sañjayaḥ uvāca—Sañjaya saidtam—unto Arjunatathā—thuskṛpayā—by compassionāviṣṭam—overwhelmedaśru - pūrṇa - ākula—full of tearsīkṣaṇam—eyesviṣīdantam—lamentingidam—thesevākyam—wordsuvāca—saidmadhu - sūdanaḥ—the killer of Madhu .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
sañjaya uvāca
sañjayaḥ uvāca
Sañjaya said
taṁ tathā kṛpayāviṣṭam
tam
unto Arjuna
tathā
thus
kṛpayā
by compassion
āviṣṭam
overwhelmed
aśru-pūrṇākulekṣaṇam
aśru - pūrṇa - ākula
full of tears
īkṣaṇam
eyes
viṣīdantam idaṁ vākyam
viṣīdantam
lamenting
idam
these
vākyam
words
uvāca madhusūdanaḥ
uvāca
said
madhu - sūdanaḥ
the killer of Madhu .
Important Words
kṛpayā—by compassion
Instrumental case — Arjuna is moved *by* compassion, acted upon by it, not its master. Kṛṣṇa will soon show that compassion uncoupled from knowledge of the self is itself a form of bondage.
viṣīdantam—lamenting
Present participle of vi-√sad, to sink down. The whole chapter is named after this verb: Sāṅkhya-yoga begins because Arjuna has *sunk*. The Gītā is the rope thrown to a sinking soul.
madhu - sūdanaḥ—the killer of Madhu
Kṛṣṇa is named for a past demon-killing at the very moment a new demon — Arjuna's bewildered compassion — needs slaying. The name is a signal: the doctor is at the bedside.
aśru - pūrṇa - ākula—full of tears
Tears for the body are a śūdra's grief, Prabhupāda notes. The hero's eyes have flooded for the wrong object — the dress, not the wearer.
Sañjaya said: Seeing Arjuna full of compassion, his mind depressed, his eyes full of tears, Madhusūdana, Kṛṣṇa, spoke the following words.
Purport
Material compassion, lamentation and tears are all signs of ignorance of the real self. Compassion for the eternal soul is self-realization. The word “Madhusūdana” is significant in this verse. Lord Kṛṣṇa killed the demon Madhu, and now Arjuna wanted Kṛṣṇa to kill the demon of misunderstanding that had overtaken him in the discharge of his duty. No one knows where compassion should be applied. Compassion for the dress of a drowning man is senseless. A man fallen in the ocean of nescience cannot be saved simply by rescuing his outward dress – the gross material body. One who does not know this and laments for the outward dress is called a śūdra, or one who laments unnecessarily. Arjuna was a kṣatriya, and this conduct was not expected from him. Lord Kṛṣṇa, however, can dissipate the lamentation of the ignorant man, and for this purpose the Bhagavad-gītā was sung by Him. This chapter instructs us in self-realization by an analytical study of the material body and the spirit soul, as explained by the supreme authority, Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa. This realization is possible when one works without attachment to fruitive results and is situated in the fixed conception of the real self.
— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura
Gauḍīya
Translation
1. Saṣjaya said: Madhusūdana spoke these words to Arjuna, whose eyes were filled with tears, and who was overcome with compassion.
Commentary
In this second chapter, after destroying the darkness of bewilderment and lamentation of Arjuna by distinguishing the soul from the body, Kṛṣṇa speaks about the characteristics of the liberated soul.
Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa
Gauḍīya
Translation
1. Saṣjaya said: Madhusūdana spoke these words to Arjuna whose eyes were filled with tears, and who was overcome with compassion.
Commentary
In the second chapter, the Lord explains knowledge of the soul, the method of realizing ātmā, niṣkāma karma, and the characteristics of the sthita prajṣa.
Seeing that Dhṛtarāṣṭra was joyful on hearing that Arjuna was renouncing the kingdom, and was hopeful of not losing the kingdom for his sons, Saṣjaya then spoke.
Madhusūdana here indicates that Kṛṣṇa, because of being possessed of sweetness (madhu), would destroy (sūdana) the lamentation of Arjuna.
Bhūrijana Dāsa
Gauḍīya
Commentary
Dhrtarastra was happy to hear about Arjuna's dropping of his bow thinking if he didn't want to fight that would make it easier for his sons to win.
But Sanjaya immediatly dispelled Dhrtarastra,s happiness by this verse. By calling Krsna Madhusudana, Sanjaya is telling Dhrtarastra that these doubts that are so prominent in Arjuna's mind are now going to be killed by the killer of the demon Madhu.
Study Notes — Gauranga Priya Dāsa
Gauranga Priya Dāsa
Study
Bhakti-śāstrī Notes, ISKCON Chowpatty (2009)
Theme
By calling Kṛṣṇa “Madhusūdana,” Sañjaya informs Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Arjuna’s doubts will now be
killed by the killer of the Madhu demon.
Dhṛtarāṣṭra was happy to hear of Arjuna’s mood of renunciation. Now his sons could be victorious.
Sañjaya’s words, however, dispel Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s happiness.
Classical Ācāryas
Śrī Śaṅkarācārya
Classical
Translation
2.1 Sri Sankaracharya did not comment on this sloka. The commentary starts from 2.10.
Śrī Rāmānujācārya
Classical
Translation
2.1 - 2.3 Sanjaya said - Lord said When Arjuna thus sat, the Lord, opposing his action, said: 'What is the reason for your misplaced grief? Arise for battle, abandoning this grief, which has arisen in a critical situation, which can come only in men of wrong understanding, which is an obstacle for reaching heaven, which does not confer fame on you, which is very mean, and which is caused by faint-heartedness.
Śrī Abhinavagupta
Classical
Translation
2.1 Sri Abhinavagupta did not comment upon this sloka.
Swami Sivananda
Classical
Translation
2.1 Sanjaya said To him who was thus overcome with pity and who was despondent, with eyes full of tears and agitated, Madhusudana (the destroyer of Madhu) or Krishna spoke these words.
Commentary
2.1 तम् to him? तथा thus? कृपया with pity? आविष्टम् overcome? अश्रुपूर्णाकुलेक्षणम् with eyes filled with tears and agitated? विषीदन्तम् despondent? इदम् this? वाक्यम् speech? उवाच spoke? मघुसूदनः Madhusudana.No commentary.
Swami Gambhīrānanda
Classical
Translation
2.1 Sanjaya said To him who had been thus filled with pity, whose eyes were filled with tears and showed distress, and who was sorrowing, Madhusudana uttered these words:
Shri Purohit Swami
Classical
Translation
2.1 Sanjaya then told how the Lord Shri Krishna, seeing Arjuna overwhelmed with compassion, his eyes dimmed with flowing tears and full of despondency, consoled him:
Material compassion masquerading as virtue is the soul's first signal that it needs higher knowledge.
Practical Applications
When you feel a wave of sentimentality before a duty, pause and ask whether it is compassion or evasion.
Bring confusing emotional states to a senior devotee rather than acting on them.
Notice the difference between Krishna's diagnosis of Arjuna and how the world would diagnose him.
Reflection Questions
Whose 'compassion' am I admiring that may actually be ignorance of the soul?
How would Krishna name what I am calling kindness right now?
Analogy
A traveler arrives at a river he must cross, then sits on the bank weeping for the boat. Arjuna's tears at the threshold of his duty are exactly this — compassion poured on the wrong place. Kṛṣṇa, called here Madhusūdana, the slayer of the Madhu demon, is about to slay a more cunning demon: misplaced grief.
Stories
Mother Yaśodā and the rope
When Yaśodā tried to bind little Kṛṣṇa to the grinding mortar, the rope was always two fingers too short, no matter how many ropes she joined. Her affection was true, but at first it was directed at the body of the child she imagined hers.
Only when she had exhausted her own strength and surrendered did Kṛṣṇa allow Himself to be bound — by love that had stopped treating Him as merely her son. Material affection, even at its sweetest, must be cleansed before it can touch the eternal.
śrī - bhagavān uvāca—the Supreme Personality of Godhead saidkutaḥ—wherefromtvā—unto youkaśmalam—dirtinessidam—this lamentationviṣame—in this hour of crisissamupasthitam—arrivedanārya—persons who do not know the value of lifejuṣṭam—practiced byasvargyam—which does not lead to higher planetsakīrti—infamykaram—the cause ofarjuna—O Arjuna .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
śrī-bhagavān uvāca
śrī - bhagavān uvāca
the Supreme Personality of Godhead said
kutas tvā kaśmalam idaṁ
kutaḥ
wherefrom
tvā
unto you
kaśmalam
dirtiness
idam
this lamentation
viṣame samupasthitam
viṣame
in this hour of crisis
samupasthitam
arrived
anārya-juṣṭam asvargyam
anārya
persons who do not know the value of life
juṣṭam
practiced by
asvargyam
which does not lead to higher planets
akīrti-karam arjuna
akīrti
infamy
karam
the cause of
arjuna
O Arjuna .
Important Words
kaśmalam—impurity, dejection
A strong word — dirt, filth, weakness of soul. Kṛṣṇa does not call Arjuna's mood 'understandable' or 'human'; He calls it filth. The diagnosis is brutal because the cure must be.
anārya—not befitting an Ārya
Ārya here is not racial but qualitative — one who knows the value of progressive life. Kṛṣṇa is saying: you, a knower, are behaving like one who does not know.
asvargyam—not leading to higher planets
Even by the lowest standard of dharma — heavenly reward — this collapse fails. Before reaching for liberation, one must not fall below karma-kāṇḍa.
akīrti—infamy
For the kṣatriya, kīrti (renown) is the very currency of dharma. Akīrti is not mere unpopularity but the death of the soul's social form.
viṣame—at this critical hour
The word means *uneven*, *difficult*. Some moments demand more than ordinary action — and dejection in a viṣama-kāla is a heavier crime than dejection in an easy one.
The Supreme Personality of Godhead said: My dear Arjuna, how have these impurities come upon you? They are not at all befitting a man who knows the value of life. They lead not to higher planets but to infamy.
Purport
Kṛṣṇa and the Supreme Personality of Godhead are identical. Therefore Lord Kṛṣṇa is referred to as Bhagavān throughout the Gītā. Bhagavān is the ultimate in the Absolute Truth. The Absolute Truth is realized in three phases of understanding, namely Brahman, or the impersonal all-pervasive spirit; Paramātmā, or the localized aspect of the Supreme within the heart of all living entities; and Bhagavān, or the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Kṛṣṇa. In the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (1.2.11) this conception of the Absolute Truth is explained thus: vadanti tat tattva-vidas tattvaṁ yaj jñānam advayam brahmeti paramātmeti bhagavān iti śabdyate “The Absolute Truth is realized in three phases of understanding by the knower of the Absolute Truth, and all of them are identical. Such phases of the Absolute Truth are expressed as Brahman, Paramātmā and Bhagavān.” These three divine aspects can be explained by the example of the sun, which also has three different aspects, namely the sunshine, the sun’s surface and the sun planet itself. One who studies the sunshine only is the preliminary student. One who understands the sun’s surface is further advanced. And one who can enter into the sun planet is the highest. Ordinary students who are satisfied by simply understanding the sunshine – its universal pervasiveness and the glaring effulgence of its impersonal nature – may be compared to those who can realize only the Brahman feature of the Absolute Truth. The student who has advanced still further can know the sun disc, which is compared to knowledge of the Paramātmā feature of the Absolute Truth. And the student who can enter into the heart of the sun planet is compared to those who realize the personal features of the Supreme Absolute Truth. Therefore, the bhaktas, or the transcendentalists who have realized the Bhagavān feature of the Absolute Truth, are the topmost transcendentalists, although all students who are engaged in the study of the Absolute Truth are engaged in the same subject matter. The sunshine, the sun disc and the inner affairs of the sun planet cannot be separated from one another, and yet the students of the three different phases are not in the same category. The Sanskrit word bhagavān is explained by the great authority Parāśara Muni, the father of Vyāsadeva. The Supreme Personality who possesses all riches, all strength, all fame, all beauty, all knowledge and all renunciation is called Bhagavān. There are many persons who are very rich, very powerful, very beautiful, very famous, very learned and very much detached, but no one can claim that he possesses all riches, all strength, etc., entirely. Only Kṛṣṇa can claim this because He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. No living entity, including Brahmā, Lord Śiva or Nārāyaṇa, can possess opulences as fully as Kṛṣṇa. Therefore it is concluded in the Brahma-saṁhitā by Lord Brahmā himself that Lord Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. No one is equal to or above Him. He is the primeval Lord, or Bhagavān, known as Govinda, and He is the supreme cause of all causes: īśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ anādir ādir govindaḥ sarva-kāraṇa-kāraṇam “There are many personalities possessing the qualities of Bhagavān, but Kṛṣṇa is the supreme because none can excel Him. He is the Supreme Person, and His body is eternal, full of knowledge and bliss. He is the primeval Lord Govinda and the cause of all causes.” ( Brahma-saṁhitā 5.1 ) In the Bhāgavatam also there is a list of many incarnations of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, but Kṛṣṇa is described as the original Personality of Godhead, from whom many, many incarnations and Personalities of Godhead expand: ete cāṁśa-kalāḥ puṁsaḥ kṛṣṇas tu bhagavān svayam indrāri-vyākulaṁ lokaṁ mṛḍayanti yuge yuge “All the lists of the incarnations of Godhead submitted herewith are either plenary expansions or parts of the plenary expansions of the Supreme Godhead, but Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead Himself.” ( Bhāg. 1.3.28 ) Therefore, Kṛṣṇa is the original Supreme Personality of Godhead, the Absolute Truth, the source of both the Supersoul and the impersonal Brahman. In the presence of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Arjuna’s lamentation for his kinsmen is certainly unbecoming, and therefore Kṛṣṇa expressed His surprise with the word kutaḥ, “wherefrom.” Such impurities were never expected from a person belonging to the civilized class of men known as Āryans. The word āryan is applicable to persons who know the value of life and have a civilization based on spiritual realization. Persons who are led by the material conception of life do not know that the aim of life is realization of the Absolute Truth, Viṣṇu, or Bhagavān, and they are captivated by the external features of the material world, and therefore they do not know what liberation is. Persons who have no knowledge of liberation from material bondage are called non-Āryans. Although Arjuna was a kṣatriya, he was deviating from his prescribed duties by declining to fight. This act of cowardice is described as befitting the non-Āryans. Such deviation from duty does not help one in the progress of spiritual life, nor does it even give one the opportunity to become famous in this world. Lord Kṛṣṇa did not approve of the so-called compassion of Arjuna for his kinsmen.
— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura
Gauḍīya
Translation
2. The Lord said: How has this bewilderment come upon you at the time of battle? It is against dharma, precluding Svarga in next life and fame in this life.
Commentary
Why (kutaḥ) has this bewilderment (kaśmalam) at this critical juncture of the war (viṣame) come upon you (upasthitam)? This bewilderment is not to be experienced by persons of good reputation (anārya-juṣṭam), and is against both happiness in next life (asvargyam) and this life (akīrt-karam)?
Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa
Gauḍīya
Translation
2. The Lord said: How has this bewilderment come upon you, which is contrary to liberation, prohibits svarga in the next life, and brings infamy in this life?
Commentary
Saṣjaya begins to relate what the Lord, Bhagavān, said. Bhagavān is eternally endowed with six qualities as stated by Parāśara:
aiśvaryasya samagrasya vīryaysa yaśasaḥ śriyaḥ
jṣāna-vairāgyayos cāpi ṣaṇṇāṁ bhaga itīṅganā
Bhaga of six parts is defined as: complete control, complete influence, complete excellent qualities of body, mind and words, complete beauty or wealth, complete knowledge and complete detachment from worldly affairs. Viṣṇu Purāṇa 6.74
Samagrasya (complete) applies to all the items.
The word “contamination” (kaśmalam) is used with a derogatory sense, since Kṛṣṇa is taking the position of the teacher and criticizing his student. For what reason (kutaḥ) has this contamination of turning away from your duties come upon you, the jewel among warriors, at the time of battle (viṣame)? The Lord explains that this renunciation of fighting does not lead to liberation, svarga or fame. It is not practiced (juṣṭam) by those aspiring for liberation (ārya), because those who are ārya practice their designated duties for purification of the heart. It is also contrary to religious practices for obtaining svarga (asvargyam), and it destroys fame (akirti karam).
Bhūrijana Dāsa
Gauḍīya
Commentary
Krsna doesn't approve of Arjuna,s compassion.
