What are the characteristics of a Turbulent and Restless mind. In the Geetaa, Arjun admits to Lord Krishn that the mind is very unsteady, turbulent (Pramati) , tenacious (Dridam) and powerful (Balavatee) and it is difficult to control the mind and that subjugation (Nigraha) of the mind is an uphill task. By using the adjective turbulent with reference to the mind, the Geetaa tells us that in addition to being unsteady as a flickering flame of light, the mind remains agitated by nature and sets up a commotion and excitement in the body and senses. Such a mind is not only unsteady and turbulent but also powerful as a mad elephant. It continues to act waywardly and refuses to get out of the dreary forest of sense enjoyments.

Restlessness of mind (Chanchalatwa), arises from lack of concentration or steadiness of mind. It is considered as an obstacle in the attainment of equability (Samatwa). Equability can never be the quality of a mind which is swayed by attractions and repulsions. It is one of the vagaries of the mind. While on this topic let us also try to understand what a steady or stable mind would look like. The Geetaa calls one as steady in mind (Sthit-pragya), when he dismisses all cravings of the mind (Manogat Kaamanaayen - Prajaahati) and is satisfied in the Self through the joy of of the Self. Mind is the seat of all desires, hence, when along with the intellect, the mind also rests stable in God, all the forms of desire vanish. Now who is a Sthit-pragya?" He is a seeker (Saadhak) who remains unperturbed amid sorrows, whose thirst for pleasures has altogether disappeared and who is free from passion, fear and anger, is called stable in his mind (Sthit-pragya or Sthitdeh)" in the Geetaa. Neither the great sorrows can shake the balance of his mind nor the highest form of pleasure can induce the least thirst for it in his mind.

A Saadhak's mind is said to be stable (Pragya Pratishthaa), if he is unattached to anything material and transient and if he neither rejoices nor recoils when he meets with good or evil respectively. So says the Lord in Bhagvad Geetaa. For a person of stable mind, worldly attachments of all kinds cease to exist. When attachment itself is eradicated from his mind, all other morbid feelings should be understood to have naturally ceased to exist. Nothing belonging to this world would appear as favorable or unfavorable to the Seeker. In the mind of a Saadhak who possesses a stable mind, not the least amount of hatred should arise by contact with even most disagreeable object. Restless can be said to have been eradicated from the mind of one who withdraws his senses from the sense-objects like a tortoise which withdraws its limbs from all directions into its shell on sight of a enemy or sensing of danger to its life. Hence, if anybody strives for steadiness of mind and intellect should restrain completely his mind and senses.