A mind carried away

bhogaiśvaryaprasaktānāṃ tayāpahṛtacetasāmvyavasāyātmikā buddhiḥ samādhau na vidhīyate

Those attached to pleasure and power, their minds carried away, cannot settle into steady meditation.

What it means

Krishna explains why this matters. When the mind is attached to pleasure and power, it gets carried off by every promise. Then buddhi, clear understanding, can't settle into samadhi, deep stillness. It's not that enjoyment is wrong. It's that craving keeps us restless.

The story

Krishna is preparing Arjuna for the teaching on the steady mind later in this chapter. A mind pulled by desire can't be calm. And a mind that isn't calm can't see clearly, on a battlefield or anywhere.

In your life

Think of trying to meditate while your phone buzzes with sale alerts. You sit, but your mind is shopping. Turn off notifications for one hour today. Notice how much quieter you become.