अथ चित्तं समाधातुं न शक्नोषि मयि स्थिरम् । अभ्यासयोगेन ततो मामिच्छाप्तुं धनञ्जय ॥
atha cittaṃ samādhātuṃ na śaknoṣi mayi sthiram | abhyāsayogena tato māmicchāptuṃ dhanañjaya ||
Translation
If you are unable to fix your mind steadily on Me — then by the yoga of practice (abhyasa), seek to reach Me, O Dhananjaya.
Interpretation
Krishna now provides a graduated path for those who find the highest practice too steep. If fixing the mind steadily on the Divine is not immediately possible (na shaknosi — if you cannot), then abhyasa-yoga — the yoga of repeated practice. Practice: turning the mind toward the Divine again and again, patiently, persistently. Each return from distraction builds the groove of devotion deeper. Abhyasa (practice) is the method that gradually produces the steadiness that begins as an aspiration and becomes a living reality.