Study Notes — Gauranga Priya Dāsa
Gauranga Priya Dāsa
StudyKey verse
Bhakti-śāstrī Notes, ISKCON Chowpatty (2009)
Theme
COMMON THEME: Krishna’s response seeing Arjuna’s lamentation – Krishna condemns by following words:
Non-Aryan (2.2)
Kasmalam – implies impurities (2.2)
Klaibyam – implies impotent (2.3)
Hrdoya daurbalyam – implies weakness of heart (2.3)
PRACTICAL APPLICATION OF TEXTS 2.2 – 2.3
Finer sentiments like compassion, although noble, are worthless if applied in an ignorant way
Focus of Learning
(a) Signs of ignorance of real self – Material compassion, lamentation and tears
(b) Definition of ‘sudra’ – To lament for outward dress (gross body) or one who laments
unnecessarily
Analogy: Compassion for the ‘dress of a drowning man’ is senseless
Similarly, a man fallen into the ocean of nescience cannot be saved simply by rescuing his gross body
(c) ‘Ignorance’ vs ‘Self-realisation’ – Compassion for the eternal soul is self-realisation
(d) Krishna as addressed as ‘Madhusudana’
Killer of Madhu demon
Arjuna requested Krishna to kill the demon of misunderstanding that had overtaken him in the discharge of his duty
(e) Why Bhagavad-gita was spoken – To dissipate the lamentation of the ignorant man
(f) Role of Chapter 2 in self-realization
Teaches Jnana – Analytical study of material body and spirit soul by Supreme authority, Lord Sri Krishna
Teaches Buddhi-yoga (path of activity) – “As the path of realisation” which involves:
To work without attachment to fruitive results
Fixed in the conception of the real self
PRACTICAL APPLICATION OF SECTION I
When one realizes that there is:
No shelter in the material world
Including the mind and intelligence
He will take full shelter of spiritual authority
(a) Importance of Krishna being referred to as ‘Bhagavan’ (Ultimate feature of the Absolute Truth)
Three phases of Absolute Truth – Brahman, Paramatma and Bhagavan (Ref. SB 1.2.11)
Bhaktas are the topmost transcendentalists – because they have realized the Bhagavan feature, the topmost feature of the Absolute Truth (Analogy of the Sun – study purport)
(b) Definition of Bhagavan by Parasara Muni – All six opulences in full (Only Krishna can claim to
have all six in full)
(c) Supporting references on Krishna’s supremacy
Ref. Brahma Samhita – Krishna as the source of all, The Supreme Personality of Godhead
Ref. SB 1.3.28 “Ete camsa...” – Krishna as the source of all incarnations
(d) Definition of Aryan – Civilized class of men
One who knows the value of life
Have a civilization based on spiritual realisation
(e) Non-Aryans
Do not know:
The aim of life is Vishnu
What is liberation from material bondage
Their conception of life is:
Led by the material conception of life
Captivated by the external features of the material world
Example of Non-aryan act – Arjuna, although being a ksatriya, is deviating from prescribed duties by declining to fight
(f) Result of Non-Aryan act
Infamy
No progress to Higher planets
No spiritual progress
(g) Kasmalam (Impurities)
Krishna expresses surprise (Word ‘kutah’ – implies ‘wherefrom’) because
Supreme Personality of Godhead was personally present and thus such lamenation is unexpected
Arjuna born in Aryan family (a civilised class of men) – Therefore he is not supposed to lament in ignorance
(h) Klaibyam (Impotent) – He is called so because:
As Son of Ksatriya (son of Prtha) , he is not expected to avoid fighting, otherwise he is acting as an unworthy son
Arjuna was the most intimate friend of Krishna and Krishna was directly guiding him on the chariot – Thus he is not expected to withdraw from the battlefield
(i) Hrdoya Daurbalyam (Weakness of heart) – Refers to false magnanimity shown to Bhisma and
Drona, which Arjuna uses as a justification point to avoid the battle
(j) Importance of Arjuna being called ‘Partha’
This indicates son of ksatriya parents; Prtha is the name of his mother
‘Partha’ also indicates that he has a blood relation with Krishna
Classical Ācāryas
Śrī Śaṅkarācārya
Classical
Translation
2.2 Sri Sankaracharya did not comment on this sloka. The commentary starts from 2.10.
Śrī Rāmānujācārya
Classical
Translation
2.1 - 2.3 Sanjaya said - Lord said When Arjuna thus sat, the Lord, opposing his action, said: 'What is the reason for your misplaced grief? Arise for battle, abandoning this grief, which has arisen in a critical situation, which can come only in men of wrong understanding, which is an obstacle for reaching heaven, which does not confer fame on you, which is very mean, and which is caused by faint-heartedness.
Śrī Abhinavagupta
Classical
Translation
2.2 Kutah etc. To commence with, the Bhagavat exhorts Arjuna just by following the worldly (common) practice; but, in due course, He will impart knowledge. Hence He says 'practised by men of low birth'.
Uttering words of ruke such as 'unmanliness' etc., the Bhagavat causes [Arjuna] to know that he misconceives demerit as meritorious :
Swami Sivananda
Classical
Translation
2.2 The Blessed Lord said Whence is this perilous strait come upon thee, this dejection which is unworthy of you, disgraceful, and which will close the gates of heaven upon you, O Arjuna?
Commentary
2.2 कुतः whence? त्वा upon thee? कश्मलम् dejection? इदम् this? विषमे in perilous strait? समुपस्थितम् comes? अनार्यजुष्टम् unworthy (unaryanlike)? अस्वर्ग्यम् heavenexcluding? अकीर्तिकरम् disgraceful? अर्जुन O Arjuna.No commentary.
Swami Gambhīrānanda
Classical
Translation
2.2 The Blessed Lord said O Arjuna, in this perilous place, whence has come to you this impurity entertained by unenlightened persons, which does not lead to heaven and which brings infamy?
Shri Purohit Swami
Classical
Translation
2.2 "The Lord said: My beloved friend! Why yield, just on the eve of battle, to this weakness which does no credit to those who call themselves Aryans, and only brings them infamy and bars against them the gates of heaven?
Krishna's first words to Arjuna are corrective, not consoling — real friendship sometimes wounds before it heals.
Practical Applications
Welcome correction from those who love you spiritually; do not flinch from it.
When you must speak truth to a loved one, lead with love but do not soften the truth itself.
Read this verse before any difficult conversation you have been postponing.
Reflection Questions
Whom in my life do I expect to console me when I actually need correction?
Where am I avoiding being the truthful friend?
Analogy
A surgeon does not console the patient about the pain of the coming incision — he picks up the knife. Kṛṣṇa's first words are not balm but blade. Real friendship between guru and disciple begins where flattery ends.
Stories
Nārada rebukes Vyāsa
After compiling the four Vedas, the Mahābhārata, and the Purāṇas, Vyāsa still felt restless and joyless. The sage Nārada came and, instead of praising the great compilation, rebuked him: you have written about dharma, artha, kāma, mokṣa — but you have not glorified the Lord directly. Your heart is empty because your books are.
From that wound came the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. The Gauḍīya line treats Nārada's blow as the model: the genuine well-wisher corrects first and consoles later.
Prahlāda's reply to his demon father
When Hiraṇyakaśipu demanded what his son had learned, the boy Prahlāda did not soften the truth to save his life. He named the nine processes of devotion in his father's face. He loved his father enough to refuse to lie to him. Truth wrapped in love is harder than truth alone — Kṛṣṇa speaks to Arjuna the same way.
klaibyam—impotencemā sma—do notgamaḥ—take topārtha—O son of Pṛthāna—neveretat—thistvayi—unto youupapadyate—is befittingkṣudram—pettyhṛdaya—of the heartdaurbalyam—weaknesstyaktvā—giving uputtiṣṭha—get upparam - tapa—O chastiser of the enemies .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
klaibyaṁ mā sma gamaḥ pārtha
klaibyam
impotence
mā sma
do not
gamaḥ
take to
pārtha
O son of Pṛthā
naitat tvayy upapadyate
na
never
etat
this
tvayi
unto you
upapadyate
is befitting
kṣudraṁ hṛdaya-daurbalyaṁ
kṣudram
petty
hṛdaya
of the heart
daurbalyam
weakness
tyaktvottiṣṭha paran-tapa
tyaktvā
giving up
uttiṣṭha
get up
param - tapa
O chastiser of the enemies .
Important Words
klaibyam—impotence, unmanliness
From klība — eunuch, the third gender of grammar. Kṛṣṇa names the failure precisely: not fear, not confusion, but the loss of the masculine, generative, decisive principle the moment demands.
hṛdaya—heart
The weakness is located in the hṛdaya, not in the buddhi or the arms. Arjuna's intellect and skill are intact; the heart has failed. The whole Gītā will work on the heart.
daurbalyam—weakness
From durbala — literally 'bad strength', a defect in strength. The kṣatriya has strength; what he has lost is its right direction.
param - tapa—chastiser of the enemy
Vocative. Kṛṣṇa addresses Arjuna by the very title he is dishonoring. The name is a mirror — *this is who you are; act like it.*
uttiṣṭha—stand up
The first imperative of the Gītā addressed to Arjuna in his collapse. The whole text is, in one sense, an unfolding of this single verb. The Upaniṣad echoes: uttiṣṭhata jāgrata.
O son of Pṛthā, do not yield to this degrading impotence. It does not become you. Give up such petty weakness of heart and arise, O chastiser of the enemy.
Purport
Arjuna was addressed as the son of Pṛthā, who happened to be the sister of Kṛṣṇa’s father Vasudeva. Therefore Arjuna had a blood relationship with Kṛṣṇa. If the son of a kṣatriya declines to fight, he is a kṣatriya in name only, and if the son of a brāhmaṇa acts impiously, he is a brāhmaṇa in name only. Such kṣatriyas and brāhmaṇas are unworthy sons of their fathers; therefore, Kṛṣṇa did not want Arjuna to become an unworthy son of a kṣatriya. Arjuna was the most intimate friend of Kṛṣṇa, and Kṛṣṇa was directly guiding him on the chariot; but in spite of all these credits, if Arjuna abandoned the battle he would be committing an infamous act. Therefore Kṛṣṇa said that such an attitude in Arjuna did not fit his personality. Arjuna might argue that he would give up the battle on the grounds of his magnanimous attitude for the most respectable Bhīṣma and his relatives, but Kṛṣṇa considered that sort of magnanimity mere weakness of heart. Such false magnanimity was not approved by any authority. Therefore, such magnanimity or so-called nonviolence should be given up by persons like Arjuna under the direct guidance of Kṛṣṇa.
— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura
Gauḍīya
Translation
3. Do not become a coward. This is not suitable to you. Give up this low weakness of mind and rise, O afflicter of enemies!
Commentary
“Do not become cowardly (klaibyam); do not become impotent. O Pārtha, though you are the son of Pṛthā, you have acted like this! Do not yield to this. This may occur among other inferior kṣatriyas, but in you, My friend, it is not proper at all!”
“Do not worry about my lack of bravery. Do not think I am a coward. One must consider the precepts of dharma in regards to Bhīṣma, Droṇa and other elders, and also consider the aspect of compassion in regard to the sons of Dhṛtarāṣṭra, who, being weaker than I, being afflicted by my weapons, are about to die.”
“This is not discretion from principles of dharma nor is it mercy. It is bewilderment and lamentation, which are indications of a weak mind (kṣudraṁ hṛdaya-daurbalyam). Therefore give up this weakness of mind and rise up. O conqueror of enemies (parantapa), you, who afflict enemies, fight!”
Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa
Gauḍīya
Translation
3. Do not become a coward. This is not suitable to you, O son of Pṛthā. Give up this temporary weakness of mind and prepare for war, O afflicter of enemies!
Commentary
“I am trembling because of the sin of contemplating the destruction of relatives. How am I to act?”
“By the mercy of Indra, you have been born as the son of Pṛthā (pārtha). [Note: Indra impregnated Kuntī and Arjuna was born.] Do not succumb to cowardice (klaibyam). Such cowardice of a kṣatriya in name only, is not suitable for you, Arjuna, the conqueror of the universe [Note: The phrase seems to indicate that Arjuna had the capacity to conquer any place, rather than to indicate a particular incident where he conquered the universe.] and My friend.”
“This is not cowardice in the form of lack of courage, but rather a judgment arising through consideration of proper action towards those worthy of worship such as Bhīṣma, and an act of compassion towards cousins such as Duryodhana who will die by the blow of my weapons.”
“No, this is not correct judgment nor compassion, but a transitory (kṣudram) weakness of heart. Therefore give up that weakness and prepare for the fight (uttiṣṭha). O afflicter of the enemy (parantapa), do not become the laughing stock of the enemy!”
Bhūrijana Dāsa
Gauḍīya
Commentary
For Krsna to call Arjuna "impontent" is like a big slapping on his face. A ksatriya is supposed to be potent, they have pride, they have strength of character.
"Uttistha parantapa"‑ "get up o chastiser of the enemy!" Krsna is firing‑up Arjuna. He doesn't accept his logic.
"Ksudram"‑ "petty"," low class". Krsna is insulting Arjuna to get rid of his weakness and make him fight.
Study Notes — Gauranga Priya Dāsa
Gauranga Priya Dāsa
StudyKey verse
Bhakti-śāstrī Notes, ISKCON Chowpatty (2009)
Theme
COMMON THEME: Krishna’s response seeing Arjuna’s lamentation – Krishna condemns by following words:
Non-Aryan (2.2)
Kasmalam – implies impurities (2.2)
Klaibyam – implies impotent (2.3)
Hrdoya daurbalyam – implies weakness of heart (2.3)
PRACTICAL APPLICATION OF TEXTS 2.2 – 2.3
Finer sentiments like compassion, although noble, are worthless if applied in an ignorant way
Focus of Learning
(a) Signs of ignorance of real self – Material compassion, lamentation and tears
(b) Definition of ‘sudra’ – To lament for outward dress (gross body) or one who laments
unnecessarily
Analogy: Compassion for the ‘dress of a drowning man’ is senseless
Similarly, a man fallen into the ocean of nescience cannot be saved simply by rescuing his gross body
(c) ‘Ignorance’ vs ‘Self-realisation’ – Compassion for the eternal soul is self-realisation
(d) Krishna as addressed as ‘Madhusudana’
Killer of Madhu demon
Arjuna requested Krishna to kill the demon of misunderstanding that had overtaken him in the discharge of his duty
(e) Why Bhagavad-gita was spoken – To dissipate the lamentation of the ignorant man
(f) Role of Chapter 2 in self-realization
Teaches Jnana – Analytical study of material body and spirit soul by Supreme authority, Lord Sri Krishna
Teaches Buddhi-yoga (path of activity) – “As the path of realisation” which involves:
To work without attachment to fruitive results
Fixed in the conception of the real self
PRACTICAL APPLICATION OF SECTION I
When one realizes that there is:
No shelter in the material world
Including the mind and intelligence
He will take full shelter of spiritual authority
(a) Importance of Krishna being referred to as ‘Bhagavan’ (Ultimate feature of the Absolute Truth)
Three phases of Absolute Truth – Brahman, Paramatma and Bhagavan (Ref. SB 1.2.11)
Bhaktas are the topmost transcendentalists – because they have realized the Bhagavan feature, the topmost feature of the Absolute Truth (Analogy of the Sun – study purport)
(b) Definition of Bhagavan by Parasara Muni – All six opulences in full (Only Krishna can claim to
have all six in full)
(c) Supporting references on Krishna’s supremacy
Ref. Brahma Samhita – Krishna as the source of all, The Supreme Personality of Godhead
Ref. SB 1.3.28 “Ete camsa...” – Krishna as the source of all incarnations
(d) Definition of Aryan – Civilized class of men
One who knows the value of life
Have a civilization based on spiritual realisation
(e) Non-Aryans
Do not know:
The aim of life is Vishnu
What is liberation from material bondage
Their conception of life is:
Led by the material conception of life
Captivated by the external features of the material world
Example of Non-aryan act – Arjuna, although being a ksatriya, is deviating from prescribed duties by declining to fight
(f) Result of Non-Aryan act
Infamy
No progress to Higher planets
No spiritual progress
(g) Kasmalam (Impurities)
Krishna expresses surprise (Word ‘kutah’ – implies ‘wherefrom’) because
Supreme Personality of Godhead was personally present and thus such lamenation is unexpected
Arjuna born in Aryan family (a civilised class of men) – Therefore he is not supposed to lament in ignorance
(h) Klaibyam (Impotent) – He is called so because:
As Son of Ksatriya (son of Prtha) , he is not expected to avoid fighting, otherwise he is acting as an unworthy son
Arjuna was the most intimate friend of Krishna and Krishna was directly guiding him on the chariot – Thus he is not expected to withdraw from the battlefield
(i) Hrdoya Daurbalyam (Weakness of heart) – Refers to false magnanimity shown to Bhisma and
Drona, which Arjuna uses as a justification point to avoid the battle
(j) Importance of Arjuna being called ‘Partha’
This indicates son of ksatriya parents; Prtha is the name of his mother
‘Partha’ also indicates that he has a blood relation with Krishna
Classical Ācāryas
Śrī Śaṅkarācārya
Classical
Translation
2.3 Sri Sankaracharya did not comment on this sloka. The commentary starts from 2.10.
Śrī Rāmānujācārya
Classical
Translation
2.1 - 2.3 Sanjaya said - Lord said When Arjuna thus sat, the Lord, opposing his action, said: 'What is the reason for your misplaced grief? Arise for battle, abandoning this grief, which has arisen in a critical situation, which can come only in men of wrong understanding, which is an obstacle for reaching heaven, which does not confer fame on you, which is very mean, and which is caused by faint-heartedness.
Śrī Abhinavagupta
Classical
Translation
2.3 Sri Abhinavagupta did not comment upon this sloka.
Swami Sivananda
Classical
Translation
2.3 Yield not to impotence, O Arjuna, son of Pritha. It does not befit thee. Cast off this mean weakness of the heart! Stand up, O scorcher of the foes!
Commentary
2.3 क्लैब्यम् impotence? मा स्म गमः do not get? पार्थ O Partha? न not? एतत् this? त्वयि in thee? उपपद्यते is fitting? क्षुद्रम् mean? हृदयदौर्बल्यम् weakness of the heart? त्यक्त्वा having abandoned? उत्तिष्ठ stand up? परन्तप O scorcher of the foes.No commentary.
Swami Gambhīrānanda
Classical
Translation
2.3 O Partha, yield not to unmanliness. This does not befit you. O scorcher of foes, arise, giving up the petty weakness of the heart.
Shri Purohit Swami
Classical
Translation
2.3 O Arjuna! Why give way to unmanliness? O thou who art the terror of thine enemies! Shake off such shameful effeminacy, make ready to act!
