Bhagavad Gita · Chapter 6: The Path of Meditation

Bhagavad Gita 6.18

यदा विनियतं चित्तमात्मन्येवावतिष्ठते । निःस्पृहः सर्वकामेभ्यो युक्त इत्युच्यते तदा ॥

yadā viniyataṃ cittamātmanyevāvatiṣṭhate | niḥspṛhaḥ sarvakāmebhyo yukta ityucyate tadā ||

When the well-controlled mind rests in the self alone, free from longing for any object of desire, then a person is said to be established in yoga.

Modern context

The sign of success is given: the mind rests in the self, and longing for objects has fallen away. Resting is the key word. Restraint is still effort, a hand holding a struggling animal. Resting is what happens when the struggle has stopped. Most of us know brief moments of it, perhaps after a long walk or while watching the sea, when for once the mind wants nothing. Practice makes such moments longer and more frequent.