When the mind refuses to stay where you place it
Inspired by the Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 6 – Dhyāna Yoga
Midway through the Gita, Arjuna speaks about a problem that feels almost ordinary.
“The mind is restless, turbulent, and stubborn. I find it as difficult to control as the wind.” (Bhagavad Gita 6.34)
This is not a question about values or courage. Arjuna already knows what lies ahead and what he must do. What troubles him is simpler and more frustrating:
his mind does not stay where he wants it to.
Krishna’s answer has no assurance
Krishna does not challenge Arjuna’s experience.
He does not say the mind can be made obedient with enough effort. He does not promise calm or control. Instead, he offers a response that is almost understated.
“Wherever the mind wanders, bring it back.” (Bhagavad Gita 6.26)
There is no ideal state described here. No assurance that restlessness will disappear.
Only an acceptance of movement, and a clear direction on what to do next.
Why this feels relevant in modern world
It is hard to read this exchange today without recognizing it in our own lives.
Attention is pulled in many directions. Phones interrupt thought. Conversations compete with notifications. Even work that needs depth is broken into pieces. The mind keeps shifting, not because something is wrong, but because this is how it has learned to function in an always-connected world.
The problem is not that the mind moves. It is that we expect it NOT to.
Where we usually go wrong
When focus slips, we are quick to judge ourselves.
We call it poor discipline. We push harder and feel annoyed for losing grip.
Over time, the effort to force attention becomes more tiring than the distraction itself. The movement of the mind is natural. The struggle we add on top of it is what drains us.
That difference is easy to miss.
Honestly, this is a personal battle for me
I see this clearly in my own day.
In meetings, I notice my hand reach for the phone even when nothing urgent is happening. During one-to-one or virtual conversations, especially when things slow down, my attention drifts to messages or something else on the screen. Even while writing, a work that needs sustained thinking my mind often slips away from the idea I want to build, pulling me toward something quicker and easier.
None of this feels dramatic. It feels habitual.
For a long time, I treated this as a personal weakness instead of recognizing it for what it is: a mind responding to how it has been trained.
What the instruction actually shifts
Krishna’s response does not ask us to fight the mind.
It asks us to work with it.
The mind is allowed to move. What matters is coming back. Not once. But again, and again.
The practice is not holding focus perfectly, but noticing sooner and returning without irritation. That small shift changes how effort is spent.
The hidden cost of resistance
Every time attention drifts and we respond with frustration, we add extra strain.
The mind moves, and then we argue with ourselves about it.
That inner resistance slowly builds up.
It wastes energy and makes thinking feel heavier than it needs to be.
Returning back does not reduce thinking, but it removes this extra load.
What changes over time
When attention is brought back without self-criticism, something settles.
Focus becomes easier to re-enter.
Interruptions do not throw the entire rhythm off.
Mental effort feels cleaner and more sustainable.
The mind still moves, but movement no longer leads to exhaustion. Energy lasts longer. Clarity improves, not because thoughts stop, but because there is less inner friction.
An acceptable way to live with the mind
Discipline here is not about holding attention tightly. It is about not turning every drift into a problem.
The mind moves.
It is noticed.
It is brought back.
If you can become good in it, that is enough.
Where this leaves me
I am no longer trying to stop my mind from wandering and staying focused. That battle costs too much.
What I am learning instead is to notice earlier, return sooner, and waste less energy in the process. This is new definition of focus for me. The work does not change. The demands do not reduce. But the way I carry them feels lighter and more manageable.
In a world that constantly pulls our attention apart, this may be the more realistic discipline,
Not control, but regulation.
Not silence, but recovery.
The mind will wander.
What matters is how gently, and how often, we bring it back.
Written by Vibhor Jain © 2026 | Originally published at mindspringlife.com