Krishna calls Arjuna by his strength-name (Parantapa, scorcher of foes) to remind him of his identity beyond his current weakness.
Practical Applications
When you are weak, remember your true names — child of Krishna, eternal servant, soul.
Speak to others by their highest names, not their lowest moods.
Refuse to settle into the identity of your weakest moment.
Reflection Questions
What is my 'strength-name' that I have forgotten in this season?
How might I name others into their better selves?
Analogy
A lion cub raised among sheep had forgotten how to roar. The teacher led him to a still pool, showed him his own face, and said: rise. Kṛṣṇa is doing this for Arjuna — paran-tapa, chastiser of the enemy, must remember who he is.
Stories
Hanumān reminded of his strength
Standing on the shore of the southern ocean, the vānara army despaired — none could leap a hundred yojanas. Hanumān, the one who could, had forgotten his own power because of a childhood curse.
Jāmbavān approached him and chanted his lineage and deeds back to him: you are the son of Vāyu, you swallowed the sun thinking it a fruit, this ocean is nothing for you. Hanumān swelled to mountain-size and leapt. Kṛṣṇa's klaibyaṁ mā sma gamaḥ pārtha is the same medicine: a hero is being reminded he is a hero.
arjunaḥ uvāca—Arjuna saidkatham—howbhīṣmam—Bhīṣmaaham—Isaṅkhye—in the fightdroṇam—Droṇaca—alsomadhu - sūdana—O killer of Madhuiṣubhiḥ—with arrowspratiyotsyāmi—shall counterattackpūjā - arhau—those who are worshipableari - sūdana—O killer of the enemies .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
arjuna uvāca
arjunaḥ uvāca
Arjuna said
kathaṁ bhīṣmam ahaṁ saṅkhye
katham
how
bhīṣmam
Bhīṣma
aham
I
saṅkhye
in the fight
droṇaṁ ca madhusūdana
droṇam
Droṇa
ca
also
madhu - sūdana
O killer of Madhu
iṣubhiḥ pratiyotsyāmi
iṣubhiḥ
with arrows
pratiyotsyāmi
shall counterattack
pūjārhāv ari-sūdana
pūjā - arhau
those who are worshipable
ari - sūdana
O killer of the enemies .
Important Words
bhīṣmam—Bhīṣma
Named first — the patriarch, vow-keeper, grandsire. To draw a bow against him is, in the natural world, unthinkable. Arjuna places the hardest case before Kṛṣṇa first.
droṇam—Droṇa
The personal teacher of archery. Arjuna's very ability to fight came from Droṇa. To kill him is to turn the gift against the giver — a contradiction the natural mind cannot resolve.
pūjā - arhau—worthy of worship
These two are not mere relatives — they are *pūjya*, fit for ritual worship. Arjuna is not raising a sentimental objection; he is naming a hierarchy of dharma. The Gītā will show that hierarchy has one further step.
iṣubhiḥ—with arrows
Not 'with arguments' or 'with refusal' — with arrows. The contradiction is made physical. The hand that should fold in praṇāma must instead release the string.
madhu - sūdana—killer of Madhu
Arjuna calls Kṛṣṇa by His demon-slayer name precisely while protesting against killing. The chapter's irony is built in: the one who slew Madhu is now telling him to fight, and he is still calling Him by that very name.
Arjuna said: O killer of enemies, O killer of Madhu, how can I counterattack with arrows in battle men like Bhīṣma and Droṇa, who are worthy of my worship?
Purport
Respectable superiors like Bhīṣma the grandfather and Droṇācārya the teacher are always worshipable. Even if they attack, they should not be counterattacked. It is general etiquette that superiors are not to be offered even a verbal fight. Even if they are sometimes harsh in behavior, they should not be harshly treated. Then, how is it possible for Arjuna to counterattack them? Would Kṛṣṇa ever attack His own grandfather, Ugrasena, or His teacher, Sāndīpani Muni? These were some of the arguments offered by Arjuna to Kṛṣṇa.
— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura
Gauḍīya
Translation
4. Arjuna said, “O Madhusūdana, killer of enemies, how will I fight in the battle with arrows against Bhīṣma and Droṇa, who are worthy of worship?”
Commentary
“According to scriptures of dharma, not respecting those worthy of worship is a cause of bondage: pratibadhnāti hi śreyaḥ pūjya-pūjā-vyatikramaḥ. [Note: Source is unknown. It is also quoted by Baladeva.] Therefore I withdraw from fighting. How can I kill them?” The form prati yotsyāmi (parasmaipada) is used instead of the form prati yotsye (ātmanepada, for oneself).
“But those two elders are fighting against you. Why are you not able to fight against them?”
“No, I cannot do so, for they are worthy of worship (pūjārhau): I should offer flowers to their feet in devotion rather than sharp arrows in anger. O friend Kṛṣṇa! Even You injure only the enemies in battle, and not Your own guru Sāndīpani Muni or your friends the Yadus, O Madhusūdana, killer of Madhu!”
“But I am a descendent of Madhu, [Note: Madhu was the father of Vṛṣṇi, whose later descendents included Vasudeva and Devakī. The demon Madhu along with his brother Kaitabha appeared after Brahmā appeared from the lotus of Viṣṇu’s navel, and stole the Vedas from him. Viṣṇu consequently killed them.] in the ancient lineage of the Yadu dynasty. Therefore I am called Mādhava. How could I have killed Madhu?”
“No, I do not mean that Madhu. I am speaking about the demon named Madhu who was Your enemy (ari-sūdana).”
Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa
Gauḍīya
Translation
4. Arjuna said: O Madhusūdana, killer of enemies, how will I fight with arrows in the battle against Bhīṣma and Droṇa, who are worthy of worship?
Commentary
“If Bhīṣma and others attack, why should you not attack them? Is this not the rule for the kṣatiryas to fight, since there is the rule in battle āhūto na nivarteta: one should not turn from battle when challenged?” (Mahābhārata, 3.56.8)
“Bhīṣma, the grandfather, and Droṇa are teachers who give knowledge. How will I attack them with arrows? It is not proper to attack even with joking words those who should be worshipped with flowers and other articles of respect. So how can I attack them with arrows? The smṛti also says pratibadhnāti hi śreyaḥ pūjya -pūjā-vyatikramaḥ: an excellent person who disrespects those worthy of worship becomes bound up.”
There is the fault of repetition in addressing Kṛṣṇa twice (punar ukti), using the words Madhusūdana and Arisūdana. This is because of Arjuna, being afflicted with grief, is unaware of the connection between previous and later statements. The implication here is: “O Kṛṣṇa, You also kill enemies in battle (arisūdana), but not men worthy of worship such as Ugrasena and Sāndipani (so why should I do that?).”
Bhūrijana Dāsa
Gauḍīya
Commentary
Arjuna is answering: "it is not weakness of heart, this is generosity of heart!"
There are two Madhus. One was a relative of Krsna, a forefather and the other was a demon.
So Arjuna is arguing : "You are not asking me to kill a demon like Madhu, You are asking me to kill my superiors, who are worthy of my worship! I shouldn't be offering them arrows but flowers!"
Study Notes — Gauranga Priya Dāsa
Gauranga Priya Dāsa
Study
Bhakti-śāstrī Notes, ISKCON Chowpatty (2009)
Theme
Arjuna wants Kṛṣṇa to know that his decision not to fight is due to strong-heartedness, not weak-
heartedness. As Śrīla Prabhupāda mentions, offering even a verbal argument to one’s superiors
transgresses Vedic etiquette, what to speak of fighting and killing them.
According to Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura, by addressing Kṛṣṇa as Madhusūdana and
Arisūdana, Arjuna calls attention to the fact that Kṛṣṇa is the killer of His enemies, not of His guru
and grandfather. Arjuna would prefer to offer flowers at the feet of Droṇa and Bhīṣma, not arrows.
But how would Arjuna maintain himself if he were to give up his duty as a warrior and not fight?
Classical Ācāryas
Śrī Śaṅkarācārya
Classical
Translation
2.4 Sri Sankaracharya did not comment on this sloka. The commentary starts from 2.10.
Śrī Rāmānujācārya
Classical
Translation
2.4 - 2.5 Arjuna said Again Arjuna, being moved by love, compassion and fear, mistaking unrighteousness for righteousness, and not understanding, i.e., not knowing the beneficial words of Sri Krsna, said as follows: 'How can I slay Bhisma, Drona and others worthy or reverence? After slaying those elders, though they are intensely attached to enjoyments, how can I enjoy those very pleasures which are now being enjoyed by them? For, it will be mixed with their blood.
Śrī Abhinavagupta
Classical
Translation
2.4 See Comment under 2.6
Swami Sivananda
Classical
Translation
2.4 Arjuna said How, O Madhusudana, shall I fight in battle with arrows against Bhishma and Drona, who are fit to be worshipped, O destroyer of enemies?
Commentary
2.4 कथम् how? भीष्मम् Bhishma? अहम् I? संख्ये in battle? द्रोणम् Drona? च and? मधुसूदन O Madhusudana? इषुभिः with arrows? प्रतियोत्स्यामि shall fight? पूजार्हौ worthy to be worshipped? अरिसूदन O destroyer of enemies.No commentary.
Swami Gambhīrānanda
Classical
Translation
2.4 Arjuna said O Madhusudana, O destroyer of enemies, how can I fight with arrows in battle against Bhisma and Drona who are worthy of adoration?
Shri Purohit Swami
Classical
Translation
2.4 Arjuna argued: My Lord! How can I, when the battle rages, send an arrow through Bheeshma and Drona, who should receive my reverence?
Even the surrendered devotee voices honest objections; surrender does not mean silencing the heart, it means letting Krishna answer it.
Practical Applications
Voice your real objections in prayer — Krishna prefers honest doubt to performed devotion.
When you object, also listen for the answer; do not argue your way out of the room.
Welcome your own mind's protests as part of the dialogue, not as obstacles.
Reflection Questions
What honest objections am I withholding from Krishna?
Where am I performing surrender instead of practicing it?
Analogy
A son cannot raise his hand against the father who taught him to walk — this is the natural human revulsion Arjuna is voicing. The image is real and the affection is honest. But Kṛṣṇa will show that there is a duty above the duty of personal reverence: the duty owed to dharma itself.
Stories
Paraśurāma and his mother
When Jamadagni ordered his sons to behead their mother Reṇukā for a momentary lapse, the elder sons refused — and were cursed. Only Paraśurāma obeyed, then asked his father for a boon: bring her back. The father, pleased with the obedience, did.
The story is not a recommendation for matricide but a hard mirror: the dharma of the father's command can override the natural pull of the heart, and the obedient son trusts the larger order. Arjuna here voices the heart's pull; the rest of chapter 2 will show him the larger order.
gurūn—the superiorsahatvā—not killinghi—certainlymahā - anubhāvān—great soulsśreyaḥ—it is betterbhoktum—to enjoy lifebhaikṣyam—by beggingapi—eveniha—in this lifeloke—in this worldhatvā—killingartha—gainkāmān—desiringtu—butgurūn—superiorsiha—in this worldeva—certainlybhuñjīya—one has to enjoybhogān—enjoyable thingsrudhira—bloodpradigdhān—tainted with .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
gurūn ahatvā hi mahānubhāvān
gurūn
the superiors
ahatvā
not killing
hi
certainly
mahā - anubhāvān
great souls
śreyo bhoktuṁ bhaikṣyam apīha loke
śreyaḥ
it is better
bhoktum
to enjoy life
bhaikṣyam
by begging
api
even
iha
in this life
loke
in this world
hatvārtha-kāmāṁs tu gurūn ihaiva
hatvā
killing
artha
gain
kāmān
desiring
tu
but
gurūn
superiors
iha
in this world
eva
certainly
bhuñjīya bhogān rudhira-pradigdhān
bhuñjīya
one has to enjoy
bhogān
enjoyable things
rudhira
blood
pradigdhān
tainted with .
Important Words
gurūn—the superiors
Plural — not one teacher but the whole class of seniors. Arjuna is widening the objection: it is not Droṇa alone but the entire elder rank standing across the field.
mahā - anubhāvān—great souls
Anubhāva is realized perception. Arjuna grants these elders the title of realized souls — and so the killing seems doubly wrong. The Gītā will not deny their greatness, only complete the picture of dharma.
bhaikṣyam—begging
The kṣatriya is invoking the brāhmaṇa's mode of life — bhikṣā. He would rather change varṇa than perform his own. This is exactly the renunciation-disguised-as-evasion Kṛṣṇa will dismantle.
artha - kāmān—desiring wealth and gain
Arjuna projects motive onto the elders — they fight for Duryodhana's wealth. Even if true, the projection is a way of demoting the venerable to make killing them less terrible. The heart's bargaining is visible in the word.
rudhira - pradigdhān—smeared with blood
Vivid compound — every enjoyment after this war will be *smeared*, *daubed*, *plastered* with blood. The image is the heart's veto written in a single word. Kṛṣṇa will not deny the blood; He will reframe the smearing.
It would be better to live in this world by begging than to live at the cost of the lives of great souls who are my teachers. Even though desiring worldly gain, they are superiors. If they are killed, everything we enjoy will be tainted with blood.
Purport
According to scriptural codes, a teacher who engages in an abominable action and has lost his sense of discrimination is fit to be abandoned. Bhīṣma and Droṇa were obliged to take the side of Duryodhana because of his financial assistance, although they should not have accepted such a position simply on financial considerations. Under the circumstances, they have lost the respectability of teachers. But Arjuna thinks that nevertheless they remain his superiors, and therefore to enjoy material profits after killing them would mean to enjoy spoils tainted with blood.
— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura
Gauḍīya
Translation
5. It is better to eat by begging in this life, not killing such great elders. Having killed elders who were desiring wealth, I will enjoy objects contaminated with their blood.
Commentary
“If you don’t want the kingdom, then how will you live?”
“Not killing my elders, I will live by begging, though it is condemned for the kṣatriya to do so. It is better to eat the food got from begging. Though it will bring infamy in this life, it will not be inauspicious for future lives. One should not say that these gurus, being obedient to Duryodhana, should be rejected because they have become proud, and do not know right from wrong, by citing the scriptures:
guror apy avaliptasya kāryākāryam ajānataḥ
utpathapratipannasya parityāgo vidhīyate
One should reject the guru who is proud, does not know proper behavior, who becomes engaged in sinful life. Mahābhārata 5.178.24
They, on the contrary, are great souls (mahānubhāvān). What fault is there in Bhīṣma and others who have control over time [Note: Bhīṣma could die when he chose, and made a vow to remain unmarried for life.] and lust?”
“But Bhīṣma said to Yudhiṣṭhira,
artha sya puruṣo dāso dāsas tv artho na kasyacit
iti satyaṁ mahārāja baddho ’smy arthena kauravaiḥ
Man is a servant of wealth. Wealth is not a servant of anyone. O king, I have been bound by wealth to the Kauravas. Mahābhārata 6.41.36
Therefore, has not their great character been destroyed by such desire for wealth?”
“That is true, but if I kill them, I will be unhappy. Even in killing those Kurus who are greedy for wealth (artha-kāmān), if I should enjoy the wealth, it will be contaminated with their blood. The meaning is this: though they have desire for wealth, they are still my gurus. Therefore in killing them, because I commit the sin of killing guru, my enjoyment will be mixed with that sin.”
Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa
Gauḍīya
Translation
5. It is better to eat by begging in this life, not killing such great elders. Having killed elders who were even desiring wealth, I will enjoy objects contaminated with their blood.
Commentary
“How will you maintain your life, if you do not have a desire for your own kingdom?”
“It is better to subsist by begging for food without having to kill the elders, even though that is condemned for the kṣatriya, because, though it is a cause of infamy in this life, it will not create impediments in the next life.”
“You should also reject Bhīṣma and others, though they are teachers, since they are also contaminated with the arrogance for war, and have thus lost the discrimination of right and wrong, by association with Duryodhana and others, who are using this war to commit violence to you and take away your kingdom by deceit. It is said in the smṛti:
guror apy avaliptasya kāryākāryam ajānataḥ
utpathapratipannasya parityāgo vidhīyate
One should reject the guru who is proud, does not know proper behavior of right and wrong, and who becomes addicted to sinful life.” Mahabharata 5.178.24
“But they have the most outstanding powers among all persons (mahānubhāvān) caused by their study of the Vedas and their brahmacārī life. [Note: Bhīṣma took a vow never to marry, so that he would not have heirs to the throne.] Having brought time, lust, and other factors under control, [Note: Bhīsma had the boon of being able to die when he chose.] they are free from the faults arising from these factors.”
“But Bhīṣma himself has said:
arthasya puruṣo dāso dāsas tv artho na kasyacit
iti satyaṁ mahārāja baddho’smy arthena kauravaiḥ
Man is the servant of wealth, but wealth is not the servant of anyone. This is the truth. O king, I have been bound up by wealth by the Kauravas. Mahabharata 6.41.36
Therefore, what is the great authority of those who have sold their souls out of greed for wealth? They should be killed in battle.”
“Even if I kill these gurus who are unqualified because of their desire for wealth (artha kāmān), and I enjoy in this world, I cannot enjoy in the next life, for those enjoyments will be mixed with their blood (rudhira pradigdhān). It is not pure enjoyment because it has been obtained through killing them. Though contaminated with pride in fighting, they are still worthy of respect.” This statement manifests because of his continued acceptance of them as gurus.
