Bhagavad Gita Chapter 2 Verse 61
भगवद् गीता अध्याय 2 श्लोक 61

तानि सर्वाणि संयम्य युक्त आसीत मत्परः।
वशे हि यस्येन्द्रियाणि तस्य प्रज्ञा प्रतिष्ठिता।।2.61।।



English Translation - Swami Gambirananda
2.61 Controlling all of them, one should remain concentrated on Me as the supreme. For, the wisdom of one whose organs are under control becomes steadfast.


English Translation - Swami Sivananda
2.61 Having restrained them all he should sit steadfast, intent on Me; his wisdom is steady whose senses are under control.


English Translation - Dr. S. Sankaranarayan
2.61. Restraining them (the same-organs) by mind, the master of Yoga would sit making Me his goal; for, the intellect of that person is stabilized whose sense-organs are under control.


English Commentary  - Swami Sivananda
2.61 तानि them? सर्वाणि all? संयम्य having restrained? युक्तः joined? आसीत should sit? मत्परः intent on Me? वशे under control? हि indeed? यस्य whose? इन्द्रियाणि senses? तस्य his? प्रज्ञा wisdom? प्रतिष्ठिता is settled.Commentary He should control the senses and sit focussed on Me as the Supreme? with a calm mind. The wisdom of the Yogi who thus seated has brought all his senses under subjugation is doubtless ite steady. He is established in the Self. Sri Sankaracharya explains Asita Matparah as He should sit contemplating I am no other than He. (Cf.II.64).


English Translation of Sanskrit Commentary By Sri Shankaracharya's
2.61 Samyamya, controlling, having subdued; sarvani, all; tani, of them; asita, one should remain; yuktah, concentrated; mat-parah, on Me as the supreme  he to whom I, Vasudeva, the inmost Self of all, am the supreme (parah) is mat-parah. The idea is, he should remain (concentrated) thinking, I am not different from Him.
Hi, for; the prajna, wisdom; tasya, of one, of the sannyasin remaining thus concentrated; yasya, whose; indriyani, organs; are vase, under control, by dint of practice; [The organs come under control either by constantly thinking of oneself as non-different from the Self, or by constantly being mindful of the evils that result from objects.] pratisthita, becomes steadfast.
Now, then, is being stated this [This:what is described in the following two verses, and is also a matter of common experience.] root, cause of all the evils that beset one who is the verge of being overwhelmed:


English Translation of Commentary  - Dr. S. Sankaranarayan
2.61 Tani etc.  He, who restrains his sense-organs in  this manner by means of his mind, but not by inactivity-he alone is  a man-of-stabilized-intellect.  He would remain viewing Me alone as his goal i.e., he would concentrate his attention on nothing but Me, the Supreme Lord, the Consciousness-Self.


English Translation of Ramanuja's Sanskrit Commentary
2.61 With a desire to overcome this mutual dependence between the subduing of the senses and vision of the self, one has to coner the senses which are difficult to subdue on account of their attachment to sense-objects. So, focussing the mind on Me who am the only auspicious object for meditation, let him remain steadfast. When the mind is focussed on Me  as its object, then such a mind, purified by the burning away of all impurities and devoid of attachment to the senses, is able to control the senses. Then the mind with the senses under control will be able to experience the self. As said in Visnu Purana, As the leaping fire fanned by the wind burns away a forest of dry trees, so Visnu, who is in the hearts of all the Yogins, destroys all the sins. Sri Krsna teaches the same here:  He whose senses are under control, his knowledge is firmly set.

Sri Krsna says:  One who endeavours to subdue the senses, depending on ones own exertions, and does not focus the mind on Me in this way, becomes lost.


Commentary  - Chakravarthi Ji
Mat parah means my devotee. Without devotion to me, one cannot conquer the senses. This will be seen everywhere in later verses of the Gita. Uddhava has also said:
prayasah pundarikaksa yunjanto yogino manah visidanty asamadhanan mano-nigraha-karsitah athata ananda-dugham padambujam hamsah srayeran
O lotus-eyed Lord, generally those yogis who try to steady the mind experience frustration because of their inability to perfect the state of trance. Thus they weary in their attempt to bring the mind under control. Therefore, O lotus-eyed Lord of the universe, swanlike men happily take shelter of Your lotus feet, the source of all transcendental ecstasy. SB 11.29.2-3
The person whose senses have been brought under control (vase hi) is the sthita prajna. This distinguishes him from the sadhaka, the person attempting to do so.


