The previous verse is being elucidated further. The mind is by nature restless and fickle. Also it is tempestuous, capable of agitating the body and the senses and very hard to control. From what the mind has become accustomed to be attached to like sense objects it is very difficult to remove it. Therefore just as it is impossible to confine within a pot the wind blowing hither and thither in the air in the same way it is almost impossible to control and restrain the turbulent mind. Lord Krishna answers this doubt in the next verse.

Revealing his heart to Lord Krishna some questions are asked by Arjuna to be clarified as he does not fully comprehend this yoga or the science of the individual consciousness attaining communion with the ultimate consciousness as done in dhyana or meditation which allows equanimity in reality and which enables one to perceive the atma or soul in all beings and envision the Brahman or spiritual substratum pervading all existence in all situations. Specifically it could be understood regarding the sameness of the atma in all living entities and that the atma is residing equally within all living entities as well as the reality of the liberated beings possessing a portion of the qualities of the Supreme. But to maintain such lofty conceptions in the midst of the demanding, periodically changing interactions of daily life seems to be in direct conflict with our vision of the phenomenal world we live in seeing external differences everywhere we look. As well there are an unlimited variety of differences in the nature of beings as represented by the divine nature, the human nature, the demoniac nature and various combinations of all three. Not being to understand how the results of such yoga can be sustained a predicament arises and Arjuna surmises that the fault must be due to the constraints of the mind being unable to fully manifest them. This is true as it can be experienced that in even normal mundane matters of ordinary activities the naturally restless mind eludes all attempts to focus it on a specific idea for too long. The mind exerting itself powerfully will twist and turn itself loose without delay and irresistibly fly off in whatever direction it fancies. So if such is the case in ordinary activities what is to be assumed in regard to the difficulty of focusing the mind exclusively on the atma. Arjuna was thinking that to control the mind is as difficult and daunting as trying to thwart the winds of a hurricane with a hand fan. So in conclusion Arjuna is requesting Lord Krishna to instruct him how to control the tempestuous mind.

Everyone can understand that the mind is restless and fickle by the proof of observing one's own mind. The mind is turbulent in its actions and tenacious in its selections. It is extremely difficult to control because it is strongly bound to desire for habituated sense gratification. It is also powerful and hard to withdraw once it is out in pursuit of desired sense objects. Considering all these things Arjuna expresses to Lord Krishna that trying to control the mind is like trying to control the wind. It is like trying to confine a violently blowing cyclone in a pot. By using the vocative case O' Lord Krishna denotes that Lord Krishna who removes the illusion of His devotees should also remove all delusions regarding controlling the mind.