Study Notes — Gauranga Priya Dāsa
Gauranga Priya Dāsa
Study
Bhakti-śāstrī Notes, ISKCON Chowpatty (2009)
Theme
Again, kṣatriyas do not beg; they rule. Without a kingdom, Arjuna would have nothing to rule. Ar-
juna is well aware of that, but he prefers the embarrassment of begging to the sinful reaction for
killing his worshipable superiors. Although his present life would be difficult, his future life would not
be stained with the sin of killing his guru.
Arjuna, strongly justifying his position, continues in the next verse to give his fifth and final reason
not to fight (referred to in the comment to Bg. 1.27).
Classical Ācāryas
Śrī Śaṅkarācārya
Classical
Translation
2.5 Sri Sankaracharya did not comment on this sloka. The commentary starts from 2.10.
Śrī Rāmānujācārya
Classical
Translation
2.4 - 2.5 Arjuna said Again Arjuna, being moved by love, compassion and fear, mistaking unrighteousness for righteousness, and not understanding, i.e., not knowing the beneficial words of Sri Krsna, said as follows: 'How can I slay Bhisma, Drona and others worthy or reverence? After slaying those elders, though they are intensely attached to enjoyments, how can I enjoy those very pleasures which are now being enjoyed by them? For, it will be mixed with their blood.
Śrī Abhinavagupta
Classical
Translation
2.5 See Comment under 2.6
Swami Sivananda
Classical
Translation
2.5 Better it is, indeed, in this world to accept alms than to slay the most noble teachers. But if I kill them, even in this world all my enjoyments of wealth and fulfilled desires will be stained with (their) blood.
Commentary
2.5 गुरून् the Gurus (teachers)? अहत्वा instead of slaying? हि indeed? महानुभावान् most noble? श्रेयः better? भोक्तुम् to eat? भैक्ष्यम् alms? अपि even? इह here? लोके in the world? हत्वा having slain? अर्थकामान् desirous of wealth? तु indeed? गुरून् Gurus? इह here? एव also? भुञ्जीय enjoy? भोगान् enjoyments? रुधिरप्रदिग्धान् stained with blood.No commentary.
Swami Gambhīrānanda
Classical
Translation
2.5 Rather than killing the noble-minded elders, it is better in this world to live even on alms. But by killing the elders we shall only be enjoying here the pleasures of wealth and desireable things drenched in blood.
Shri Purohit Swami
Classical
Translation
2.5 Rather would I content myself with a beggar's crust that kill these teachers of mine, these precious noble souls! To slay these masters who are my benefactors would be to stain the sweetness of life's pleasures with their blood.
Better to live a humble life than to enjoy at the cost of those one is meant to honor — Arjuna's instinct is noble but incomplete.
Practical Applications
Notice when an instinct is partially right but missing the higher principle.
Choose simplicity over enjoyment that compromises dharma.
Take counsel before acting on a noble instinct that contradicts your guru's instruction.
Reflection Questions
Which of my noble-sounding instincts may still be missing the highest dharma?
When does humility become an excuse to avoid duty?
Analogy
A man refuses food poured from a cup he believes to be poisoned and chooses to starve instead. The choice looks noble until one notices that the food was never poisoned — only the perception was. Arjuna would rather beg than fight, because every meal won by victory tastes of blood to him. Kṛṣṇa will purify the taste, not change the meal.
Stories
Bhīṣma's bed of arrows
Bhīṣma himself, lying on the arrow-bed, never reproached Arjuna or any Pāṇḍava for shooting him. Before death he taught Yudhiṣṭhira the rāja-dharma and śānti-parvan teachings of the Mahābhārata.
He understood what Arjuna here cannot yet see: the elders' bodies were already pledged to Duryodhana's adharmic side, and dharma's wheel had to turn through them. The blood-tinted enjoyment Arjuna fears was, in truth, the elders' own gift of their bodies to the play of dharma.
na—norca—alsoetat—thisvidmaḥ—do we knowkatarat—whichnaḥ—for usgarīyaḥ—betteryat vā—whetherjayema—we may conqueryadi—ifvā—ornaḥ—usjayeyuḥ—they conqueryān—those whoeva—certainlyhatvā—by killingna—neverjijīviṣāmaḥ—we would want to livete—all of themavasthitāḥ—are situatedpramukhe—in the frontdhārtarāṣṭrāḥ—the sons of Dhṛtarāṣṭra .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
na caitad vidmaḥ kataran no garīyo
na
nor
ca
also
etat
this
vidmaḥ
do we know
katarat
which
yad vā jayema yadi vā no jayeyuḥ
yān eva hatvā na jijīviṣāmas
naḥ
for us
garīyaḥ
better
yat vā
whether
jayema
we may conquer
yadi
if
te ’vasthitāḥ pramukhe dhārtarāṣṭrāḥ
vā
or
naḥ
us
jayeyuḥ
they conquer
yān
those who
eva
certainly
hatvā
by killing
na
never
jijīviṣāmaḥ
we would want to live
te
all of them
avasthitāḥ
are situated
pramukhe
in the front
dhārtarāṣṭrāḥ
the sons of Dhṛtarāṣṭra .
Important Words
garīyaḥ—better, weightier
Comparative of guru — heavier, more important. Arjuna admits he cannot weigh his options. The whole problem of chapter 1 condensed into one word: which side of the balance is heavier?
jayema—we may conquer
Optative — *might* conquer. Arjuna no longer speaks with the certainty of a warrior; he speaks in the mood of doubt. The grammar itself confesses his collapse.
jijīviṣāmaḥ—we wish to live
Desiderative of √jīv — to wish to live. Arjuna says that even victory will leave him without the wish to go on living. The verse names the heart of war's grief: triumph that tastes like death.
dhārtarāṣṭrāḥ—the sons of Dhṛtarāṣṭra
Named patronymically. They are reduced to their lineage — sons of a blind father, the very seed of adharma. The choice of name is itself an indictment of their side.
Nor do we know which is better – conquering them or being conquered by them. If we killed the sons of Dhṛtarāṣṭra, we should not care to live. Yet they are now standing before us on the battlefield.
Purport
Arjuna did not know whether he should fight and risk unnecessary violence, although fighting is the duty of the kṣatriyas, or whether he should refrain and live by begging. If he did not conquer the enemy, begging would be his only means of subsistence. Nor was there certainty of victory, because either side might emerge victorious. Even if victory awaited them (and their cause was justified), still, if the sons of Dhṛtarāṣṭra died in battle, it would be very difficult to live in their absence. Under the circumstances, that would be another kind of defeat for them. All these considerations by Arjuna definitely proved that not only was he a great devotee of the Lord but he was also highly enlightened and had complete control over his mind and senses. His desire to live by begging, although he was born in the royal household, is another sign of detachment. He was truly virtuous, as these qualities, combined with his faith in the words of instruction of Śrī Kṛṣṇa (his spiritual master), indicate. It is concluded that Arjuna was quite fit for liberation. Unless the senses are controlled, there is no chance of elevation to the platform of knowledge, and without knowledge and devotion there is no chance of liberation. Arjuna was competent in all these attributes, over and above his enormous attributes in his material relationships.
— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura
Gauḍīya
Translation
6. We do not know which is better—whether we should conquer them or whether they should conquer us. These sons of Dhṛtarāṣtra, by killing whom we do not wish to live, are situated facing us.
Commentary
Moreover I do not know if I shall be victorious or defeated even if I am prepared to kill them. And I do not know which will be better, victory or defeat: if I conquer them or they conquer me. And even if I am victorious, that also is defeat, for I will not want to live.
Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa
Gauḍīya
Translation
6. We do not know which is better—whether we should conquer them or whether they should conquer us. These sons of Dhṛtarāṣtra, by killing whom we do not wish to live, are standing before us.
Commentary
“Even though you know that eating by begging is censured for the kṣatriya, and that your own duty is to fight, you criticize fighting.”
“No, I do not know which is better for me—fighting or begging. I do not know if it is better to give up violence and live by begging, or if it is better to fight according to my duty. And I do not know whether I will be victorious over Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s sons or they will be victorious over me in the battle once it has started.”
“But there will certainly be victory for you, situated firmly in dharma and having great prowess in fighting.”
“I will not desire to live, having killed all of them (yān)—the sons of Dhṛtarāṣṭra and elders like Bhīṣma, what to speak of enjoying the fruits of victory. Though we will be victorious, we will certainly be defeated in terms of the results (with no desire to live or enjoy the result of victory). Thus, the superiority of fighting over begging has not been established.”
Thus, such a verse as this shows Arjuna’s qualification for jṣāna, which is well known in the śruti:
tasmād evaṁ vic chānta-dānta uparatas titikṣuḥ śraddhānvito bhūtvātmany evātmānaṁ paśyet
One who thus has knowledge, who has control of the mind and senses, who is indifferent to the world, and who is tolerant and filled with faith, should see the supreme self in the self alone. Bṛhad Āraṇyaka Upaniṣad 4.4.23
In verse 32 of the first chapter he shows control of senses and mind (śama and dama) by saying “What is the use of kingdom, enjoyment and living?” He shows indifference (uparati) to the enjoyment of this life and the next life in verse 35 of the first chapter with the statement “I do not desire to kill them even if I have sovereignty over the three worlds.” When he says in this verse that it is better to live by begging, he shows his tolerance of dualities of nature (titikṣa). His deep faith in the words of the guru (śraddhā) will be shown in the next verse. One does not have qualification for receiving knowledge if one is devoid of these traits, just as lame person is not qualified for actions.
Bhūrijana Dāsa
Gauḍīya
Commentary
Arjuna have been putting foward many strong arguments. But what is the ultimate result of all his arguments and strong words?
Study Notes — Gauranga Priya Dāsa
Gauranga Priya Dāsa
Study
Bhakti-śāstrī Notes, ISKCON Chowpatty (2009)
Theme
Arjuna’s fifth argument – INDECISION
THEME: “Indecision” – Arjuna is confused whether to fight or not to fight
Arjuna is confused and indecisive based on the following aspects
If he fights:
He may win – Still he will not be able to enjoy without his relatives (1.31 – 1.35)
He may not emerge victorious in spite of so much bloodshed – No enjoyment guaranteed
If he does not fight:
Begging will be his only means of subsistence – For a ksatriya it is difficult and therefore no enjoyment
Focus of Learning
(a) Dharma-sastra vs Artha-sastra – Although Artha-sastra (Rules of politics and sociology)
recommends killing of such aggressors, Arjuna gives more weight to Dharma-sastra (religious
principles) which promotes forgiveness
(b) Scriptural codes’ recommendation on killing such teachers and relatives (As given in the purport)
A teacher is fit to be abandoned if he:
Engages in abominable action
Has lost his sense of discrimination – e.g. Bhisma and Drona taking the side of Dhuyodhana because of his financial assistance
But Arjuna still prefers forgiveness – Because of the unique kind of aggressors i.e seniors and relatives (teachers, grandfathers etc)
These are some of the arguments in Arjuna’s mind while speaking these verses:
(a) Superiors are always respectable – Should never be fought back even if they attack
Respectable superiors should never be fought back
They are always worshipable
Srila Prabhupada says in the purport “It is the general etiquette that superiors are not to be offered a verbal fight even if sometimes they are harsh in behavior”
(b) Arjuna in a mood of challenging Krishna
Would Krishna counter-attack Urgasena (His own grandfather) or Sandipani Muni (His own teacher)
FIRST FOUR ARGUMENTS COVERED IN CHAPTER ONE:
Arjuna’s first four arguments are covered in Texts 1.28 – 1.43
LINK BETWEEN TEXTS 2.6 & 2.7:
Perplexed yet eager for enlightenment, Arjuna recites the following verse
Texts 2.7* – 2.9*
COMMON THEME: Arjuna’s surrender – “Krishna’s role as friend turns into guru”
This theme develops in the following verses:
Krishna chastises Arjuna for misplaced compassion in Texts 2.2 – 2.3
Calls him Non-Aryan / Impotent / Weak-hearted
Arjuna expresses need to surrender (2.7)
Confusion about duty
Lost all composure because of miserly weakness
Reconfirms complete dependence and faith (2.8)
No other means to drive away grief
Any sastra or person cannot help
Even victory or opulence cannot dispel Arjuna’s lamentation
Arjuna’s decision not to fight (2.9)
Declared by Sanjaya to Dhrtarashtra
Classical Ācāryas
Śrī Śaṅkarācārya
Classical
Translation
2.6 Sri Sankaracharya did not comment on this sloka. The commentary starts from 2.10.
Śrī Rāmānujācārya
Classical
Translation
2.6 - 2.8 If you say, 'After beginning the war, if we withdraw from the battle, the sons of Dhrtarastra will slay us all forcibly', be it so. I think that even to be killed by them, who do not know the difference between righteousness and unrighteousness, is better for us than gaining unrighteous victory by killing them. After saying so, Arjuna surrendered himself at the feet of the Lord, overcome with dejection, saying. 'Teach me, your disciple, who has taken refuge in you, what is good for me.'
Śrī Abhinavagupta
Classical
Translation
2.4-6 Katham etc. upto Dhartarastrah. By the portion Bhisma and Drona in war' etc., and by the portion 'I would [not] enjoy the objects of pleasure', the Sage indicates that in Arjuna's objection, the intention for a particular act and the intention for a particular result are the points deserving rejection. By the portion 'We do not know this' etc., he speaks of the intention for a particular action. For, without intention no action is possible. Certainly one does not proceed on a war with an intention of getting defeated. '[In the present war] even our victory would be surely our misfortune.' This he says by the portion 'It is good even to go about begging without killing the elders'. It is also impossible to conclude 'Whether we desire victory or defeat'; for even in the case of our victory our relatives would perish totally.'
Swami Sivananda
Classical
Translation
2.6 I can hardly tell which will be better, that we should coner them or that they should coner us. Even the sons of Dhritarashtra, after slaying whom we do not wish to live, stand facing us.
Commentary
2.6 न not? च and? एतत् this? विद्मः (we) know? कतरत् which? नः for us? गरीयः better? यत् that? वा or? जयेम we should coner? यदि if? वा or? नः us? जयेयुः they should coner? यान् whom? एव even? हत्वा having slain? न not? जिजीविषामः we wish to live? ते those? अवस्थिताः (are) standing? प्रमुखे in face? धार्तराष्ट्राः sons of Dhritarashtra.No commentary.
Swami Gambhīrānanda
Classical
Translation
2.6 We do not know this as well as to which is the better for us, (and) whether we shall win, or whether they shall coner us. Those very sons of Dhrtarastra, by killing whom we do not wish to live, stand in confrontation.
Shri Purohit Swami
Classical
Translation
2.6 Nor can I say whether it were better that they conquer me or for me to conquer them, since would no longer care to live if I killed these sons of Dhritarashtra, now preparing for fight.
Genuine confusion about what is right is itself a sign of seriousness — the bewildered soul is closer to truth than the smug one.
Practical Applications
Treat your honest 'I don't know' as a doorway to inquiry, not a failure.
Avoid premature certainty; sit with confusion until clarity emerges from above.
Bring your 'I do not know what is best' directly to Krishna and a senior devotee.
Reflection Questions
Where is my honest uncertainty more truthful than my confident answers?
Which decision am I about to force when I should be inquiring further?
Analogy
A man stands at a crossroads at night with no lamp. Both paths look dark; either choice may be ruin. This is exactly Arjuna's confusion. Kṛṣṇa, the inner guide, is the lamp — buddhi-yoga will be lit in the verses that follow.
kārpaṇya—of miserlinessdoṣa—by the weaknessupahata—being afflictedsvabhāvaḥ—characteristicspṛcchāmi—I am askingtvām—unto Youdharma—religionsammūḍha—bewilderedcetāḥ—in heartyat—whatśreyaḥ—all-goodsyāt—may beniścitam—confidentlybrūhi—telltat—thatme—unto meśiṣyaḥ—disciplete—Youraham—I amśādhi—just instructmām—metvām—unto Youprapannam—surrendered .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
kārpaṇya-doṣopahata-svabhāvaḥ
kārpaṇya
of miserliness
doṣa
by the weakness
upahata
being afflicted
svabhāvaḥ
characteristics
pṛcchāmi tvāṁ dharma-sammūḍha-cetāḥ
pṛcchāmi
I am asking
tvām
unto You
dharma
religion
sammūḍha
bewildered
cetāḥ
in heart
yac chreyaḥ syān niścitaṁ brūhi tan me
yat
what
śreyaḥ
all-good
syāt
may be
niścitam
confidently
brūhi
tell
tat
that
me
unto me
śiṣyas te ’haṁ śādhi māṁ tvāṁ prapannam
śiṣyaḥ
disciple
te
Your
aham
I am
śādhi
just instruct
mām
me
tvām
unto You
prapannam
surrendered .
Important Words
kārpaṇya—miserliness
From kṛpaṇa — miser. Not greed for money but miserliness of soul: clutching the body, the relations, the small self. The Gītā will name kṛpaṇa again at 2.49 as one who clings to the fruits.
sammūḍha—thoroughly bewildered
Sam + mūḍha — completely deluded, not just confused. Arjuna admits to total breakdown of discrimination, not a mere doubt. Such full admission is itself a qualification for the teaching.
śiṣyaḥ—disciple
The word that begins the formal teacher-student relationship. Until this verse Arjuna and Kṛṣṇa have been friends, cousins, charioteer-and-warrior. With śiṣyaḥ te 'ham, a new bond is forged — and only after this can the Gītā be spoken.
prapannam—surrendered
Past participle of pra-√pad — to fall forward, to take refuge. The same root gives prapatti, the surrender that Gauḍīya ācāryas call the doorway to bhakti. Arjuna stands at that doorway here.
śādhi—instruct, command
Imperative of √śās — to govern, to teach. Arjuna asks not for advice but for command. The disciple gives up the right to choose; the guru gains the right to direct.
