Yatato Hyapi Kaunteya

No exemptions. Krishna does not say only the weak struggle with the senses. He says even a wise, striving person — vipashchit, someone with real discernment — can have the mind dragged away by force. The senses are pramathini, churning and relentless.

There is deep reassurance in this honesty. Anyone who has tried meditation and found the mind wandering after thirty seconds is not a failure. Even seasoned practitioners face the same pull. The senses do not politely knock; they barge in. This is human nature, not personal weakness. Knowing this, the practitioner does not lose heart but keeps going.

After the tortoise analogy in 2.58, Krishna balances idealism with realism. Withdrawing the senses sounds elegant. Actually doing it, moment after moment, is an ongoing battle.

The word pramathini (churning, agitating) is vivid. The senses do not merely pull — they churn the mind, turning calm water into white rapids. Arjuna himself echoes this much later in 6.34 when he compares controlling the mind to controlling the wind.