Verse 2.67

Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration, Word-for-word and English translation of verse 2.67:

इन्द्रियाणां हि चरतां यन् मनोऽनुविधीयते ।
तद् अस्य हरति प्रज्ञां वायुर् नावम् इवाम्भसि ॥ ६७ ॥

indriyāṇāṃ hi caratāṃ yan mano'nuvidhīyate |
tad asya harati prajñāṃ vāyur nāvam ivāmbhasi || 67 ||

indriyāṇām–of the senses; hi–certainly; caratām–while wandering (to the sense objects); yat–which (goes towards any particular sense); manaḥ–the mind; anuvidhīyate–follows; tad–that; asya–of that person (of uncontrolled senses); harati–it carries away; prajñām–intelligence; vāyuḥ–the wind; nāvam–like a boat; iva–as; ambhasi–on the water.

Just as the wind sweeps away a boat on the water, the mind of an unrestrained person runs behind any one of the senses that wanders toward its sense object.

Commentary: Sārārtha-Varṣiṇī Ṭīkā

(By Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura; the innermost intention of the commentary named ‘the shower of essential meanings’)

A person with an uncontrolled mind does not have intelligence. Śrī Bhagavān establishes this point by speaking the verse beginning with indriyāṇām. “The mind follows any one of the senses as it wanders unrestrictedly among its respective sense objects. Such a person is forced to follow all of the senses, being controlled by the mind. In such a state, the mind is likened to an unfavourable wind, sweeping away a boat on water, because it carries away a person’s intelligence.”