Now I am confused about my duty and have lost all composure because of miserly weakness. In this condition I am asking You to tell me for certain what is best for me. Now I am Your disciple, and a soul surrendered unto You. Please instruct me.
Purport
By nature’s own way the complete system of material activities is a source of perplexity for everyone. In every step there is perplexity, and therefore it behooves one to approach a bona fide spiritual master who can give one proper guidance for executing the purpose of life. All Vedic literatures advise us to approach a bona fide spiritual master to get free from the perplexities of life, which happen without our desire. They are like a forest fire that somehow blazes without being set by anyone. Similarly, the world situation is such that perplexities of life automatically appear, without our wanting such confusion. No one wants fire, and yet it takes place, and we become perplexed. The Vedic wisdom therefore advises that in order to solve the perplexities of life and to understand the science of the solution, one must approach a spiritual master who is in the disciplic succession. A person with a bona fide spiritual master is supposed to know everything. One should not, therefore, remain in material perplexities but should approach a spiritual master. This is the purport of this verse. Who is the man in material perplexities? It is he who does not understand the problems of life. In the Bṛhad-āraṇyaka Upaniṣad (3.8.10) the perplexed man is described as follows: yo vā etad akṣaraṁ gārgy aviditvāsmāḻ lokāt praiti sa kṛpaṇaḥ. “He is a miserly man who does not solve the problems of life as a human and who thus quits this world like the cats and dogs, without understanding the science of self-realization.” This human form of life is a most valuable asset for the living entity, who can utilize it for solving the problems of life; therefore, one who does not utilize this opportunity properly is a miser. On the other hand, there is the brāhmaṇa, or he who is intelligent enough to utilize this body to solve all the problems of life. Ya etad akṣaraṁ gārgi viditvāsmāl lokāt praiti sa brāhmaṇaḥ. The kṛpaṇas, or miserly persons, waste their time in being overly affectionate for family, society, country, etc., in the material conception of life. One is often attached to family life, namely to wife, children and other members, on the basis of “skin disease.” The kṛpaṇa thinks that he is able to protect his family members from death; or the kṛpaṇa thinks that his family or society can save him from the verge of death. Such family attachment can be found even in the lower animals, who take care of children also. Being intelligent, Arjuna could understand that his affection for family members and his wish to protect them from death were the causes of his perplexities. Although he could understand that his duty to fight was awaiting him, still, on account of miserly weakness, he could not discharge the duties. He is therefore asking Lord Kṛṣṇa, the supreme spiritual master, to make a definite solution. He offers himself to Kṛṣṇa as a disciple. He wants to stop friendly talks. Talks between the master and the disciple are serious, and now Arjuna wants to talk very seriously before the recognized spiritual master. Kṛṣṇa is therefore the original spiritual master of the science of Bhagavad-gītā, and Arjuna is the first disciple for understanding the Gītā. How Arjuna understands the Bhagavad-gītā is stated in the Gītā itself. And yet foolish mundane scholars explain that one need not submit to Kṛṣṇa as a person, but to “the unborn within Kṛṣṇa.” There is no difference between Kṛṣṇa’s within and without. And one who has no sense of this understanding is the greatest fool in trying to understand Bhagavad-gītā.
— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura
Gauḍīya
Translation
7. My nature has been overcome by weakness. My mind is bewildered about dharma. I ask You what is best. Please tell me with certainty. I am Your student. Please instruct me, who have surrendered to You.
Commentary
“Indeed, while speaking the meaning of scripture to bring out a conclusion, though you are a kṣatriya, you have decided to become a beggar! What is the use of My speaking?”
“Giving up my natural courage as kṣatriya is my weakness (kārpaṇyam). My intelligence has become bewildered in trying to understand the implementation of dharma, as the path of dharma is very subtle: dharmasya sūkṣmā gatiḥ. (Mahābhārata 3.198.2, 1.188.11) Therefore it is better that You decide and tell me.”
“But if you defeat My words by posing yourself as learned, how can I speak?”
“I am Your student, and will no longer uselessly oppose You.”
Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa
Gauḍīya
Translation
7. My nature of fighting has been overcome by lack of understanding brahman. My mind is bewildered about dharma. I therefore ask you what is best for me. Please tell me with certainty. I am your student. Please instruct me, who have surrendered to you.
Commentary
This verse illustrates the principle of acceptance and service to guru, as proven by the śruti statements:
tad vijṣānārthaṁ sa gurum evābhigacchet samit-pāṇiḥ śrotriyaṁ brahma-niṣṭham
Holding firewood in ones hand (with attitude of service), one should certainly approach the guru who had knowledge of the Vedas and is fixed in Brahman, for gaining knowledge of the Lord. Muṇḍaka Upaniṣad 1.2.11
ācāryavān puruṣo veda
The person who has a guru knows the Lord. Chāndogya Upaniṣad 6.14.2
The word karpaṇya indicates a person with no knowledge of brahman, as seen from the śruti statement yo vā etad akṣaram gārgy aviditvā asmāl lokāt praiti sa kṛpaṇa: O Gargi, he who leaves this world without knowing the Brahman is called kṛpaṇa. (Bṛhad Āranyaka Upaniṣad 3.8.10)
“I have developed weakness of my nature, of my duty of having a desire for battle (upahata sva bhāvaḥ), caused by the fault of possessiveness of family members (doṣa), shown by the previous verse (killing them I will have no desire to live), which in turn is caused by lack of knowledge of Brahman (kārpaṇya). My mind is bewildered about my duty (dharma sammūḍha cetaḥ), having doubt whether my duty is the kṣatriya dharma of fighting or giving that up and wandering around begging. Because I am in that state, I now ask you. Tell me what is the conclusion (niścitam)— that which will inevitably bring results from practice (aikāntikam), and which will be indestructible, continuing without change after being established (ātyanikam)—which will bring about the most benefit for me (śreyaḥ).”
“The śruti speaks of surrender for obtaining the teachings, in such statements as the following: tad vijṣānārthaṁ sa gurum evābhigacchet… (This was just quoted above.)
Therefore how can I teach you who are my friend?”
“I am now your student. Please teach me (sādhi).”
Bhūrijana Dāsa
Gauḍīya
Commentary
Arjuna despite all his good arguments, is simply confused and intelligently he takes shelter of Krsna and requests Him to instruct him. He requests Krsna to accept him as His disciple.
Srila Prabhupada says in his Purport: "By nature's own way the complete system of material activities is a source of perplexity for everyone. In every step there is perplexity, and therefore it behooves one to approach a bona fide spiritual master who can give one proper guidance for executing the purpose of life. All Vedic literatures advise us to approach a bona fide spiritual master to get free from the perplexities of life, which happen without our desire. They are like a forest fire that somehow blazes without being set by anyone. Similarly, the world situation is such' that perplexities of automatically appear, without our wanting such confusion. No one wants fire, and yet it takes place, and we become perplexed. The Vedic wisdom therefore advises that in order to solve the perplexities of life and to understand the science of the solution, one must approach a spiritual master who is in the disciplic succession. A person with a bona fide spiritual master is supposed to know everything. One should not, therefore, remain in material perplexities but should approach a spiritual master. This is the purport of this verse."
But in the next verse Krsna doesn't start instructing Arjuna. Rather is Arjuna still speaking. The acaryas explain the reason of this: Krsna replies to Arjuna : "You need a guru! I am your friend, why surrender to Me? But anyway, actually you might not need a guru to solve your problems. All you need to do is to fight! And if you win, you win your kingdom and the all problems will be solved. You don't need a guru! Just fight and take back your kingdom, be successful!"
Arjuna replies to that testing Krsna:
Study Notes — Gauranga Priya Dāsa
Gauranga Priya Dāsa
Study
Bhakti-śāstrī Notes, ISKCON Chowpatty (2009)
Theme
Arjuna expresses need to surrender
Confused about duty
Lost all composure because of miserly weakness
Focus of Learning
(a) Considerations by Arjuna prove Arjuna’s following virtuous qualities:
He was a great devotee of the Lord
Highly enlightened
Complete control of mind and senses
Desire to live by begging – a sign of detachment
Also strong faith in Krishna’s instruction (His spiritual master)
Conclusion: These qualities make him quite fit for liberation
(b) Qualifications for liberation – Controlled senses, knowledge and devotion
Unless senses are controlled – no chance of elevation to the platform of knowledge
Without knowledge and devotion, no chance of liberation
PRACTICAL APPLICATION OF TEXTS 2.4 – 2.6
Arjuna’s condition illustrates the result of selfish consciousness –
Frustration and inability to reach sound conclusions
Classical Ācāryas
Śrī Śaṅkarācārya
Classical
Translation
2.7 Sri Sankaracharya did not comment on this sloka. The commentary starts from 2.10.
Śrī Rāmānujācārya
Classical
Translation
2.6 - 2.8 If you say, 'After beginning the war, if we withdraw from the battle, the sons of Dhrtarastra will slay us all forcibly', be it so. I think that even to be killed by them, who do not know the difference between righteousness and unrighteousness, is better for us than gaining unrighteous victory by killing them. After saying so, Arjuna surrendered himself at the feet of the Lord, overcome with dejection, saying. 'Teach me, your disciple, who has taken refuge in you, what is good for me.'
Śrī Abhinavagupta
Classical
Translation
2.7 See Comment under 2.10
Swami Sivananda
Classical
Translation
2.7 My heart is overpowered by the taint of pity; my mind is confused as to duty. I ask Thee: Tell me decisively what is good for me. I am Thy disciple. Instruct me who has taken refuge in Thee.
Commentary
2.7 कार्पण्यदोषोपहतस्वभावः with nature overpowered by the taint of pity? पृच्छामि I ask? त्वाम् Thee? धर्मसंमूढचेताः with a mind in confusion about duty? यत् which? श्रेयः good? स्यात् may be? निश्चितम् decisively? ब्रूहि say? तत् that? मे for me? शिष्यः disciple? ते Thy? अहम् I? शाधि teach? माम् me? त्वाम् to Thee? प्रपन्नम् taken refuge.No commentary.
Swami Gambhīrānanda
Classical
Translation
2.7 With my nature overpowered by weak commiseration, with a mind bewildered about duty, I supplicate You. Telll me for certain that which is better; I am Your disciple. Instruct me who have taken refuge in You.
Shri Purohit Swami
Classical
Translation
2.7 My heart is oppressed with pity; and my mind confused as to what my duty is. Therefore, my Lord, tell me what is best for my spiritual welfare, for I am Thy disciple. Please direct me, I pray.
Surrender — śiṣyas te 'ham — is the central act of the Gītā; the moment Arjuna takes formal shelter, the teaching begins in earnest.
Practical Applications
Each morning, formally request Krishna or your guide for the day's instruction; do not assume yesterday's surrender suffices.
When you feel paralyzed by a problem, write down the words 'I am Your disciple, please instruct me' and proceed from that posture.
Build one daily ritual that explicitly enacts surrender — pranāma, prayer, japa with intention.
Reflection Questions
Where in my life have I claimed independence that I should hand back?
What am I refusing to be a śiṣya about because my pride wants to figure it out alone?
Analogy
A traveler lost in a forest, who till now trusted his own compass, throws it down and says: lead me. This surrender — not the directionless wandering before it — is what begins the journey. Arjuna's śiṣyas te 'haṁ is the first true sentence of his discipleship.
Stories
Naciketas before Yama
When Naciketas was given to Yama, the boy did not bargain or boast. He asked for three boons, the third of which was knowledge of the self after death. Yama tried three times to distract him with wealth, sons, long life — Naciketas refused each.
In the Kaṭha Upaniṣad, the boy speaks to the Lord of Death with the same purity Arjuna now offers Kṛṣṇa: 'I am your disciple, instruct me.' The teaching of the eternal soul that follows in BG 2 echoes that of Yama to Naciketas — both are the same śiṣya-bhāva drawing the same medicine out of the same kind of teacher.
Rūpa Gosvāmī falls at Caitanya's feet
Meeting Mahāprabhu at Prayāga, Rūpa offered prostrated obeisances and verses of utter surrender. Mahāprabhu lifted him, embraced him, and over ten days at the Daśāśvamedha-ghāṭa taught him the science of rasa.
When the disciple's offering of self is total, the master's outpouring of knowledge is total. Arjuna's prapanna here opens the floodgates of Bhagavad-gītā; Rūpa's at Prayāga opened the floodgates of Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu.
న హి ప్రపశ్యామి మమాపనుద్యాద్ -
యచ్ఛోకముచ్ఛోషణమిన్ద్రియాణామ్ ।
అవాప్య భూభావసపత్నమృద్ధం
రాజ్యం సురాణామపి చాధిపత్యమ్ ॥ ౮ ॥
na hi prapaśyāmi mamāpanudyād
[na hi prapashyaami mamaapanudyaad]
yac chokam ucchoṣaṇam indriyāṇām
[yach chokam uchchoshanam indriyaanaam]
avāpya bhūmāv asapatnam ṛddhaṁ
[avaapya bhoomaav asapatnam riddham]
rājyaṁ surāṇām api cādhipatyam
[raajyam suraanaam api chaadhipatyam]
Word-for-word
na—do nothi—certainlyprapaśyāmi—I seemama—myapanudyāt—can drive awayyat—that whichśokam—lamentationucchoṣaṇam—drying upindriyāṇām—of the sensesavāpya—achievingbhūmau—on the earthasapatnam—without rivalṛddham—prosperousrājyam—kingdomsurāṇām—of the demigodsapi—evenca—alsoādhipatyam—supremacy .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
na hi prapaśyāmi mamāpanudyād
na
do not
hi
certainly
prapaśyāmi
I see
mama
my
apanudyāt
can drive away
yac chokam ucchoṣaṇam indriyāṇām
yat
that which
śokam
lamentation
ucchoṣaṇam
drying up
indriyāṇām
of the senses
avāpya bhūmāv asapatnam ṛddhaṁ
avāpya
achieving
bhūmau
on the earth
asapatnam
without rival
ṛddham
prosperous
rājyaṁ surāṇām api cādhipatyam
rājyam
kingdom
surāṇām
of the demigods
api
even
ca
also
ādhipatyam
supremacy .
Important Words
śokam—grief
The chapter is named śoka-mohau — grief and delusion. Naming the disease precisely is half the cure; Arjuna here gives the disease its right name.
ucchoṣaṇam—drying up
From ud-√śuṣ — to dry up completely. The grief is parching the senses themselves. The image is of a riverbed under the sun — what once carried life now cracks.
indriyāṇām—of the senses
Genitive plural. The grief is not only mental — it has reached and is desiccating the very organs of action and perception. The body itself is failing under the weight of misplaced lamentation.
asapatnam—unrivaled
A + sapatna — without a rival, without a co-claimant. Arjuna imagines the highest material outcome — unrivaled rule on earth — and dismisses it. The verse measures the depth of his śoka by the height of what cannot remedy it.
ādhipatyam—sovereignty
Even the rule of the devas would not suffice. The verse closes by reaching the ceiling of karma-kāṇḍa rewards and finding it too low. Only a teaching above karma-kāṇḍa can answer this grief — which is exactly what follows.
I can find no means to drive away this grief which is drying up my senses. I will not be able to dispel it even if I win a prosperous, unrivaled kingdom on earth with sovereignty like the demigods in heaven.
Purport
Although Arjuna was putting forward so many arguments based on knowledge of the principles of religion and moral codes, it appears that he was unable to solve his real problem without the help of the spiritual master, Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa. He could understand that his so-called knowledge was useless in driving away his problems, which were drying up his whole existence; and it was impossible for him to solve such perplexities without the help of a spiritual master like Lord Kṛṣṇa. Academic knowledge, scholarship, high position, etc., are all useless in solving the problems of life; help can be given only by a spiritual master like Kṛṣṇa. Therefore, the conclusion is that a spiritual master who is one hundred percent Kṛṣṇa conscious is the bona fide spiritual master, for he can solve the problems of life. Lord Caitanya said that one who is a master in the science of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, regardless of his social position, is the real spiritual master. kibā vipra, kibā nyāsī, śūdra kene naya yei kṛṣṇa-tattva-vettā, sei ‘guru’ haya “It does not matter whether a person is a vipra [learned scholar in Vedic wisdom], or is born in a lower family, or is in the renounced order of life – if he is a master in the science of Kṛṣṇa, he is the perfect and bona fide spiritual master.” ( Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya 8.128 ) So without being a master in the science of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, no one is a bona fide spiritual master. It is also said in the Vedic literature: ṣaṭ-karma-nipuṇo vipro mantra-tantra-viśāradaḥ avaiṣṇavo gurur na syād vaiṣṇavaḥ śva-paco guruḥ “A scholarly brāhmaṇa, expert in all subjects of Vedic knowledge, is unfit to become a spiritual master without being a Vaiṣṇava, or expert in the science of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. But a person born in a family of a lower caste can become a spiritual master if he is a Vaiṣṇava, or Kṛṣṇa conscious.” ( Padma Purāṇa ) The problems of material existence – birth, old age, disease and death – cannot be counteracted by accumulation of wealth and economic development. In many parts of the world there are states which are replete with all facilities of life, which are full of wealth and economically developed, yet the problems of material existence are still present. They are seeking peace in different ways, but they can achieve real happiness only if they consult Kṛṣṇa, or the Bhagavad-gītā and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam – which constitute the science of Kṛṣṇa – through the bona fide representative of Kṛṣṇa, the man in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. If economic development and material comforts could drive away one’s lamentations for family, social, national or international inebrieties, then Arjuna would not have said that even an unrivaled kingdom on earth or supremacy like that of the demigods in the heavenly planets would be unable to drive away his lamentations. He sought, therefore, refuge in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, and that is the right path for peace and harmony. Economic development or supremacy over the world can be finished at any moment by the cataclysms of material nature. Even elevation into a higher planetary situation, as men are now seeking on the moon planet, can also be finished at one stroke. The Bhagavad-gītā confirms this: kṣīṇe puṇye martya-lokaṁ viśanti. “When the results of pious activities are finished, one falls down again from the peak of happiness to the lowest status of life.” Many politicians of the world have fallen down in that way. Such downfalls only constitute more causes for lamentation. Therefore, if we want to curb lamentation for good, then we have to take shelter of Kṛṣṇa, as Arjuna is seeking to do. So Arjuna asked Kṛṣṇa to solve his problem definitely, and that is the way of Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura
Gauḍīya
Translation
8. I do not see who can remove this sorrow which is drying up my senses, even if I attain an unrivalled prosperous kingdom on earth and even sovereignty over devas.
