The Flickering and Unsteady Mind
The mind is restless (cañcalaṁ) and constantly wanders from one object to another. The senses follow the mind’s desires. When the mind is attracted by a sight, the eyes lose control. When the mind is drawn to a sound, the ears lose control. When the mind craves a taste, the tongue loses control.
The mind is the source of all actions. Therefore, one faces a constant struggle with the mind and senses in conditional life.The mind is also unstable (asthiram). It never stays focused on anything for long, no matter how interesting or enjoyable it is. It soon abandons that object and seeks another. It does not remain attentive to something fascinating. It also discards that object, even if it brings some pleasure.
Thus, the mind is flickering and unsteady. It is important to realize that one cannot control the mind, for the mind is inherently uncontrollable, just like water flows by nature or fire burns by nature.
The Solution of Bhagavān
The nature of the mind is such that we cannot change it, and therefore we cannot control our senses. If we cannot control our senses, we cannot attain perfection.
But Bhagavān offers a solution: whenever the mind wanders, we should bring it back. It will wander again, because it is flickering and unsteady by nature. We can do this by following regulations (niyamya). Regulations are designed to help us pull back the mind.
But one may ask: what is the benefit of bringing the mind back if it will wander again, wasting our energy in the process? Kṛṣṇa says we must bring the mind back under the control of the self (ātmany). From the bhakti perspective, the self means the soul of the soul, i.e., Bhagavān. We should bring the mind back and place it under the control (vaśam) of Bhagavān Kṛṣṇa, because we belong to Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa is our origin, and when the mind is united with Him, it will become peaceful. Otherwise, it cannot be controlled.
Because Bhagavān is our source, the mind calms down at its source. Everything tends to connect with the source. When one engages in bhakti, one sees Bhagavān within one’s self. In other words, when one does bhakti, one’s mind will remain fixed in Bhagavān. The self also means the mind.
From the devotees’ viewpoint, the self has no power. Our goal is to become servants of Bhagavān, and our philosophy is to be humble like a blade of grass (tṛṇād api su-nīcena). By engaging the senses in devotional service, one can bring one’s mind and senses under control.
Conclusion
Bhagavān gives two solutions to control one’s senses. One is to bring the mind back, and another is to place it under His control. Both pulling back the mind and placing it under the control of Bhagavān are required. Therefore, both effort (prayās) and mercy (kṛpā) are required to control themind. To bring back the mind is effort and to engage it in the service of Bhagavān is mercy.