यतो यतो निश्चरति मनश्चञ्चलमस्थिरम् | ततस्ततो नियम्यैतदात्मन्येव वशं नयेत् || २६ ||
yato yato niścarati manaś cañcalam asthiram tatas tato niyamyaitad ātmany eva vaśaṃ nayet
yataḥ yataḥ—wherever; niścarati—wanders; manaḥ—the mind; cañcalam—flickering; asthiram—unsteady; tataḥ tataḥ—from there; niyamya—regulating; etat—this; ātmani—in the Self; eva—certainly; vaśam—control; nayet—must bring.
“Wherever the restless and unsteady mind wanders, bring it back from there and place it under the control of the Self alone.”
This is the practical instruction for the meditation session itself: when the mind wanders — to plans, memories, fantasies, worries — simply bring it back. 'Yato yato' (wherever it goes), 'tatas tato' (from there bring it back). No frustration, no self-judgment, no elaborate analysis of why it wandered. Just the patient, repeated return. This returning is the essence of meditation practice, and over time it establishes the mind in the Self.
This verse is the single most practical instruction in the entire chapter on meditation. When you sit and the mind wanders — which it will, hundreds of times — simply bring it back without judgment. That simple, repeated return IS the practice. You cannot fail at meditation as long as you keep returning.