Commentary
“But you have a friendly relationship with Me, not one of respect. Therefore how can I make you a student? You should thus surrender to someone like Veda Vyāsa, whom you greatly revere.” Arjuna answers with this verse.
“I do not see even one person at all (pra paśyāmi: pra indicates “to a high degree”) in all three worlds except You who can remove (apanudyāt) my sorrow. I do not know anyone more intelligent that Yourself—even Bṛhaspati. Therefore, to whom else should one who is full of sorrow surrender? Due to that sorrow (yad) my senses have dried up completely, just as intense summer heat dries up completely (utśoṣa means utkarṣeṇa śoṣa) a small pond.”
“Now you are full of grief, but if you fight, by conquering the enemy you will attain a kingdom. Absorbing yourself in the enjoyment of that kingdom, your grief will disappear.”
“Even if I attain a kingdom over the whole earth, or sovereignty in Svarga, controlling all the devatās, my senses will still be dried up.”
Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa
Gauḍīya
Translation
8. I do not see what can remove this sorrow which is drying up my senses, even if I attain an unrivalled, prosperous kingdom on earth or sovereignty over the devas.
Commentary
“You are knowledgeable of the scriptures. Carry out action after considering your own benefit in light of the scriptures. Why should you be a disciple of me, a friend?”
“I do not see what action will remove my lamentation.” He defines that lamentation. “It is drying up my senses. Therefore, to destroy this lamentation, I surrender to you.”
In a similar way, the purpose of śruti is shown:
so’haṁ bhagavaḥ śocāmi taṁ māṁ bhavān śokasya pāraṁ tārayatu
I am lamenting. May your lordship deliver me from lamentation. Chāndogya Upaniṣad 7.1.3 [Note: Nārada is speaking to Sanatkumāra.]
“Now, you surrender to me because you are afflicted with lamentation. You will be free of lamentation when you fight and gain an increase in happiness.”
“If I am victorious, I will have an undisputed kingdom, and if I am killed I will gain sovereignty over devas in svarga. But still, that will not drive away my lamentation, for it says in the śruti:
tad yatheha karma-jito lokaḥ kṣīyata evam evāmutra puṇya-jito lokaḥ kṣīyate
The world attained in this life through karma dissipates, and the world attained in the next life through punya also dissipates. Chāndogya Upaniṣad 8.1.6
The happiness of this life and the next, attained through fighting, will not extinguish the lamentation. Since fighting will not take away my lamentation, please tell me how fighting is beneficial.”
Study Notes — Gauranga Priya Dāsa
Gauranga Priya Dāsa
Study
Bhakti-śāstrī Notes, ISKCON Chowpatty (2009)
Theme
Reconfirms complete dependence and faith
No other means to drive away grief
Any sastra or person cannot help
Even victory or opulence cannot dispel Arjuna’s lamentation
Arjuna proclaims that even an unrivalled kingdom on earth or supremacy like demigods cannot help him
PRACTICAL APPLICATION OF TEXTS 2.7 – 2.9
One can surrender to spiritual master when he realizes:
He cannot independently solve material perplexities
Fully taking shelter of Krishna is ‘the only way’ to alleviate pain and despondency
Focus of Learning
(a) The purport (essence) of the verse is to “Approach a bona-fide spiritual master (one in bona-fide
parampara) to come out of material perplexities and for proper guidance to execute the purpose
of life”
A person with a bona-fide spiritual master is supposed to know everything
Thus one should not remain in material perplexities but approach a spiritual master
(b) Analogy: Material perplexity and forest fire – Both happen without desire and without being set
by anyone
(c) Definition of ‘Man in material perplexity’ – One who does not understand the problems of life
Ref. Brhad Aranyaka Upanisad – It defines such a perplexed person as a miser (krpana)
Definition of a ‘Miser’ –
One who does not utilise the most valuable asset of a living entity – human form – to solve all the problems of life
One who wastes their time in material bodily conception by being overly affectionate to family life, wife and children (same as animals)
Suffers from “Skin disease” which refers to attachment to family life: wife, children and other members. 2 aspects of “skin disease”:
▪ Thinks that, ‘I can protect and save the family members from death’
▪ Thinks that ‘The family can save me’
Quits life like cats and dogs, without understanding self-realisation
(d) Definition of ‘Brahmana’ – Intelligent and utilizes the human body to solve all problems of life –
(Ref. Brhad Aranyaka Upanisad)
(e) Setting the mood of understanding the ‘knowledge of Bhagavad-gita’ – ‘Arjuna’ vs ‘Mundane
Scholar’
Correct mood – ‘Arjuna’ stops friendship and surrenders to Krishna as the first disciple of Bhagavad-gita
Incorrect mood – ‘Mundane scholar’ – They say that there is no need to submit to Krishna but to “Unborn within Krishna” – Therefore he is called the greatest fool with respect to understanding Bhagavad-gita
Classical Ācāryas
Śrī Śaṅkarācārya
Classical
Translation
2.8 Sri Sankaracharya did not comment on this sloka. The commentary starts from 2.10.
Śrī Rāmānujācārya
Classical
Translation
2.6 - 2.8 If you say, 'After beginning the war, if we withdraw from the battle, the sons of Dhrtarastra will slay us all forcibly', be it so. I think that even to be killed by them, who do not know the difference between righteousness and unrighteousness, is better for us than gaining unrighteous victory by killing them. After saying so, Arjuna surrendered himself at the feet of the Lord, overcome with dejection, saying. 'Teach me, your disciple, who has taken refuge in you, what is good for me.'
Śrī Abhinavagupta
Classical
Translation
2.8 See Comment under 2.10
Swami Sivananda
Classical
Translation
2.8 I do not see that it would remove this sorrow that burns up my senses, even if I should attain prosperous and unrivalled dominion on earth or lordship over the gods.
Commentary
2.8 न हि not? प्रपश्यामि I see? मम my? अपनुद्यात् would remove? यत् that? शोकम् grief? उच्छोषणम् drying up? इन्द्रियाणाम् of my senses? अवाप्य having obtained? भूमौ on the earth? असपत्नम् unrivalled? ऋद्धम् prosperous? राज्यम् dominion? सुराणाम् over the gods? अपि even? च and? आधिपत्यम् lordship.No commentary.
Swami Gambhīrānanda
Classical
Translation
2.8 Because, I do not see that which can, even after aciring on this earth a prosperous kingdom free from enemies and even sovereignty over the gods, remove my sorrow (which is) blasting the senses.
Shri Purohit Swami
Classical
Translation
2.8 For should I attain the monarchy of the visible world, or over the invisible world, it would not drive away the anguish which is now paralysing my senses."
Material remedies — kingdoms, possessions, even spiritual powers — cannot heal grief that is rooted in misidentification with the body.
Practical Applications
Stop seeking material remedies for spiritual problems.
When you feel chronically dissatisfied, examine whether you are chasing the wrong category of solution.
Acknowledge that no promotion, relationship, or possession can permanently lift bodily-platform grief.
Reflection Questions
What material remedy am I still chasing for a problem only Krishna can resolve?
Where would I rather have a 'kingdom' than the truth?
Analogy
A sick man offered the entire kingdom for his recovery would still refuse it if the fever burns on. Arjuna says: even sovereignty over earth and heaven could not cool this grief. The verse names the limit of all material remedies for an inner wound.
Stories
King Yayāti's thousand years of pleasure
Cursed with old age, Yayāti borrowed the youth of his son Pūru and spent a thousand years exhausting every pleasure of the senses. At the end he confessed: 'The fire of desire is not quenched by enjoying it; it burns brighter, as fire burns brighter when fed with ghee.'
He returned the youth to Pūru and went to the forest. Arjuna's verse — even the kingdom of the demigods cannot dry up this grief — names the same truth from the other side: no quantity of material gain can heal a wound in the soul.
sañjayaḥ uvāca—Sañjaya saidevam—thusuktvā—speakinghṛṣīkeśam—unto Kṛṣṇa, the master of the sensesguḍākeśaḥ—Arjuna, the master of curbing ignoranceparam - tapaḥ—the chastiser of the enemiesna yotsye—I shall not fightiti—thusgovindam—unto Kṛṣṇa, the giver of pleasure to the sensesuktvā—sayingtūṣṇīm—silentbabhūva—becameha—certainly .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
sañjaya uvāca
sañjayaḥ uvāca
Sañjaya said
evam uktvā hṛṣīkeśaṁ
evam
thus
uktvā
speaking
hṛṣīkeśam
unto Kṛṣṇa, the master of the senses
guḍākeśaḥ paran-tapaḥ
guḍākeśaḥ
Arjuna, the master of curbing ignorance
param - tapaḥ
the chastiser of the enemies
na yotsya iti govindam
na yotsye
I shall not fight
iti
thus
govindam
unto Kṛṣṇa, the giver of pleasure to the senses
uktvā tūṣṇīṁ babhūva ha
uktvā
saying
tūṣṇīm
silent
babhūva
became
ha
certainly .
Important Words
guḍākeśaḥ—the conqueror of sleep
Guḍākā is sleep; īśa is master. Arjuna who once conquered sleep itself is now defeated by śoka. The name is chosen with care: the unsleeping one has been put to sleep by grief.
param - tapaḥ—chastiser of the enemy
Used again — the very titles Arjuna deserves are placed beside his refusal. The contrast names the fall: the chastiser of enemies is now retreating before them.
hṛṣīkeśam—master of the senses
Kṛṣṇa is called hṛṣīkeśa precisely while Arjuna's senses are drying up (verse 8). The name is medicinal — the senses' true master is at his side; the cure is already in the chariot.
na yotsye—I shall not fight
First person future of √yudh, with negation. Three words, but they are the antithesis of every word that follows in the Gītā. The text exists to overturn this sentence.
tūṣṇīm—silent
Arjuna falls silent. The Gauḍīya commentaries note: silence after surrender is the disciple's right posture. Speech now belongs to the guru.
Sañjaya said: Having spoken thus, Arjuna, chastiser of enemies, told Kṛṣṇa, “Govinda, I shall not fight,” and fell silent.
Purport
Dhṛtarāṣṭra must have been very glad to understand that Arjuna was not going to fight and was instead leaving the battlefield for the begging profession. But Sañjaya disappointed him again in relating that Arjuna was competent to kill his enemies ( paran-tapaḥ ). Although Arjuna was, for the time being, overwhelmed with false grief due to family affection, he surrendered unto Kṛṣṇa, the supreme spiritual master, as a disciple. This indicated that he would soon be free from the false lamentation resulting from family affection and would be enlightened with perfect knowledge of self-realization, or Kṛṣṇa consciousness, and would then surely fight. Thus Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s joy would be frustrated, since Arjuna would be enlightened by Kṛṣṇa and would fight to the end.
— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura
Gauḍīya
Translation
9. Saṣjaya said: Having thus spoken to Hṛṣīkeśa, Guḍākeśa, afflicter of enemies, telling Govinda “I will not fight,” became silent.
Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa
Gauḍīya
Translation
9. Saṣjaya said: Having thus spoken to Hṛṣikeśa, Guḍakeśa, afflicter of enemies, saying ‘I will not fight,’ to Govinda, remained silent.
Commentary
“What did Arjuna then do?” Saṣjaya replies with this verse.
Arjuna, the conqueror of sleep, first said to Hṛṣikeśa, the controller of the senses, “I do not see how I will drive away this lamentation through fighting.” Arjuna, the afflicter of enemies, then said to Govinda, the knower of all the Vedas, “I will not fight.”
Saṣjaya, by mentioning the name Hṛṣikeśa, controller of the senses, indicates that the Lord will make Arjuna manifest intelligence to engage in the battle. By using the word Govinda, the knower of all the Vedas, he suggests that the Lord will make Arjuna accept his dharma to fight. In this way Saṣjaya extinguished the hope which rose in Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s heart of gaining the kingdom for his own sons.
Bhūrijana Dāsa
Gauḍīya
Commentary
Arjuna is calling Krna Hrisikesha which means "the master of the senses". By this naming is to be understood that Arjuna is saying: "You are the Master of my senses and You want me to fight so I am going to fight! But in any case for the time being I am not going to fight! Even though I know, by Your order, I will fight! You are my Master!"
Krsna, in the next verse does something very interesting:
Study Notes — Gauranga Priya Dāsa
Gauranga Priya Dāsa
Study
Bhakti-śāstrī Notes, ISKCON Chowpatty (2009)
Theme
Arjuna refuses to fight – Sanjaya reports that Arjuna honestly expresses his mind to his spiritual
master (Krishna) “I shall not fight”
Focus of Learning
(a) Purpose of using the word “Parantapa” – ‘Chastiser of Enemy’
Sanjaya disappoints Dhrtarashtra by declaring Arjuna as competent to kill the enemies
Sanjaya informs Dhrtarashtra that Arjuna was temporarily overwhelmed but has now surrendered unto Krishna and would soon fight.
3 effects of surrender which manifest in Arjuna: 1. Enlightenment 2. Freedom from false lamentation 3. Reinstatement in his own duty – e.g. Arjuna would surely fight
PRACTICAL APPLICATION OF TEXT 2.9
Only way to curb lamentation for good – take shelter of Krishna like Arjuna
That is the way of Krishna Consciousness
(a) Academic knowledge, scholarship & position are useless in solving material perplexities or
problems of life (as we see that Arjuna’s argument based on unlimited knowledge of religious
principles and moral codes failed to help him)
(b) Only Krishna or His representative as spiritual master can help
(c) Who is a bona-fide spiritual master? Definition and 2 references:
Definition:
One who is one-hundred percent Krishna conscious
One who can solve all problems of life
Supporting References:
Ref. CC – “Kiba Vipra...” – One who is the master of the science of Krishna is a real spiritual master and not one decided by birth or social order
Ref. Padma Purana – Only a Vaishnava can become a bona-fide spiritual master
(d) Temporary nature of economic development and worldly supremacy – Economic development
cannot solve the problems of material existence
Many opulent countries fail to get peace and cannot solve real problems of birth and death
This is shown by Arjuna’s example
Who proclaims that even an unrivalled kingdom on earth or supremacy like demigods cannot help him
Also economical development and worldly supremacy can be finished at any time. E.g. Many politicians fall down (Ref. Bg. 9.21 – “Ksine punye...”)
(e) Only way to real happiness – Bhagavad-gita and Srimad Bhagavatam (Consult Krishna through His
representative)
Classical Ācāryas
Śrī Śaṅkarācārya
Classical
Translation
2.9 Sri Sankaracharya did not comment on this sloka. The commentary starts from 2.10.
Śrī Rāmānujācārya
Classical
Translation
2.9 - 2.10 Sanjaya said Thus, the Lord, the Supreme Person, introduced the Sastra regarding the self for the sake of Arjuna - whose natural courage was lost due to love and compassion in a misplaced situation, who thought war to be unrighteous even though it was the highest duty for warriors (Ksatriyas), and who took refuge in Sri Krsna to know what his right duty was -, thinking that Arjuna's delusion would not come to an end except by the knowledge of the real nature of the self, and that war was an ordained duty here which, when freed from attachment to fruits, is a means for self-knowledge. Thus, has it been said by Sri Yamunacarya: 'The introduction to the Sastra was begun for the sake of Arjuna, whose mind was agitated by misplaced love and compassion and by the delusion that righteousness was unrighteousness, and who took refuge in Sri Krsna.'
The Supreme Person spoke these words as if smiling, and looking at Arjuna, who was thus overcome by grief resulting from ignorance about the real nature of the body and the self, but was nevertheless speaking about duty as if he had an understanding that the self is distinct from the body, and while he (Arjuna), torn between contradictory ideas, had suddenly become inactive standing between the two armies that were getting ready to fight. Sri Krsna said, as if in ridicule, to Arjuna the words beginning with, 'There never was a time when I did not exist' (II. 12), and ending with 'I will release you from all sins; grieve not!' (XVIII. 66) - which have for their contents the real nature of the self, of the Supreme Self, and of the paths of work (Karma), knowledge (Jnana) and devotion (Bhakti) which constitute the means for attaining the highest spiritual fulfilment.
Śrī Abhinavagupta
Classical
Translation
2.9 See Comment under 2.10
Swami Sivananda
Classical
Translation
2.9 Sanjaya said Having spoken thus to Hrishikesha (the Lord of the senses), Arjuna (the coneror of sleep), the destroyer of foes, said to Krishna, "I will not fight" and became silent.
Commentary
2.9 एवम् thus? उक्त्वा having spoken? हृषीकेशम् to Hrishikesha? गुडाकेशः Arjuna (the coneror of sleep)? परन्तप destroyer of foes? न योत्स्ये I will not fight? इति thus? गोविन्दम् to Govinda? उक्त्वा having said? तूष्णीम् silent? बभूव ह became.No commentary.
