Bg. 2.67 · Bhagavad-gita As It Is

Devanagari

इन्द्रियाणां हि चरतां यन्मनोऽनुविधीयते । तदस्य हरति प्रज्ञां वायुर्नावमिवाम्भसि ॥ ६७ ॥

Verse text

indriyāṇāṁ hi caratāṁ yan mano ’nuvidhīyate tad asya harati prajṣāṁ vāyur nāvam ivāmbhasi

Synonyms

indriyāṇām — of the senses ; hi — certainly ; caratām — while roaming ; yat — with which ; manaḥ — the mind ; anuvidhīyate — becomes constantly engaged ; tat — that ; asya — his ; harati — takes away ; prajṣām — intelligence ; vāyuḥ — wind ; nāvam — a boat ; iva — like ; ambhasi — on the water.

Translation

As a strong wind sweeps away a boat on the water, even one of the roaming senses on which the mind focuses can carry away a man’s intelligence.

Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

67. The mind which follows one of the moving senses steals away the intelligence, as wind moves a boat on the water.

Translation (Baladeva Vidyabhusana)

67. One of the moving senses, which the mind follows, steals away the intelligence, as wind moves a boat on the water.

Translation (Bhurijana Dasa)

As a boat on the water is swept away by a strong wind, even one of the roaming senses on which the mind focuses can carry away a man's intelligence.

Purport

Unless all of the senses are engaged in the service of the Lord, even one of them engaged in sense gratification can deviate the devotee from the path of transcendental advancement. As mentioned in the life of Mahārāja Ambarīṣa, all of the senses must be engaged in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, for that is the correct technique for controlling the mind.

Purport (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

This verse examines the person with no intelligence due to lack of control of the mind (ayuktasya buddhiḥ na asti described in the previous verse). Among all the senses moving towards their respective sense objects, the mind follows after one sense. In this way a person follows each of the senses. Such a mind takes away the intelligence or prajṣā of the person, just as unfavorable wind takes a boat off course which is being steered somewhere on the water.

Purport (Baladeva Vidyabhusana)

This verse speaks of the faults arising from lack of sense control arising from not absorbing his mind in Me. Among the uncontrolled senses which move towards sense objects, the mind becomes focused on one sense such as the ear or eye. This one sense followed by the mind leads away the intelligence concentrated on ātmā, because of the mind’s being attracted to the sense object. And this is also the case with all the senses. It is like unfavorable wind taking away a boat being steered on the water.