Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 2, Verse 60

यततो ह्यपि कौन्तेय पुरुषस्य विपश्चितः । इन्द्रियाणि प्रमाथीनि हरन्ति प्रसभं मनः

yatato hyapi kaunteya puruṣasya vipaścitaḥ | indriyāṇi pramāthīni haranti prasabhaṃ manaḥ

Translation

The dangerous senses, O son of Kuntī, forcibly carry away the mind of a wise man, even while striving (to control them).

— Alladi Mahadeva Sastri

Word meanings

yatataḥ

of the endeavouring

hi

indeed

api

even

kaunteya

O Kaunteya

puruṣasya

of man

vipaścitaḥ

(of the) wise

indriyāṇi

the senses

pramāthīni

(the) uptearing

haranti

carry away

prasabham

impetuously

manaḥ

the mind

Śaṅkarācārya's commentary

The senses are dangerous (pramāthīni) — by nature troublesome — and even the man of discrimination, while striving (yatataḥ) to bring them under control, finds them forcibly carrying away his mind. The warning is that vigilance must never relax: until taste itself is gone (per 2.59), the senses can drag away even the wise.