Gita 12.9
Bhakti Yoga
अथ चित्तं समाधातुं न शक्नोषि मयि स्थिरम् | अभ्यासयोगेन ततो मामिच्छाप्तुं धनञ्जय ||९||
atha cittaṁ samādhātuṁ na śaknoṣi mayi sthiram | abhyāsa-yogena tato mām icchāptuṁ dhanañjaya ||9||
In essence: Cannot fix the mind steadily on Me? Then practice—through repeated effort, develop the capacity to reach Me.
A conversation between a seeker and guide to help you feel this verse deeply
Sadhak-Guru Dialogue
Sadhak: "I feel relieved that Krishna acknowledges we might not be able to do verse 8. But I also feel like a failure."
Guru: "A failure would be someone who stops trying. Krishna doesn't ask you to succeed immediately; He asks you to practice. The practice is the success at this stage. Each time you return your wandering mind to Krishna, you win a small victory. Enough small victories become liberation."
Sadhak: "What exactly is 'abhyāsa-yoga'?"
Guru: "It is the yoga of repetition with right intention. You sit to meditate on Krishna. The mind wanders. You bring it back. It wanders again. You bring it back again. This returning is abhyāsa. Over time, the mind stays longer before wandering. Eventually, it stops wandering altogether. But that takes practice—there is no shortcut."
Sadhak: "How long does this practice take?"
Guru: "Krishna says in Chapter 6 that it may take many lifetimes—or it may happen quickly, depending on intensity and past preparation. But the question 'How long?' is itself an obstacle. It suggests you want the destination without valuing the journey. The practice itself must become enjoyable, not just a means to an end."
Sadhak: "I've been practicing for years and my mind is still restless."
Guru: "Years of practice or years of occasional attempts? There is a difference between practicing daily and practicing when convenient. Also, are you practicing correctly—with devotion, regularity, and proper technique? And finally, are you actually getting worse, or is your awareness of the mind's restlessness improving? Sometimes progress looks like becoming more aware of how far there is to go."
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🌅 Daily Practice
Commit to a specific, realistic practice period—even five minutes. What matters is that it happens DAILY without exception. Before beginning, acknowledge: 'I may not be able to fix my mind steadily, but I will practice.' This humble intention is the beginning of abhyāsa-yoga.
Practice 'mini-returns' throughout the day. Set random reminders on your phone. When they go off, wherever you are, bring your mind back to Krishna for just three breaths. These brief returns train the mind and accumulate over time into substantial practice.
Keep a simple practice journal. Note just two things: (1) Did I practice today? (2) How was the quality? Over weeks, you'll see patterns—which conditions support practice, which undermine it. Adjust accordingly. The journal itself becomes part of the practice, a way of taking the path seriously.