Bhagavad-gītā 6.33
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
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madhu-sūdana
—
O killer of the demon Madhu
Arjuna addresses Kṛṣṇa by His demon-slayer epithet — perhaps appealing to the slayer of obstacles, perhaps gently noting that Kṛṣṇa, who has killed Madhu, should now help kill the demon of his own restless mind.
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sāmyena
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generally / by way of equality
From sama — the chapter's recurring word. Arjuna has heard Kṛṣṇa's teaching of equality (28–32) and registers that the system requires sāmya throughout. He is faithful to the question; he names exactly what he doubts.
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na paśyāmi
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I do not see
First-person honesty. Arjuna does not say 'this cannot be done' — he says 'I do not see how it can be done.' The Gītā honors this distinction: failure to see is permitted; refusal to inquire further is not.
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cañcalatvāt
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due to being restless
Cañcala + tva — abstract suffix — 'because of restlessness-ness.' The ablative gives the cause. Arjuna locates the difficulty precisely: not in the path's height but in the mind's nature.
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sthitim
—
situation
From √sthā — 'stability.' Echoes the sthita-prajña of chapter 2 and the sthira and ārūḍha of this chapter. The very stability the chapter has been describing is what Arjuna says he cannot see for himself.
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sthirām
—
stable
Adjective from √sthā — 'firm, fixed.' Doubled emphasis with sthitim — 'stable stability.' The redundancy is honest desperation: every form of fixity feels out of reach to him at this moment.
The system of mysticism described by Lord Kṛṣṇa to Arjuna beginning with the words śucau deśe and ending with yogī paramaḥ is here being rejected by Arjuna out of a feeling of inability. It is not possible for an ordinary man to leave home and go to a secluded place in the mountains or jungles to practice yoga in this Age of Kali. The present age is characterized by a bitter struggle for a life of short duration. People are not serious about self-realization even by simple, practical means, and what to speak of this difficult yoga system, which regulates the mode of living, the manner of sitting, selection of place, and detachment of the mind from material engagements. As a practical man, Arjuna thought it was impossible to follow this system of yoga, even though he was favorably endowed in many ways. He belonged to the royal family and was highly elevated in terms of numerous qualities; he was a great warrior, he had great longevity, and, above all, he was the most intimate friend of Lord Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Five thousand years ago, Arjuna had much better facilities than we do now, yet he refused to accept this system of yoga. In fact, we do not find any record in history of his practicing it at any time. Therefore this system must be considered generally impossible in this Age of Kali. Of course it may be possible for some very few, rare men, but for the people in general it is an impossible proposal. If this were so five thousand years ago, then what of the present day? Those who are imitating this yoga system in different so-called schools and societies, although complacent, are certainly wasting their time. They are completely in ignorance of the desired goal.
Seeing that it would be difficult to attain such equal vision, Arjuna speaks. “I do not see the permanence of this yoga which has achieved equal vision. This yoga will not last forever. This state will last for three or four days. Why? Because the mind is unsteady (caṣcalatvāt). You spoke of seeing the happiness and distress of all living entities of the world as ones own happiness and distress. One can maintain such equal vision for friends or neutral persons, but it is not possible to maintain equal vision for enemies, who wish to cause you harm, for those who hate you or criticize you,. It is not possible for me to see as equal, at all times, the happiness and distress of Yudhiṣṭhira and Duryodhana. Even if by intelligence you see equally the jīva, Paramātmā, prāṇas , senses and bodily elements of oneself and ones enemies, that lasts only for two or three days, because the fickle mind is stronger than the discriminating intellect. One sees that the mind, attached to material enjoyment, overcomes the intellect.”
Objecting to this, Arjuna speaks. “I do not see permanent steadiness (sthirām sthitim) in this yoga which You, the omniscient lord, have spoken. It teaches equal vision to ones own and others’ happiness and distress. It may last for two or three days. Why? Because the mind is fickle.” The meaning is this. Sometimes there will be equal treatment of friends and neutral persons, but never of enemies or those who criticize. If one is to see with discrimination that paramātmā is situated everywhere without making distinctions, this state cannot be permanent, because the strong, fickle mind cannot keep that discrimination for long.
