चञ्चलं हि मनः कृष्ण प्रमाथि बलवद्दृढम् ।तस्याहं निग्रहं मन्ये वायोरिव सुदुष्करम् ॥
cañcalaṃ hi manaḥ kṛṣṇa pramāthi balavad dṛḍham |tasyāhaṃ nigrahaṃ manye vāyor iva suduṣkaram ||
- चञ्चलम् · cañcalam
- restless
- मनः · manaḥ
- mind
- कृष्ण · kṛṣṇa
- O Krishna
- प्रमाथि · pramāthi
- turbulent
- बलवत् · balavat
- strong
- दृढम् · dṛḍham
- stubborn
- निग्रहम् · nigraham
- restraint
- वायोः इव · vāyoḥ iva
- like the wind
“For the mind is restless, turbulent, strong, and stubborn, O Krishna. I think restraining it is as hard as restraining the wind.”
— Original plain-language translation
IN SHORT Your mind races like wild wind, so guide it patiently, not harshly.
Four adjectives pile up to confess the mind's wildness. The wind simile admits near-impossibility by force alone. Krishna's reply will offer practice and dispassion instead of suppression. Like trying to hold a kite string steady in a gusty March wind.
— Reader's notes (original)