How to manage desires
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The Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 2, Shloka 58 reads:
यदा संहरते चायं कूर्मोऽङ्गानीव सर्वश:। इन्द्रियाणीन्द्रियार्थेभ्यस्तस्य प्रज्ञा प्रतिष्ठिता।।
Transliteration: Yadā saṁharate chāyaṁ kūrmo’ṅgānīva sarvaśaḥ, Indriyāṇīndriyārthebhyas tasya prajñā pratiṣṭhitā.
Translation: “When, like a tortoise retracts its limbs from all sides, a person withdraws their senses from the sense-objects, their wisdom becomes steady and well-established.”
Explanation: This verse emphasizes self-control and restraint. It compares a wise person to a tortoise that withdraws its limbs into its shell for protection. Similarly, a person who can withdraw their senses from the temptations of the external world achieves stability of mind and true wisdom. This is a key teaching of the Gita about mastering desires and achieving mental peace.