Lord Brahmā told Viśvāmitra that he was not yet in control of his senses because as long as he was affected by sense objects in his presence, he was not really sense controlled.

NOTE. According to Śrīla Rāmānujācārya’s commentary on Bhagavad-gītā 2.55-58, there are four levels of self-control relevant to the practice of an aspiring transcendentalist. His commentator Vedānta-deśika has analyzed these four stages in detail. The gist of that analysis is as follows.

Stage 1 of self-control: When a person at this stage sees a worldly desirable sense object, he recognizes it as a desirable object and is impulsively attracted to it; so he turns his eyes away from that object to prevent himself from enjoying it. This is the stage of endeavor: yatamāna. This is the stage of sense control. The spiritualist’s mind is not yet under control, and his propensity to enjoy through his senses and mind persists.

Stage 2 of self-control: When a person at this stage sees a worldly desirable sense object, he recognizes it as a desirable object, but he is not impulsively attracted to it; yet he feels slight happiness upon seeing it, though he does not attempt to enjoy that sense object. This is the stage of differentiating the degrees of attraction toward sense objects: vyatireka. At this stage, the senses have already come under control, but the mind is only partially under control. The spiritualist’s propensity to enjoy through his senses and mind is still there.

Stage 3 of self-control: When a person at this stage sees a worldly desirable sense object, he recognizes that it is a desirable object, but he is neither impulsively attracted to it, nor does he even feel happiness upon seeing it; he does not attempt to enjoy it. This is the stage of control of the internal sense organ: ekendriya. At this stage, the spiritualist’s senses and mind have come under full control. His propensity to enjoy through his senses and mind remains.

Stage 4 of self-control: When a person at this stage sees a worldly desirable sense object, he does not recognize it as a desirable object at all. Therefore, he is not impulsively attracted to it, he does not feel happiness upon seeing it and he does not attempt to enjoy it. This is the stage of absolute control of mind and propensities: vaśīkāra. The spiritualist’s senses and mind have come under his full control and his very propensity to enjoy through the senses and mind has disappeared.

Lord Brahmā’s point is that Viśvāmitra had not yet attained stage 3 of self-control as mentioned above, for at that stage, one’s mind and senses are not at all attracted towards a sense object in the proximity of the spiritualist.