Bhagavad Gita 3.6 · Krishna
Still hands, busy mind
कर्मेन्द्रियाणि संयम्य य आस्ते मनसा स्मरन्।
इन्द्रियार्थान्विमूढात्मा मिथ्याचारः स उच्यते॥
karmendriyāṇi saṃyamya ya āste manasā smaranindriyārthānvimūḍhātmā mithyācāraḥ sa ucyate
Whoever restrains the body's actions but sits dwelling on sense objects in the mind is deluded, and called a pretender.
What it means
Krishna is not mocking people who struggle. He is naming a split. The hands are still, but the mind keeps feasting. Outward renunciation becomes a performance. The verse asks for honesty more than for discipline. Inner and outer life need to match.
The story
Picture a man at a silent retreat, robed and motionless, admired by everyone. Behind his closed eyes he is rehearsing an argument with his brother, word by word. His body is in the temple. His mind never left home.
In your life
Lena has stopped buying clothes for a month. She is proud of it. Yet every evening she scrolls through shopping apps, filling carts she never pays for. Tonight she deletes the apps, not just the purchases.
Let the inside match the outside.