VI: 33, 34

Chapter 6, Verses 33, 34

Arjuna says,

"O Krishna
You describe this Yoga
Of constant Oneness,
Of a communion
Which is ever One.
But my mind is inconstant.
In its restlessness
I find no rest,
So strongly lodged
In the grip of the senses,
Gross and grown hard
With stubborn desire
For the worldly.
How to tame it?
Truly, I think,
The wind is no wilder."

Paramahansa Yogananda:

Meditators, even after experiencing Peace during the practice of Yoga, will yet be confronted by restless thoughts suddenly springing to the surface of consciousness out of long-dormant sub-conscious sources.  This invasion should not encourage them to abandon their practice through disbelief in its power to produce a lasting tranquility.  With regular Sadhana, they will find that the sub-conscious habits of restlessness will gradually cease to appear in the mind, which has become strongly fortified by the regular practice of meditation.

Oh Yogi!  If by a few dives into the ocean of Divine Joy, you do not find the pearls of God-communion, do not blame the ocean as lacking in Divine Presence.  Rather, understand that your skill in diving needs refinement.  Be not discouraged.  Again and again, sink into the ocean of meditation and seize there the pearls of blessed communion.  In this verse we find that even a wonderful student like Arjuna, who has many times experienced the perfect calm and equilibrium of Yoga, harbors doubts about the effectiveness of Yoga to permanently banish mental disharmony, instead of finding fault with the quality of his own meditation.

Arjuna compares the mind to the wind.  The deeper meaning of "wind" is breath.  The changeableness and waywardness of the mind is inescapably bound up with breathing patterns.  India's sages of yesteryear discovered the liberating truth that when you master the breath, the mind will be likewise mastered.

Be not discouraged by initial failures in the lessons of mind mastery.  Through scientific Yoga, the beginner finds the right means by which to free the mind from all conscious and sub-conscious restlessness.  Much depends upon your intensity, zeal and regularity of practice.  These elements will help the mind speedily develop Peace, as it rises above the habit of restlessness, which is rooted in the identification of consciousness with the body, mind and senses.

Swami Shivananda:

The word, "Krishna," is derived from the Sanskrit root, "Krish," which means "to scrape."  Krishna scrapes all the scum from the minds and hearts of his devotees.