Four Practices for Mastering the Senses and Experiencing True Freedom
Chapter 2 v.60-62
Discover how to master restless senses and desires through yogic discipline and devotion.
Contents
Why Willpower Alone Isn’t Enough to Master the Senses
The Higher Way: Discipline and Surrender
Four Essential Practices for Mastering the Senses and Experiencing True Freedom
The Power of Kriya Yoga Pranayama
The Parable of the Three Fish (Wisdom from Rumi)
The Promise of True Freedom
PODCAST EPISODE: Key Practices for Steady Wisdom and Spiritual Growth
To truly master restless desires and senses, we must move beyond willpower alone and embrace spiritual discipline combined with devotion and surrender.
In our exploration of the Bhagavad Gita’s profound wisdom, in this post we turn our attention to verses 2.60 through 2.62. Here, the Gita teaches us that relying solely on willpower to control restless desires is not sufficient. Instead, the path to true freedom integrates disciplined practice, discernment, devotion, and self-surrender.
Why Willpower Alone Isn’t Enough to Master the Senses
As verse 2.60 clearly states:
“The turbulent senses carry away the mind forcibly, Arjuna, even of the striving person of wisdom.”
Even the wisest among us, who deeply yearn for spiritual freedom, can find themselves challenged by the pull of restless senses. While using our willpower is helpful—choosing to abstain from harmful activities—it’s not enough to completely remove our deeper attachments or cravings. Willpower alone might help us temporarily resist temptation, but it does not resolve the underlying desire. We need something more powerful and transformative.
"The senses are powerful, but the Divine within us is greater. Cultivate discernment, commit to your freedom, develop devotion, and surrender—this is the way."
—Yogacharya Ellen Grace O'Brian
The Higher Way: Discipline and Surrender
Bhagavad Gita verse 2.61 provides the essential key:
“Restraining all the senses, disciplined, one should sit steady, intent on Me. One whose senses are controlled, that person's wisdom stands firm.”
Here Krishna clearly lays out a balanced yogic path that integrates self-discipline with devotional surrender. In other words, we don’t just say “no” to restless desires—we say “yes” to something far greater: the joy and fulfillment that come from living in continuous connection with the Divine.
The Kriya Yoga tradition emphasizes this balanced combination:
- Self-discipline (Tapas): conscious effort to restrain the senses.
- Self-surrender (Ishvara Pranidhana): willingly offering our hearts and minds into Divine presence.
Four Essential Practices for Mastering the Senses and Experiencing True Freedom
How do we practically apply this higher way of discipline and surrender? Here are four key practices:
1. Cultivate Discernment
Discernment means becoming clear about what supports our highest good and what does not. Through mindfulness and self-inquiry, we learn to differentiate between desires that lead to lasting joy and those that cause suffering.
Ask yourself often:
- "Where is this desire leading me?"
- "Will this choice bring freedom or bondage?"
- "Will this thought bring joy or suffering?"
2. Commit to Your Freedom
Make a firm, intentional commitment to spiritual growth. Use your "wisdom-guided will"—as Paramahansa Yogananda taught—to support your highest purpose. Intentionally arrange your daily life in ways that support your spiritual practices and avoid conditions that foster restlessness or distraction.
Affirm clearly:
- "I choose what uplifts and frees my consciousness."
- "I release what limits or binds me."
3. Develop Devotion
Genuine devotion naturally draws the mind toward the Divine. Like a lover who effortlessly thinks of their beloved, a heart awakened to devotion easily turns inward toward spiritual truths. Devotion adds warmth and joy to discipline, softening the heart and opening us to grace.
Grow devotion through:
- Regular meditation and prayer.
- Cultivating gratitude and love toward the Divine in daily life.
4. Keep Surrendering
Surrender is the ongoing practice of letting go into Divine presence—returning again and again to your true Self, the source of infinite peace and fulfillment. Each time the mind becomes restless, consciously turn inward, offering your heart, mind, and life to God.
Remind yourself daily:
- "God is my life and constant guide."
- "I let go into Divine presence."
The Power of Kriya Yoga Pranayama
These practices are powerfully supported by Kriya Yoga pranayama, the core meditation practice in Kriya Yoga tradition. By learning to consciously direct our vital energy inward, away from sensory distractions, we gain greater inner peace and self-control. With regular pranayama, the yogi’s mind naturally becomes calm and inwardly focused, allowing higher states of consciousness to unfold.
As Paramahansa Yogananda beautifully explains in his commentary on Bhagavad Gita verse 2.61:
“He who unites his spirit to Me, having subjugated all his senses, remains concentrated on Me as the Supremely Desirable. The intuitive wisdom of that yogi becomes steadfast, whose senses are under his sway.”
The Parable of the Three Fish (Wisdom from Rumi)
The great poet Rumi offers a wonderful illustration of these teachings in his story of the three fish:
In a lake lived three fish—one intelligent, one half-intelligent, and one foolish. One day fishermen arrived at their lake with nets. The wise fish immediately discerned danger and decisively left the lake, making its way to the ocean. The half-intelligent fish hesitated, regretful but managing eventually to cleverly escape capture. The foolish fish ignored all warning signs, becoming trapped in the fishermen’s net, realizing too late the need for wisdom and freedom.
This powerful parable reminds us:
• Discernment—seeing clearly and responding quickly to spiritual insight—is essential.
• Commitment and wisdom-guided will help us take timely action toward freedom.
• Ignoring wisdom leads inevitably to suffering, highlighting the importance of continuous surrender and devotion.
The Promise of True Freedom
Ultimately, these verses from the Bhagavad Gita promise that real freedom, joy, and peace come not from merely suppressing desires, but from experiencing our innate wholeness through disciplined practice combined with heartfelt surrender to the Divine. By following these teachings and integrating discernment, commitment, devotion, and surrender into our daily lives, we become firmly anchored in wisdom—no longer tossed about by the restless senses, but fully alive and joyfully at home in our true Self.
May we all find such lasting freedom and joy.
Listen to the full podcast episode below.
Bhagavad Gita, pt 16: Key Practices for Steady Wisdom and Spiritual Growth
Chapter 2 v. 60-62
The teachings highlight the importance of developing self-control and focus in spiritual practice. The verses emphasize the need to withdraw the senses from external distractions and remain centered on the divine. Four key practices for spiritual growth are outlined. Listen to learn more about these practices for developing steadfastness and equanimity in life.
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