A core teaching · grounding in mood · a little context helps
“Desire loses power when the mind stops feeding it.”
Abandon every desire born of resolve, and restrain the whole field of the senses on all sides with the mind alone.
The verse in reading order — each Sanskrit word with its meaning beneath. Tap a word to focus on it.
Read literallyborn from resolve · desires · having abandoned · all · completely · by the mind · alone · the group of senses · restraining · on all sides
Let go of every desire that rises from planning and craving. Use the mind to pull the senses back from every direction.
Krishna speaks this verse, on the battlefield of Kurukshetra, in the chapter titled "Dhyana Yoga" (The Yoga of Meditation).
Verse 24 sits in Chapter 6 of the Bhagavad Gita — Dhyana Yoga, "The Yoga of Meditation". The chapter has 47 verses in total.
Walking through a festival market with a fixed budget, you feel each stall pulling at you. Krishna's method is to drop the wants born of planning and fantasy and gather the senses back with the mind.
Did you like this verse?
Krishna asks Arjuna to give up every desire born of sankalpa and pull the senses back on every side.
What this verse means
Let go of every desire that rises from planning and craving. Use the mind to pull the senses back from every direction.
Context & commentary
Krishna now gives the practical method: drop desires born from thought, and gather the senses back before they scatter the inner life.
What it looks like today
Walking through a festival market with a fixed budget, you feel each stall pulling at you. Krishna's method is to drop the wants born of planning and fantasy and gather the senses back with the mind.
“Freedom starts when wanting stops dragging the senses outward.”
Explore related themes: manas (49 verses), dhyana (31 verses), kama (23 verses)