Swami Gambhīrānanda
Classical
Translation
2.9 Sanjaya said Having spoken thus to Hrsikesa (Krsna), Gudakesa (Arjuna), the afflictor of foes, verily became silent, telling Govinda, 'I shall not fight.' fight.'
Shri Purohit Swami
Classical
Translation
2.9 Sanjaya continued: "Arjuna, the conqueror of all enemies, then told the Lord of All-Hearts that he would no fight, and became silent, O King!
Even the great warrior falls silent before truth — knowing when to stop talking is itself a step toward wisdom.
Practical Applications
Practice silence before someone wiser; let yourself fully receive without rebutting.
When you have stated your case, let it rest; trust your guide to respond in time.
Cultivate the discipline of saying 'na yotsya iti' — 'I will not act on my own' — and waiting for instruction.
Reflection Questions
Where am I filling space with words that I should be filling with listening?
What action am I refusing to commit to until I receive Krishna's clear word?
Analogy
A traveler at the city gate, having walked all day, sets down his pack and says: I will not enter. The silence is heavier than the speech that preceded it. Arjuna's na yotsye is the floor — the lowest point — from which the whole Gītā must lift him.
tam—unto himuvāca—saidhṛṣīkeśaḥ—the master of the senses, Kṛṣṇaprahasan—smilingiva—like thatbhārata—O Dhṛtarāṣṭra, descendant of Bharatasenayoḥ—of the armiesubhayoḥ—of both partiesmadhye—betweenviṣīdantam—unto the lamenting oneidam—the followingvacaḥ—words .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
tam uvāca hṛṣīkeśaḥ
tam
unto him
uvāca
said
hṛṣīkeśaḥ
the master of the senses, Kṛṣṇa
prahasann iva bhārata
prahasan
smiling
iva
like that
bhārata
O Dhṛtarāṣṭra, descendant of Bharata
senayor ubhayor madhye
senayoḥ
of the armies
ubhayoḥ
of both parties
madhye
between
viṣīdantam idaṁ vacaḥ
viṣīdantam
unto the lamenting one
idam
the following
vacaḥ
words .
Important Words
prahasan—smiling
Present participle of pra-√has — to laugh outward. Kṛṣṇa smiles at the moment of Arjuna's deepest fall. Prabhupāda notes: the smile is friendly, not mocking. The Lord sees the disciple's distress and finds it almost playful, because He knows the cure.
iva—as if
The single particle softens the smile — not a full laugh, but *as if* a laugh. The teacher does not deny the seriousness; He places it in larger perspective. Iva is the syllable of perspective.
senayoḥ—of the two armies
Dual locative. The Gītā is spoken between the armies, not in a temple or forest. The teaching is for those in the thick of action, not those who have left it.
madhye—in the middle
Right in the middle — not beside, not above, not after. The setting of the teaching is itself a doctrine: spiritual truth is to be received at the front of life, not at its margins.
viṣīdantam—grief-stricken
Repeated from verse 1 — the same participle that opened the chapter. The frame is closing: Arjuna's lament was the question; Kṛṣṇa's coming words are the answer.
O descendant of Bharata, at that time Kṛṣṇa, smiling, in the midst of both the armies, spoke the following words to the grief-stricken Arjuna.
Purport
The talk was going on between intimate friends, namely the Hṛṣīkeśa and the Guḍākeśa. As friends, both of them were on the same level, but one of them voluntarily became a student of the other. Kṛṣṇa was smiling because a friend had chosen to become a disciple. As Lord of all, He is always in the superior position as the master of everyone, and yet the Lord agrees to be a friend, a son or a lover for a devotee who wants Him in such a role. But when He was accepted as the master, He at once assumed the role and talked with the disciple like the master – with gravity, as it is required. It appears that the talk between the master and the disciple was openly exchanged in the presence of both armies so that all were benefited. So the talks of Bhagavad-gītā are not for any particular person, society, or community, but they are for all, and friends or enemies are equally entitled to hear them.
— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura
Gauḍīya
Translation
10. Hṛṣīkeśa, smiling slightly, spoke these words to the depressed Arjuna, in the midst of the two armies.
Commentary
“You have shown such lack of judgment!” Laughing at him as a friend, Kṛṣṇa could put Arjuna in an ocean of embarrassment for his unworthy actions. However, because now Arjuna took the position of student, laughing would be improper. Thus Kṛṣṇa suppressed that laugh by closing His lips. Instead He slightly smiled (prahasann iva). The Lord of the senses (hṛṣīkeśa) was previously controlled by the words of Arjuna out of love for him (BG 1.24), and now He became the controller of Arjuna’s mind, again out of love, for the benefit of Arjuna. Arjuna’s dejection and Kṛṣṇa’s offering consolation to him were seen directly by both armies (senayor ubhayor madhye).
Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa
Gauḍīya
Translation
10. Hṛṣikeśa, smiling slightly, spoke these words to the depressed Arjuna, in the midst of the two armies.
Commentary
In this verse he speaks, revealing a hidden meaning.
Hṛṣikeśa, bhagavān, then spoke very deep words to the lamenting Arjuna. The instructions start in the next verse. He smiled at Arjuna as a friend, suggesting, “How has such thinking come upon such a person as you? I will make you sink in the ocean of embarrassment for having said such unsuitable words.” He made a very slight smile appear on his lower lip, because it would be improper to laugh at Arjuna, who had now become his disciple. That is indicated by the phrase prahasann iva.
This conversation took place in the midst of the two armies (senayor ubhayor madhe). Thus it is understood that the instructions by the Lord for the depressed Arjuna were witnessed by everyone.
Bhūrijana Dāsa
Gauḍīya
Commentary
The word used for "smiling" is "prahasan" (like smiling) because Krsna is smiling, is happy because His friend Arjuna is becoming His disciple. And His smile changes gradually to a very grave expression on His face because He is going to act not as Arjuna's friend but as His spiritual master. And the talks between the spiritual master and the disciple are very serious.
Therefore Krsna's like smile, "prahasan", is called "rasa sandhi" or "a meeting of two different rasas": the friendship rasa in this verse meets with parental rasa where Krsna acts like a guru which is similar as a father. Srila Prabhupada says in his Purport: "It appears that the talk between the maste the disciple was openly exchanged in the presence of both a so that all were benefitted. So the talks of Bhagavad‑gita are not for any particular person, society, or community, but they are for all, and friends or enemies are equally entitled to hear them."
Now Krsna is going to give His instructions are they are not just meant for Arjuna ‑ they are meant for everyone!
[ B ‑ JNANA ‑ FIGHT! THERE IS NO DEATH FOR THE SOUL (2.11‑30)
1‑ Death is the eternal soul changing from one body to another; therefore, since no soul can die, Arjuna would not be killing. (11‑13, 16‑25) ]
Study Notes — Gauranga Priya Dāsa
Gauranga Priya Dāsa
Study
Bhakti-śāstrī Notes, ISKCON Chowpatty (2009)
Theme
Prahasan literally means smiling. Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that Kṛṣṇa is smiling because His friend
has become a disciple. Kṛṣṇa’s smile gradually changes to a grave expression. He will now act as
Arjuna’s spiritual master, and talks between the spiritual master and disciple are serious. Therefore
Kṛṣṇa smiles as His friendly affection gives way to parental affection, which is similar to the relation-
ship between guru and disciple.
Classical Ācāryas
Śrī Śaṅkarācārya
Classical
Translation
2.10 And here, the text commencing from 'But seeing the army of the Pandavas' (1.2) and ending with '(he) verily became silent, telling Him (Govinda), "I shall not fight"' is to be explained as revealing the cause of the origin of the defect in the from of sorrow, delusion, etc. [Delusion means want of discrimination. Etc. stands for the secondary manifestations of sorrow and delusion, as also ignorance which is the root cause of all these.] which are the sources of the cycles of births and deaths of creatures.
Thus indeed, Ajuna's own sorrow and delusion, cuased by the ideas of affection, parting, etc., originating from the erroneous belief, 'I belong to these; they belong to me', with regard to kingdom [See note under verse 8.-Tr.], elders, sons, comrades, well-wishers (1.26), kinsmen (1.37), relatives (1.34) and friends, have been shown by him with the words, 'How can I (fight)৷৷.in battle (against) Bhisma' (4), etc. It is verily because his discriminating insight was overwhelmed by sorrow and delusion that, even though he had become engaged in battle out of his own accord as a duty of the Ksatriyas, he desisted from that war and chose to undertake other's duties like living on alms etc. It is thus that in the case of all creatures whose minds come under the sway of the defects of sorrow, delusion, etc. there verily follows, as a matter of course, abandoning their own duties and resorting to prohibited ones. Even when they engage in their own duties their actions with speech, mind, body, etc., are certainly motivated by hankering for rewards, and are accompanied by egoism. [Egoism consists in thinking that one is the agent of some work and the enjoyer of its reward.]
Such being the case, the cycle of births and deaths characterized by passing through desireable and undesirable births, and meeting with happiness, sorrow, etc. [From virtuous deeds follow attainment of heaven and happiness. From unvirtuous, sinful deeds follow births as beasts and other lowly beings, and sorrow. From the performance of both virtuous and sinful deeds follows birth as a human being, with a mixture of happiness and sorrow.] from the accumulation of virtue and vice, continues unendingly. Thus, sorrow and delusion are therefore the sources of the cycles of births and deaths. And their cessation comes from nothing other than the knowledge of the Self which is preceded by the renunciation of all duties. Hence, wishing to impart that (knowledge of the Self) for favouring the whole world, Lord Vasudeva, making Arjuna the medium, said, 'You grieve for those who are not to be grieved for,' etc.
As to that some (opponents) [According to A.G. the opponent is the Vrttikara who, in the opinion of A. Mahadeva Sastri, is none other than Bodhayana referred to in Sankaracarya's commentary on B.S. 1.1.11-19.-Tr.] say: Certainly, Liberation cannot be attained merely from continuance in the knowledge of the Self which is preceded by renunciation of all duties and is independent of any other factor. What then? The well-ascertained conclusion of the whole of the Gita is that Liberation is attained through Knowledge associated with rites and duties like Agnihotra etc. prescribed in the Vedas and the Smrtis. And as an indication of this point of view they ote (the verses): 'On the other hand, if you will not fight this righteous (battle)' (33); 'Your right is for action (rites and duties) alone' (47); 'Therefore you undertake action (rites and duties) itself' (4.15), etc. Even this objection should not be raised that Vedic rites and duties lead to sin since they involve injury etc.'.
Objection: How?
Opponent: The duties of the Ksatriyas, charaterized by war, do not lead to sin when undertaken as one's duty, even though they are extremely cruel since they involve violence against elders, brothers, sons and others. And from the Lord's declaration that when they are not performed, 'then, forsaking your own duty and fame, you will incur sin' (33), it stands out as (His) clearly stated foregone conclusion that one's own duties prescribed in such texts as, '(One shall perform Agnihotra) as long as one lives' etc., and actions which involve crutely to animals etc. are not sinful.
Vedantin: That is wrong because of the assertion of the distinction between firm adherence (nistha) to Knowledge and to action, which are based on two (different) convictions (buddhi).
The nature of the Self, the supreme Reality, determined by the Lord in the text beginning with 'Those who are not to be grieved for' (11) and running to the end of the verse, 'Even considering your own duty' (31), is called Sankhya. Sankhya-buddhi [Sankhya is that correct (samyak) knowledge of the Vedas which reveals (khyayate) the reality of the Self, the supreme Goal. The Reality under discussion, which is related to this sankhya by way of having been revealed by it, is Sankhya.] (Conviction about the Reality) is the conviction with regard to That (supreme Reality) arising from the ascertainment of the meaning of the context [Ascertainment৷৷.of the context, i.e., of the meaning of the verses starting from, 'Never is this One born, and never does It die,' etc. (20).] that the Self is not an agent because of the absence in It of the six kinds of changes, viz birth etc. [Birth, continuance, growth, transformation, decay and death.] Sankhyas are those men of Knowledge to whom that (conviction) becomes natural. Prior to the rise of this Conviction (Sankhya-buddhi), the ascertained [Ast. and A.G. omit this word 'ascertainment, nirupana'-Tr.] of the performance of the disciplines leading to Liberation which is based on a discrimination between virtue and vice, [And adoration of God]. and which presupposes the Self's difference from the body etc. and Its agentship and enjoyership is called Yoga. The conviction with regard to that (Yoga) is Yoga-buddhi. The performers of rites and duties, for whom this (conviction) is appropriate, are called yogis.
Accordingly, the two distinct Convictions have been pointed out by the Lord in the verse, 'This wisdom (buddhi) has been imparted to you from the standpoint of Self-realization (Sankhya). But listen to this (wisdom) from the standpoint of (Karma-) yoga' (39). And of these two, the Lord will separately speak, with reference to the Sankhyas, of the firm adherence to the Yoga of Knowledge. [Here Yoga and Knowledge are identical. Yoga is that through which one gets connected, identified. with Brahman.] which is based on Sankya-buddhi, in, 'Two kinds of adherences were spoken of by Me in the form of the Vedas, in the days of yore.' [This portion is ascending to G1.Pr. and A.A.; Ast. omits this and otes exactly the first line of 3.3. By saying, 'in the form of the Vedas', the Lord indicates that the Vedas, which are really the knowledge inherent in God and issue out of Him, are identical with Himself.-Tr.] similarly, in, 'through the Yoga of Action for the yogis' (3.3), He will separately speak of the firm adherence to the Yoga [Here also Karma and Yoga are identical, and lead to Liberation by bringing about purity of heart which is followed by steadfastness in Knowledge.] of Karma which is based on Yoga-buddhi (Conviction about Yoga). Thus, the two kinds of steadfastness that based on the conviction about the nature of the Self, and that based on the conviction about rites and duties have been distinctly spoken of by the Lord Himself, who saw that the coexistence of Knowledge and rites and duties is not possible in the same person, they being based on the convictions of non-agentship and agentship, unity and diversity (respectively).
As is this teaching about the distinction (of the two adherences), just so has it been revealed in the Satapatha Brahmana: 'Desiring this world (the Self) alone monks and Brahmanas renounce their homes' (cf. Br. 4.4.22). After thus enjoining renunciation of all rites and duties, it is said in continuation, 'What shall we acheive through childeren, we who have attained this Self, this world (result).' [The earlier otation implies an injuction (vidhi) for renunciation, and the second is an arthavada, or an emphasis on that injunction. Arthavada: A sentence which usually recommends a vidhi, or precept, by stating the good arising from its proper observance, and the evils arising from its omission; and also by adducing historical instances in its support.-V.S.A] Again, there itself it is said that, before accepting a wife a man is in his natural state [The state of ignorance owing to non-realization of Reality. Such a person is a Brahmacarin, who goes to a teacher for studying the Vedas]. And (then) after his eniries into rites and duties, [The Brahmacarin first studies the Vedas and then enires into their meaning. Leaving his teacher's house after completing his course, he becomes a house holder.] 'he' for the attainment of the three worlds [This world, the world of manes and heaven.-Tr.] 'desired' (see Br. 1.4.17) as their means a son and the two kinds of wealth consists of rites and duties that lead to the world of manes, and the divine wealth of acisition of vidya (meditation) which leads to heaven. In this way it is shown that rites and duties enjoined by the Vedas etc. are meant only for one who is unenlightened and is passessed of desire. And in the text, 'After renouncing they take to mendicancy' (see Br. 4.4.22), the injunction to renounce is only for one who desires the world that is the Self, and who is devoid of hankering (for anything else).
Now, if the intention of the Lord were the combination of Knowledge with Vedic rites and duties, then this utterance (of the Lord) (3.3) about the distinction would have been illogical. Nor would Arjuna's estion, 'If it be Your opinion that wisdom (Knowledge) is superior to action (rites and duties)৷৷.,' etc. (3.1) be proper. If the Lord had not spoken earlier of the impossibility of the pursuit of Knowledge and rites and duties by the same person (at the same time), then how could Arjuna falsely impute to the Lord by saying, 'If it be your opinion that wisdom is superior to action৷৷৷৷' (of having spoken) what was not heard by him, viz the higher status of Knolwedge over rites and duties? Morevoer, if it be that the combination of Knowledge with rites and duties was spoken of for all, then it stands enjoined, ipso facto, on Arjuna as well. Therefore, if instruction had been given for practising both, then how could the estion about 'either of the two' arise as in, 'Tell me for certain one of these (action and renunciation) by which I may attain the highest Good' (3.2)? Indeed, when a physician tells a patient who has come for a cure of his biliousness that he should take things which are sweet and soothing, there can arise no such reest as, 'Tell me which one of these two is to be taken as a means to cure biliousness'! Again, if it be imagined that Arjuna put the estion because of his noncomprehension of the distinct meaning of what the Lord had said, even then the Lord ought to have answered in accordance with the estion: 'The combination of Knowledge with rites and duties was spoken of by Me. Why are you confused thus?' On the other hand, it was not proper to have answered, 'Two kinds of steadfastness were spoken of by Me it the days of yore,' in a way that was inconsistent and at variance with the estion.
