Recorded at the Vedanta Society of Western Washington on June 17, 2012.
In this talk, Swami Bhaskarananda reflects on the practical necessity of learning to govern the mind, noting that one cannot escape inner restlessness merely by seeking outer solitude. Drawing on the Bhagavad Gita, he cites Arjuna’s confession that the mind is turbulent and difficult to restrain, and explains how this condition is common to ordinary life. He outlines the traditional Hindu analysis of mental states, from extreme restlessness and distraction to concentration and the stillness in which ordinary mental activity subsides. The mind, he observes, can serve as a trusted friend when disciplined, yet become a powerful adversary when driven by anger, envy, and unexamined impulses.
Turning to the means of mastery, he presents Patanjali’s eightfold discipline as a gradual training: ethical restraints and observances that purify and strengthen character, followed by posture, regulated breathing, withdrawal of the senses, and sustained attention leading toward meditation and absorption. Throughout, he emphasizes steady practice over quick techniques or commercial promises, and describes control of the mind as essential for peace and for deeper awareness of inherent divinity.
