these) / विमोहयति (deludes) / एषः (this) / ज्ञानम् (understanding) / आवृत्य (covering) / देहिनम् (the embodied one)

Explore related themes: manas (49 verses), buddhi (26 verses), kama (23 verses)

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