Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 3, Verse 34

इन्द्रियस्येन्द्रियस्यार्थे रागद्वेषौ व्यवस्थितौ । तयोर्न वशमागच्छेत्तौ ह्यस्य परिपन्थिनौ

indriyasyendriyasyārthe rāgadveṣau vyavasthitau | tayorna vaśamāgacchettau hyasya paripanthinau

Translation

Love and hate lie towards the object of each sense; let none become subject to these two; for, they are his enemies.

— Alladi Mahadeva Sastri

Word meanings

indriyasya

of the sense

indriyasya

of the sense

arthe

in the object

rāgadveṣau

attraction, and, repulsion, and

vyavasthitau

seated

tayoḥ

of these (two)

na

not

vaśam

(under) control

āgacchet

let (him) come

tau

these (two)

hi

indeed

paripanthinau

(two) obstructors of the way

Śaṅkarācārya's commentary

As regards all sense-objects, such as sounds, there necessarily arises in each sense love for an agreeable object, and aversion for a disagreeable object. He who would follow the Teaching should at the very commencement rise above the sway of affection and aversion. For what we speak of as the nature (prakṛti) of a person draws him to its course only through love and aversion. When a person restrains these feelings by means of their enemy (right knowledge), then he will become mindful of the Teaching only, no longer subject to his own nature.