Bhagavad Gita · Chapter 12: The Path of Devotion
Bhagavad Gita 12.9
अथ चित्तं समाधातुं न शक्नोषि मयि स्थिरम् ।
अभ्यासयोगेन ततो मामिच्छाप्तुं धनञ्जय ॥
atha cittaṃ samādhātuṃ na śaknoṣi mayi sthiram | abhyāsayogena tato māmicchāptuṃ dhanañjaya ||
If you cannot keep your mind steadily on me, then seek to reach me through the yoga of repeated practice, Arjuna.
Modern context
If you cannot keep your mind steady, then practise. This is the first step down the ladder, and it is deeply compassionate. Krishna does not say 'if you cannot, you have failed'. He says 'then do this instead'. Practice means returning again and again, as in chapter 6. Steadiness that does not yet exist can be built by repetition.