In Gita 6.35 what does abhyasa and vairagya mean?

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Yeah. Krishna mentions in the Bhagavad Gita in 6.36 that we can control the mind by abhyasa and vairagya. So what does abhyasa and vairagya actually mean? So 6.35 and 36 is where Krishna answers Arjuna’s question very briefly.
33-34, Arjuna says that Krishna, you told me this process of yoga. I cannot practice it. My mind is so restless that this process of samya, equanimity towards all, it’s impractical he says.
And then he quotes Krishna. And then actually 35th verse, Krishna says vairagya By abhyasa and vairagya you can attain success. And 6.36 Krishna says if you follow a right process you will attain success.
Without mind control, success in yoga is impossible to attain. But if you strive by the proper means, then success can get you. So both these verses 35 and 36 they are non-specific about the process to follow.
Now abhyasa in general means practice. And vairagya generally means detachment. So Krishna in the next verse also doesn’t clarify which he just says if you follow the right process you will attain success.
Now if you move forward, sometimes some Gita commentators they say Bhaktivedanta Swami misrepresents Prabhupada, misrepresents Krishna in the Gita. Because Bhaktivedanta Swami says Arjuna rejected the process of yoga as impractical but Krishna never rejects the process of yoga. Krishna never rejects the process of yoga.
Krishna never so why does Bhaktivedanta Swami does it? But if you see Prabhupada follows the flow of the Gita. And in the 8th chapter, 6th chapter, Arjuna says that this process doesn’t seem very practical for me. And Krishna says if you persevere, follow the right process, you will attain success.
Now I cannot go into the technical flow of the Gita here but in the 6th chapter, Krishna culminates with a description of bhakti yoga. 6.47 is yoginami sarvesha madgati nandana. Fix your mind on it.
Those are the top most yogas. And then from so 1st chapter to 6th chapter is a progression from karma yoga through ashtanga yoga to the summit of bhakti yoga. 6.47 is the yogi who has fixed the mind on me is the top most yoga.
Now from 7.1 Krishna gives an alternative process for rising to that same summit. So 7.1 Krishna describes mayy asatmanahaparthah yogam niyan madhashayam asamishayam samagrammam yatham jnasyasi takshranu. He says now hear about me, how you can follow yoga by which your mind will get attached to.
And then if you see the 7th chapter he describes bhakti yoga. ma mayo ye prapadyante mayam itam dharanti. 7.14 is like the heart of that 7th chapter.
Now after this that means 6th chapter Krishna has described dhyana yoga 7th chapter he has pointed to bhakti yoga then 8th chapter he uses a comparison of ashtanga yoga and bhakti yoga. And in the 8th chapter is the only place where anywhere in the Bhagavad Gita Krishna says that he can be attained easily. In 8.14 Krishna says ananya chetaha satatam yo mam smarati nitya shah tasyaham sulabhah partha nitya yuktasya yoginaham Those who remember me constantly, for them I am attained sulabhah easily attained.
And prior to this Krishna has given the ashtanga yoga. So 8.7 to 8.14 in the Bhagavad Gita is a comparison of ashtanga yoga and bhakti yoga. And the conclusion is Krishna says that practicing bhakti you can attain easily.
So what Krishna is telling in 8.14, Prabhupada is telling in 6.35. So Prabhupada is not contradicting what Krishna is giving. Prabhupada is anticipating and telling us in advance. Now so then so now the question, this particular question was what does abhyasa and vairagya essentially mean? So if you look at the flow of the Gita, Krishna in the Bhagavad Gita recommends bhakti yoga as the best means for attaining him which also implies controlling the mind.
So now abhyasa means practice. So with respect to our practice of sadhana bhakti when we are trying to fix the mind in Krishna, the mind goes here, the mind goes there, we bring it back on course. A good metaphor for understanding how to control the mind is what I gave a video yesterday of a horse that needs to be trained.
So the horse is to be taken in a particular direction, horse goes here, horse goes there. Bring it back on track. So abhyasa means fix the mind in Krishna.
And vairagya has two different means. Vairagya at one level means those things which will fuel the mind’s restlessness. Those things which will make the mind more agitated, we avoid those things.
So we all know there are certain temptations which if we indulge in them, they will make our mind very wild. So detachment, not indulging in them is one level of vairagya. But another level of vairagya is also not expecting immediate results.
That also requires detachment. Just like when a horse trainer is training the horse, the horse trainer can’t expect that overnight. Today I trained the horse, tomorrow the horse is very comfortably to be ridden.
It doesn’t work like that. So detachment also means patience. Detachment means detachment from expecting immediate results.
So when we work patiently, then that vairagya is to not expect overnight transformation but to be ready to patiently practice. So abhyasenut kaunteya vairagyena chikruvyateya. If we are patiently practicing, we can attain