The mind is so difficult to control. Not only is the practice, practically speaking, so difficult for anyone to perform in the age of Kali, but the vision that Krsna has described in the previous verse is so difficult (29‑ 30). This equal vision, when one is completely equipoised in seeing everything as the manifestation of the Supersoul ‑ this as well the practices of astanga‑yoga ‑ Arjuna doesn't think at all to be practicable for him to follow. Krsna is talking about yoga but where is Arjuna? He is in a battlefield and he is supposed to see with an equal vision the people on his side and the people in the opposing side, to see Yudhisthira equal with Duryodhana. Arjuna places his doubt before Krsna: "It is not possible for me. Maybe I can do this for a few days, but how is it possible to continue having this equal vision and yet practicing as it is imposed to practice?" Krsna answers: "What is the problem? Why is it so difficult to control the mind in this way? The mind is only the reins by which the body is driven." And what is the driver in the analogy? The intelligence. So, Arjuna has just to control the mind with the use of intelligence. But Arjuna replied with the words: "This is the difficulty! The mind is restless, turbulent, obstinate, always churning, very strong O Krsna! To subdue it, I think, is more difficult then controlling the wind." The intelligence is sometimes compared to a sharp needle. And like a sharp needle, intelligence can pierce a difficult situation, like a needle can pierce a piece of paper. But Arjuna doesn't compare the mind with a piece of paper, he compares it with the wind. Can a needle pierce the wind? Of course not. The mind is always changing, accepting something then rejecting, accepting again and again rejecting. It is very strong, obstinate... this is the reason why Arjuna finds impossible or too difficult to control the mind. It is just like a desease: through so many years, lifetimes of letting the mind wander and wander to grab sense gratification like a desease that is in a very advanced stage that will not respond to any medicine ‑ this is the difficulty in controlling the mind. Then Arjuna could say: This is the condition of the mind. What are the means to control it? Can it actually be done? Can the mind be controlled?
Arjuna’s inquiry – this yoga is impractical and unendurable
LINK BETWEEN TEXTS 6.33 & 6.34:
Arjuna thus points out why maintaining this outlook is so problematic.
6.33 यः which? अयम् this? योगः Yoga? त्वया by Thee? प्रोक्तः taught? साम्येन by eanimity? मधुसूदन O slayer of Madhu? एतस्य its? अहम् I? न not? पश्यामि see? चञ्चलत्वात् from restlessness? स्थितिम् continuance? स्थिराम् steady.Commentary As the mind is restless? impetuous and unsteady I find it difficult to practise this Yoga of eanimity declared by Thee. O my Lord? I cannot have steady concentration of the mind? as it wanders here and there in the twinkling of an eye.
- BG 06 33-34 - Prem Kishor Prabhu - ISKCON Chowpatty 2009-07-02
- BG 06 33-34 - Radhanath Swami - Mumbai 1991-04-28
- BG 06 33-36 - Nirantara Prabhu - New Dwaraka 2011-09-14
- BG 06 33 - Bhakta Haim - ISKCON Radhadesh 2012-05-26
- BG 06 33 - Chaitanya Charan Prabhu - Seeing equally is tough but seeing devotionally is easier
- BG 06 33 - Radhe Shyam Prabhu
- BG 06 33 - Ranjit Prabhu - ISKCON Alachua 2013-10-27
- BG 06 33 - Sankarsana Prabhu - Melbourne 2011-07-01
- BG 06 33 - Vedavyasa Priya Swami - Brisbane 2008
- Priya Valabha Mataji BG 06-33 Hindi
- AKP BG 06-33
- Balaram Shakti Pr BG 06-33-40 - 2020
- Balaram Shakti Pr BG 06-33-34
- BJP BG 06-33-47
- BJP BG 06-33-36 - Overview - 2011-07-26
- Gauranga Darshan Pr BG 06-33-39 - Necessity of Controlling the Mind in Yoga
- Kartikeya Pr BG 06-33
- Nirantara Pr BG 06-33-36 - Arjuna Rejects Yoga - 2011-09-14 New Dvaraka
- Radhe Shyam Pr BG 06-33
- Rasika Govinda Pr BG 06-33-34 - 2017-05-25
- Rasika Govinda Pr BG 06-33-34 Tamil - 2017-05-25
- SNP BG 06-33 Hindi
- SDAP BG 06-33 - 2011-07-01 Melbourne
- Shubha Krishna Pr BG 06-33-34 Hindi
- Sundar Nimai Pr BG 06-33-47 Telugu - Dhyana Yoga Part-03 - 2020-05-04 ISKCON Habibpur
- VRP BG 06-33 07-23 Hindi - 2017-03-16 Ahmedabad
- BCS Hindi BG 06-33 - Jivatma Aur Paramatma - 2005-09-09 Ujjain
- PrahladAnS BG 06-33 Slovenian Translation - Proces ni lahek - 2020-05-15 ISKCON Slovenia
- PrahladAnS BG 06-33 - Not an easy process - 2020-05-15 ISKCON Slovenia
- VedavyasaPSW BG 06-33 - 2008 Brisbane
- RSP BG 06-33
- Welcome honest acknowledgment of difficulty; don't pretend it's easy.
- Bring the difficulty to your guide, as Arjuna did.
- Don't quit the path; ask how to walk it given the wind.
- Where am I pretending the path is easier than it is?
- What honest acknowledgment would help me get help?
A boy taken to the river's edge and told to swim across protests truthfully: the current is strong and his arms are short. Arjuna's question here is that boy's protest. The verse is precious for what it allows — that the disciple may admit, openly to the teacher, that the path looks impossible.
My note
Source: vedabase.io