Rudra Vaishnava Sampradaya - Commentary

Since it has been prescribed to be in control of  the  senses,  one  who  is
self-controlled should sit in a yoga position and meditate  on  the  Supreme
Lord. If it were to be asked how does one sit?  The  right  answer  is  that
with the senses under control the  mind  should  be  free  from  any  mental
activity.


Brahma Vaishnava Sampradaya - Commentary

In the previous verses Lord Krishna has  stated  that  the  senses  are  too
powerful to subdue by our own efforts. Yet effort should be made  repeatedly
regardless. Now here he suggests that we subdue our senses  by  devotion  to
Him. The word yuktah denotes devotion to Lord Krishna,  one  whose  mind  is
attuned to Him. Otherwise it is not possible to overcome the senses  in  any
way and maintain it. Mat-parah  means  one  devoted  to  Lord  Krishna.  The
benefits of one  surrendered,  attuned  and  devoted  to  the  Supreme  Lord
Krishna will be well documented later.


Shri Vaishnava Sampradaya - Commentary

Whosoever would wish to succeed in overcoming the dichotomous difficulty  by
the mutual inter-relating dependence of sense control and soul cognition  as
delineated previously, must certainly master the senses. Which due to  their
constant craving for pleasure are  extremely  troublesome  to  govern.  Lord
Krishna as the Supreme Lord is instructing to make Him the  sole  object  of
ones meditation and thus become established in undisturbed serenity  in  the
ultimate reality. When  our  minds  have  been  evolved  to  realising  Lord
Krishna as the supreme absolute reality all impurities  are  eradicated  and
the mind is purified and clear, free from all desires.  Now  at  this  stage
for the first time the mind is free from all desires. The  mind  along  with
the senses completely under control is then capable of  achieving  cognition
of the eternal soul. In  the  Vishnu  Purana  XI.VII.LXXIV  beginning  yatha
adniruddhata-sikhah it is written that as a blazing fire fanned  by  blowing
wind burns up dry wood; in the same way Lord Krishna enthroned in the  heart
burns up all sins of those who link their individual consciousness with  the
ultimate  consciousness  in  soul  cognition.  Spiritual   intelligence   is
confirmed in those whose senses are under control.  But  it  must  be  noted
that unless devotion has developed for the Supreme Lord  Krishna,  whosoever
attempts to master the senses by their own might and  self  effort  are  all
destined to failure.


Kumara Vaishnava Sampradaya - Commentary
Whosoever would wish to succeed in overcoming the dichotomous difficulty  by
the mutual inter-relating dependence of sense control and soul cognition  as
delineated previously, must certainly master the senses. Which due to  their
constant craving for pleasure are  extremely  troublesome  to  govern.  Lord
Krishna as the Supreme Lord is instructing to make Him the  sole  object  of
ones meditation and thus become established in undisturbed serenity  in  the
ultimate reality. When  our  minds  have  been  evolved  to  realising  Lord
Krishna as the supreme absolute reality all impurities  are  eradicated  and
the mind is purified and clear, free from all desires.  Now  at  this  stage
for the first time the mind is free from all desires. The  mind  along  with
the senses completely under control is then capable of  achieving  cognition
of the eternal soul. In  the  Vishnu  Purana  XI.VII.LXXIV  beginning  yatha
adniruddhata-sikhah it is written that as a blazing fire fanned  by  blowing
wind burns up dry wood; in the same way Lord Krishna enthroned in the  heart
burns up all sins of those who link their individual consciousness with  the
ultimate  consciousness  in  soul  cognition.  Spiritual   intelligence   is
confirmed in those whose senses are under control.  But  it  must  be  noted
that unless devotion has developed for the Supreme Lord  Krishna,  whosoever
attempts to master the senses by their own might and  self  effort  are  all
destined to failure.


Transliteration Bhagavad Gita 2.61Taani sarvaani samyamya yukta aaseeta matparah;
Vashe hi yasyendriyaani tasya prajnaa pratishthitaa.


Word Meanings Bhagavad Gita 2.61tāni—them; sarvāṇi—all; sanyamya—subduing; yuktaḥ—united; āsīta—seated; mat-paraḥ—toward me (Shree Krishna); vaśhe—control; hi—certainly; yasya—whose; indriyāṇi—senses; tasya—their; prajñā—perfect knowledge; pratiṣhṭhitā—is fixed;