Bhagavad Gita · Sankhya YogaChapter 2, Shloka 60 (2.60)
Original Sanskrit · श्रीभगवान्
यततो ह्यपि कौन्तेय पुरुषस्य विपश्चितः
इन्द्रियाणि प्रमाथीनि हरन्ति प्रसभं मनः
॥ 2.60 ॥
yatato hyapi kaunteya puruṣasya vipaścitaḥ
indriyāṇi pramāthīni haranti prasabhaṃ manaḥ
Translation
"O Kaunteya! These turbulent senses forcibly carry away the mind even of a wise person who is striving."
Interpretation
"Vipaścit" and "yatataḥ" — why both? This shloka is not speaking of someone careless or ignorant. Even the mind of one who knows (vipashchit) and who is trying (yatat) can be dragged away by the senses. Shankaracharya: prakāśam eva paśyataḥ viveka-vijñāna-yuktaṃ manaḥ — even the discerning mind, while he is watching, in broad daylight.
Ramanuja — a vicious circle. Ramanujacharya points out a deep difficulty: indriya-jaya ātma-darśanādhīna, ātma-darśanam indriya-jayādhīnam — victory over the senses depends on seeing the self, and seeing the self depends on victory over the senses. So jñāna-niṣṭhā duṣprāpyā — the discipline of knowledge is hard to attain. The next shloka will show the way out of this circle.
AI-assisted draft translation — under review.