Bhagavad Gita · Chapter 6: The Path of Meditation
Bhagavad Gita 6.34
चञ्चलं हि मनः कृष्ण प्रमाथि बलवद्दृढम् ।
तस्याहं निग्रहं मन्ये वायोरिव सुदुष्करम् ॥
cañcalaṃ hi manaḥ kṛṣṇa pramāthi balavaddṛḍham | tasyāhaṃ nigrahaṃ manye vāyoriva suduṣkaram ||
The mind is restless, Krishna, turbulent, powerful, and stubborn. I think it is as hard to control as the wind.
Modern context
Four words describe the mind, and anyone can check them against experience. It is restless: it will not stay. It is turbulent: it churns up everything around it. It is powerful: it can override good intentions. It is stubborn: it returns to the same grooves no matter how often it is pulled away. Controlling it, Arjuna says, is like trying to hold the wind. This is one of the most widely quoted verses in the Gita, because almost everyone recognises it.