6.36 Hard, and not impossible Krishna speaks

असंयतात्मना योगो दुष्प्राप इति मे मतिः
वश्यात्मना तु यतता शक्योऽवाप्तुमुपायतः

asaṅyatātmanā yogo duṣhprāpa iti me matiḥ
vaśhyātmanā tu yatatā śhakyo ’vāptum upāyataḥ

For one whose mind is unbridled, yoga is hard to reach — this is my view. But for one who is self-governed and striving, it can be attained by the right means.

Explanation

Hard, and not impossible.

For an unbridled mind, yoga is hard to reach — this is my view. For one self-governed and striving, it can be attained by the right means.

The hedge is unusual and generous: an opinion offered as an opinion. And the condition is striving, not succeeding — which is what makes Arjuna's next question possible.

Word by word

asanyata-ātmanā: one whose mind is unbridled
yogaḥ: Yog
duṣhprāpaḥ: difficult to attain
iti: thus
me: my
matiḥ: opinion
vaśhya-ātmanā: by one whose mind is controlled
tu: but
yatatā: one who strives
śhakyaḥ: possible
avāptum: to achieve
upāyataḥ: by right means