BG 02.67 indriyanam hi caratam... cited

Expressions researched:
"As a strong wind sweeps away a boat on the water" |"As a strong wind sweeps away a boat on the water" |"can carry away a man's intelligence" |"indriyanam hi caratam" |"tad asya harati prajnam" |"vayur navam ivambhasi" |"yan mano 'nuvidhiyate"

Notes from the compiler: VedaBase query: "2.67" or "As a strong wind sweeps away a boat on the water" or "As a strong wind sweeps away a boat on the water" or "can carry away a man's intelligence" or "indriyanam hi caratam" or "tad asya harati prajnam" or "vayur navam ivambhasi" or "yan mano 'nuvidhiyate"

BG Chapters 1 - 6

BG 2.67, Translation and Purport:

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.

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.

Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures

Lecture on BG 2.59-69 -- New York, April 29, 1966:

Those who are beginners, the arcanā process, the Deity worship in the temple, is very nice. But apart from all those engagements, where it is not possible, this singing or glorifying the Supreme Lord or this simple song—Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare—it will elevate certainly to the highest extent if you do it very nicely and seriously. Ātma-vaśyair vidheyātmā prasādam adhigacchati. Prasāde sarva-duḥkhānāṁ hānir asyopajāyate. And as soon as you are satisfied, then your all miseries are ended.

prasāde sarva-duḥkhānāṁ

hānir asyopajāyate

prasanna-cetaso hy āśu

buddhiḥ paryavatiṣṭhate

(BG 2.65)

And with satisfaction, with satisfaction of the mind, prasanna-cetasaḥ, satisfaction of the mind, then your intelligence will be fixed up on spiritual activities.

nāsti buddhir ayuktasya

na cāyuktasya bhāvanā

na cābhāvayataḥ śāntir

aśāntasya kutaḥ sukham

(BG 2.66)

If you want actually happiness, then you must apply your intelligence to this process of spiritual emancipation. Without this... Nāsti buddhir ayuktasya. One who cannot apply his intelligence to this process, then he has no other way. And without this, na ca abhāvayataḥ śāntiḥ, if you want peace, that is also not possible.

So this process must be accepted.

indriyāṇāṁ hi caratāṁ

yan mano 'nuvidhīyate

tad asya harati prajñāṁ

vāyur nāvam ivāmbhasi

(BG 2.67)

And if you let loose your senses, unrestricted, then you cannot fix up your intelligence. Just like a boat on the river and there is wind, I mean to..., high wind. At the same time, the boat... That is not possible to keep it restful. It is always tottering. Similarly, if we don't control our senses, dovetailing them in the service of the Lord, then always they'll be disturbed, just like a boat on the river, and persuaded by, I mean to say, heavy wind. Vāyur nāvam ivāmbhasi.

tasmād yasya mahā-bāho

nigṛhītāni sarvaśaḥ

indriyāṇīndriyārthebhyas

tasya prajñā pratiṣṭhitā

(BG 2.68)

So a spiritually perfect man is he who? Tasmād yasya mahā-bāho nigṛhītāni sarvaśaḥ. Indriyāṇi. One who has controlled his senses perfectly in this way. Then he's to be understood that he's spiritually perfect. Tasmād yasya mahā-bāho nigṛhītāni sarvaśaḥ. Nigṛhītāni means completely restrained, not to use the senses for any other purpose except in the service of the Lord. That is called self really control, really purified senses. Tasmād yasya mahā-bāho nigṛhītāni sarvaśaḥ, indriyāṇi indriyārthebhyaḥ. Indriya, the senses, shall not be let loose to act freely. It should be restricted in such a way that my senses cannot work without in the service of the..., without being engaged in the service of the Lord.

Lecture on BG 2.62-72 -- Los Angeles, December 19, 1968:

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: 67: "As a boat on the water is swept away by a strong wind, even so, one of the senses in which the mind becomes fixed can carry away a man's intelligence."

Prabhupāda: Yes. If you... Suppose on the Pacific Ocean you are on a boat or on a nice seat, but if you have no controlling capacity, one wave of that Pacific Ocean can immediately bring you to the bottom of the sea. So this is required. We are in the midst of the Pacific Ocean of this māyika world. Saṁsāra-samudra. It is called samudra. So at any moment our boat can be topsy-turvied if we have no controlling power.