Nor even do all the statements about distinction etc. become logical if it were intended that Knowledge was to be combined with rites and duties enjoined by the Smrtis only. Besides, the accusation in the sentence, 'Why then do you urge me to horrible action' (3.1) becomes illogical on the part of Arjuna who knew that fighting was a Ksatriya's natural duty enjoined by the Smrtis. Therefore, it is not possible for anyone to show that in the scripture called the Gita there is any combination, even in the least, of Knowledge of the Self with rites and duties enjoined by the Srutis or the Smrtis. But in the case of a man who had engaged himself in rites and duties because of ignorance and defects like the attachment, and then got his mind purified through sacrifices, charities or austerities (see Br. 4.4.22), there arises the knowledge about the supreme Reality that all this is but One, and Brahman is not an agent (of any action). With regard to him, although there is a cessation of rites and duties as also of the need for them, yet, what may, appear as his diligent continuance, just as before, in those rites and duties for setting an example before people that is no action in which case it could have stood combined with Knowledge. Just as the actions of Lord Vasudeva, in the form of performance of the duty of a Ksatriya, do not get combined with Knowledge for the sake of achieving the human goal (Liberation), similar is the case with the man of Knowledge because of the absence of hankering for results and agentship. Indeed, a man who has realized the Truth does not thingk 'I am doing (this)' nor does he hanker after its result.
Again, as for instance, person hankering after such desirable things as heaven etc. may light up a fire for performing such rites as Agnihotra etc. which are the mans to attain desirable things; [The Ast. reading is: Agnihotradi-karma-laksana-dharma-anusthanaya, for the performance of duties in the form of acts like Agnihotra etc.-Tr.] then, while he is still engaged in the performance of Agnihotra etc. as the means for the desirable things, the desire may get destroyed when the rite is half-done. He may nevertheless continue the performance of those very Agnihotra etc.; but those performance of those very Agnihotra etc.; but those Agnihotra etc. cannot be held to be for this personal gain.
Accordingly does the Lord also show in various places that, 'even while perfroming actions,' he does not act, 'he does not become tainted' (5.7). As for the texts, '৷৷.as was performed earlier by the ancient ones' (4.15), 'For Janaka and others strove to attain Liberation through action itself' (3.20), they are to be understood analytically.
Objection: How so?
Vedantin: As to that, if Janaka and others of old remained engaged in activity even though they were knowers of Reality, they did so for preventing people from going astray, while remaining established in realization verily through the knowledge that 'the organs rest (act) on the objects of the organs' (3.28). The idea is this that, though the occasion for renunciation of activity did arise, they remained established in realization along with actions; they did not give up their rites and duties.
On the other hand, if they were not knowers of Reality, then the explanation should be this; Through the discipline of dedicating rites and duties to God, Janaka and others remained established in perfection (samsiddhi) either in the form of purification of mind or rise of Knowledge. This very idea [The idea that rites and duties become the cause of Knowledge through the purification of the mind.] will be expressed by the Lord in, '(the yogis) undertake action for the purification of oneself (i.e. of the heart, or the mind)' (5.11). After having said, 'A human being achieves success by adoring Him through his own duties' [By performing one's own duty as enjoined by scriptures and dedicating their results to God, one's mind becomes purified. Then, through Gods grace one becomes fit for steadfastness in Knowledge. From that steadfatness follows Liberation. Therefore rites and duites do not directly lead to Liberation. (See Common. under 5.12) (18.46), He will again speak of the steadfastness in Knowledge of a person who has attained success, in the text, '(Understand৷৷.from Me৷৷.that process by which) one who has achieved success attains Brahman' (18.50).
So, the definite conclusion in the Gita is that Liberation is attained only from the knowledge of Reality, and not from its combination with action. And by pointing out in the relevant contexts the (aforesaid) distinction, we shall show how this conclusion stands.
That being so, Lord Vasudeva found that for Arjuna, whose mind was thus confused about what ought to be done [The ast. and A.A., have an additional word mithyajnanavatah, meaning 'who had false ignorance'.-Tr.] and who was sunk in a great ocean of sorrow, there could be no rescue other than through the knowledge of the Self. And desiring to rescue Arjuna from that, He said, '(You grieve for) those who are not to be grieved for,' etc. by way of introducing the knowledge of the Self. [In this Gita there are three distinct parts, each part consisting of six chapters. These three parts deal with the three words of the great Upanisadic saying, 'Tattvamasi, thou art That', with a view to finding out their real meanings. The first six chapters are concerned with the word tvam (thou); the following six chapters determine the meaning of the word tat (that); and the last six reveal the essential identity of tvam and tat. The disciplines necessary for realization this identity are stated in the relevant places.]
Śrī Rāmānujācārya
Classical
Translation
2.9 - 2.10 Sanjaya said Thus, the Lord, the Supreme Person, introduced the Sastra regarding the self for the sake of Arjuna - whose natural courage was lost due to love and compassion in a misplaced situation, who thought war to be unrighteous even though it was the highest duty for warriors (Ksatriyas), and who took refuge in Sri Krsna to know what his right duty was -, thinking that Arjuna's delusion would not come to an end except by the knowledge of the real nature of the self, and that war was an ordained duty here which, when freed from attachment to fruits, is a means for self-knowledge. Thus, has it been said by Sri Yamunacarya: 'The introduction to the Sastra was begun for the sake of Arjuna, whose mind was agitated by misplaced love and compassion and by the delusion that righteousness was unrighteousness, and who took refuge in Sri Krsna.'
The Supreme Person spoke these words as if smiling, and looking at Arjuna, who was thus overcome by grief resulting from ignorance about the real nature of the body and the self, but was nevertheless speaking about duty as if he had an understanding that the self is distinct from the body, and while he (Arjuna), torn between contradictory ideas, had suddenly become inactive standing between the two armies that were getting ready to fight. Sri Krsna said, as if in ridicule, to Arjuna the words beginning with, 'There never was a time when I did not exist' (II. 12), and ending with 'I will release you from all sins; grieve not!' (XVIII. 66) - which have for their contents the real nature of the self, of the Supreme Self, and of the paths of work (Karma), knowledge (Jnana) and devotion (Bhakti) which constitute the means for attaining the highest spiritual fulfilment.
Śrī Abhinavagupta
Classical
Translation
2.7-10 Karpanya-etc. upto vacah. By the portion 'in between the two armies' etc., [the Sage] indicates this : Beings possessed by doubt, Arjuna had not abstained from the war totally; for, he says thus : 'Please teach me, who am taking refuge in you'. Therefore while he still remains just in between both knowledge and ignorance, he is taught by the glorious Bhagavat.
Swami Sivananda
Classical
Translation
2.10 To him who was despondent in the midst of the two armies, Krishna, as if smiling, O Bharata, spoke these words.
Commentary
2.10 तम् to him? उवाच spoke? हृषीकेशः Hrishikesha? प्रहसन् smiling? इव as it were? भारत O Bharata? सेनयोः of the armies? उभयोः (of) both? मध्ये in the middle? विषीदन्तम् despondent? इदम् this? वचः word.No commentary.
Swami Gambhīrānanda
Classical
Translation
2.10 O descendant of Bharata, to him who was sorrowing between the two armies, Hrsikesa, mocking as it were, said these words:
Shri Purohit Swami
Classical
Translation
2.10 Thereupon the Lord, with a gracious smile, addressed him who was so much depressed in the midst of the two armies.
The Lord smiles at the soul's confusion — there is sweetness in Krishna's response to even our deepest bewilderment.
Practical Applications
Imagine Krishna smiling kindly at your confusion before you begin japa each morning.
Do not be embarrassed by the smallness of your problem; bring it to Him with confidence.
Let the recognition of His sweetness lighten the heaviness of your inner debates.
Reflection Questions
Have I felt Krishna's affectionate smile in my struggles, or only my own anxiety?
What heaviness might lift if I trusted in His tender response?
Analogy
A father, watching his frightened child wail before a shadow on the wall, almost smiles before he kneels to comfort him. Kṛṣṇa's prahasann iva — *as if smiling* — is exactly this: the gentle amusement of one who sees how small the cause is and how vast the effect, before bending close to teach.
śrī - bhagavān uvāca—the Supreme Personality of Godhead saidaśocyān—not worthy of lamentationanvaśocaḥ—you are lamentingtvam—youprajñā - vādān—learned talksca—alsobhāṣase—speakinggata—lostasūn—lifeagata—not passedasūn—lifeca—alsona—neveranuśocanti—lamentpaṇḍitāḥ—the learned .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
śrī-bhagavān uvāca
śrī - bhagavān uvāca
the Supreme Personality of Godhead said
aśocyān anvaśocas tvaṁ
aśocyān
not worthy of lamentation
anvaśocaḥ
you are lamenting
tvam
you
prajñā-vādāṁś ca bhāṣase
prajñā - vādān
learned talks
ca
also
bhāṣase
speaking
gatāsūn agatāsūṁś ca
gata
lost
asūn
life
agata
not passed
asūn
life
ca
also
nānuśocanti paṇḍitāḥ
na
never
anuśocanti
lament
paṇḍitāḥ
the learned .
Important Words
aśocyān—not worthy of grief
The first substantive word of Kṛṣṇa's teaching. Before answering 'what should you do,' He answers 'what does not deserve your tears.' Aśocya — the eternal souls of those before you — cannot be lost, so the grief is misdirected.
prajñā - vādān—learned words
Arjuna has been quoting scripture and ethics (chapter 1). Kṛṣṇa names the disconnect: the words are paṇḍita-words; the grief is mūḍha-grief. Talking like a wise man while feeling like an ignorant one is itself a recognized confusion.
gata - asūn—those whose breath has gone
Asu is the vital breath. The wise do not lament those whose breath has departed — for the breath was never the person.
agata - asūn—those whose breath has not gone
Nor for the living. The paṇḍita's vision is symmetric: living or dead, the body is not the self. Lament is the wrong response to either.
paṇḍitāḥ—the wise
From paṇḍā — wisdom that has sunk into the self. Not learning alone; learning lived. Arjuna has the learning; the chapter will give him the living.
The Supreme Personality of Godhead said: While speaking learned words, you are mourning for what is not worthy of grief. Those who are wise lament neither for the living nor for the dead.
Purport
The Lord at once took the position of the teacher and chastised the student, calling him, indirectly, a fool. The Lord said, “You are talking like a learned man, but you do not know that one who is learned – one who knows what is body and what is soul – does not lament for any stage of the body, neither in the living nor in the dead condition.” As explained in later chapters, it will be clear that knowledge means to know matter and spirit and the controller of both. Arjuna argued that religious principles should be given more importance than politics or sociology, but he did not know that knowledge of matter, soul and the Supreme is even more important than religious formularies. And because he was lacking in that knowledge, he should not have posed himself as a very learned man. As he did not happen to be a very learned man, he was consequently lamenting for something which was unworthy of lamentation. The body is born and is destined to be vanquished today or tomorrow; therefore the body is not as important as the soul. One who knows this is actually learned, and for him there is no cause for lamentation, regardless of the condition of the material body.
— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura
Gauḍīya
Translation
11. The Lord said: You, while lamenting for what is not worthy of lamentation, are speaking words of wisdom. The wise men do not lament for the gross body or the subtle body.
Commentary
“O Arjuna, this lamentation of yours caused by attachment to friends and relatives is the cause of bewilderment. Your power of discernment arising from your concerns starting in verse four with ‘How can I fight against Bhīṣma and Droṇa?’ are the cause of lack of wisdom.” That is stated in this verse.
“You are continually lamenting (anu śocaḥ) for what is not worthy of grief (aśocyān). Thus you are uttering words of wisdom to Me, who am trying to enlighten you. You speak words (vādān) of wisdom (prajṣā) as in verse four.” The intention behind the Lord’s words is the opposite: “Actually you have no wisdom.”
“This is because those who are wise (paṇḍitāḥ) do not lament for the gross bodies from which life has passed (gata asūn)—since the bodies are destructible by their very nature. Neither do they lament for the subtle bodies from which the life airs have not passed (agata asūn), [Note: The life airs go with the subtle body after death, and enter a new body along with the subtle body at birth. Viśvanātha has taken as asu literally as the life air, and agatāsūn as those bodies from which the life airs do not depart, the subtle bodies. If we were to take agatāsūn as meaning the gross body from which the life air has not yet departed, then there would be no reason for even the fool to lament for it.] for those subtle bodies will certainly be destroyed before liberation. They do not lament because they accept the inherent natures of all of the gross and subtle bodies. But fools lament when life airs pass from the gross bodies of fathers and others, and do not generally understand about the subtle bodies. Enough of such fools! All these, including Bhīṣma, are souls equipped with gross and subtle bodies. Because of the eternal nature of their souls, there is no cause for lamentation. Previously you said that dharma-śāstra was stronger than artha-śāstra. But I say here that jṣāna-śāstra (teaching about ātmā) is stronger than dharma-śāstra.”
Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa
Gauḍīya
Translation
11. The Lord said: You, lamenting for what is not worthy of lamentation, are speaking words of wisdom. The wise men do not lament for the gross bodies, the subtle bodies, or the souls.
Commentary
As Arjuna stood silently, the Lord began deriding his intelligence. “O Arjuna, you are lamenting (anvaśocaḥ) for the sons of Dhṛtarāṣṭra who are not even worthy of lamentation (aśocyān). And you speak words supposedly from wise people such as ‘Seeing my relatives and friends gathered for fighting my limbs are weakening’ and ‘How can I fight those worthy of worship?’ But you do not have even a drop of wisdom. Those who are wise do not lament for the gross bodies from which the life airs has departed (gatāsūn) nor for the subtle bodies from which the life airs have not departed (agatāsūn), [Note: The life airs go with the subtle body after death. The life airs and the subtle body separate from the gross body at death.] nor for the souls (indicated by the word ca).
This is the meaning. Is lamentation caused by the destruction of the gross body or the destruction of the subtle body? There should be no lamentation because the destruction of the gross bodies is inevitable due to their nature. There should be no lamentation for the destruction of the subtle body since it is indestructible until liberation. There should be no lamentation for the soul, because it is devoid of the six changes, and is eternal. There should be no cause at all of lamentation for those who know the nature of the body and the soul. It has been said that there is predominance of dharma śastra over artha śastra. That may be so, but that dharma śastra is refuted by the stronger jṣāna ṣastra. The mistake of thinking things are worthy of lamentation which are not worthy of lamentation is the quality of a fool. This is not suitable to you, who are learned.
Bhūrijana Dāsa
Gauḍīya
Commentary
Krsna starts His instructions by telling Arjuna : "You are a fool! Now listen and you will learn something!"
Study Notes — Gauranga Priya Dāsa
Gauranga Priya Dāsa
Study
Bhakti-śāstrī Notes, ISKCON Chowpatty (2009)
Theme
Krishna chastises Arjuna – The truly wise do not mistake the body to be the self
Those who are truly wise lament neither for the living nor for the dead LINK BETWEEN TEXTS 2.11 & 2.12: Text 2.11 serves as a prelude to Text 2.12, which will further establish spiritual truth by refuting the bodily concept of life
Focus of Learning
(a) Who is learned –Supreme Personality of Godhead ‘chastises’ Arjuna for posing as a learned man
Definition of ‘Learned Man’ – One who knows what is body and soul and does not lament for any stage of the body – Living or dead
(b) Definition of ‘Knowledge’ – To know matter, soul and supreme controller of both
(c) Different levels of sastra – Texts 2.11 – 2.30 establishes Jnana sastra (knowledge of body and
soul) to be higher than Dharma Sastra (In comparison to Arjuna’s recommendation of Dharma
Sastra / Religious principles as higher than Artha-sastra / Politics or Sociology in Bg.1.36)
(d) Arjuna called foolish because intelligence is used without considering ‘essential nature of the soul’
PRACTICAL APPLICATION OF 2.11
First step in teaching is to dismantle student’s misconception which may require strong words
PRACTICAL APPLICATION OF SECTION II
The spirit soul is eternal and indestructible, while material nature is temporary
Because of this, one should not be bewildered by the inevitable destruction of the material body
Rather one should remain fixed in prescribed duties, which purify and allow one to realize the eternal self
(a) Krishna accepts role as per devotees desire – friend or guru, etc.; He always maintains supremacy
‘Krishna was smiling’ – Because a friend had chosen to become a disciple
(b) The Bhagavad-gita is openly discussed between the two armies – Therefore this knowledge is
not for any particular person, community or society, but for everyone
Friends and enemies are equally entitled to hear this message
SUMMARISED THEME 2A
REFUTATIONS USED BY KRISHNA IN TEXTS 2.12 – 2.30
TO DISPEL ARJUNA’S MATERIAL COMPASSION
PLEASE NOTE: The refutations presented here are based on the commentaries of the ‘acharyas’ as used in
‘Surrender unto me’. They reflect the ‘thinking’ of Arjuna and may not be seen directly expressed in the Sanskrit
verses or translations.
FIRST
Krishna says: Individuality is never lost (2.12) – All living entities are eternal and
continue their individuality in future without interruption – Therefore
no lamentation for death (2.12)
SECOND
Arjuna may argue: Change of body is still a cause of lamentation
Krishna refutes: Change of body is as natural as change of boyhood to youth to old-
age. Nobody laments for such a natural change (2.13)
THIRD
Arjuna may argue: But we do lament for loss of youth to old-age
Krishna refutes: But Bhisma and Drona will get fresh bodies which can be heavenly
birth or spiritual bodies – therefore no lamentation (2.13)
(e.g. King Yayati traded his old age and got a fresh youthful body –
that was the cause of rejoicing)
FOURTH
Arjuna may think:
But attachment to current body of relatives will still be a cause of
lamentation on losing them
Krishna advises: No choice but to tolerate such non-permanent dualities (2.14)
They arise from sense perception
FIFTH
Krishna establishes
vision of seers of truth
and rebukes arjuna
(2.16 – 2.18)
Soul is eternal / Body is temporary Implies Kauravas cannot escape
death even if Arjuna does not kill (body is sure to end – 2.18)
SIXTH
Arjuna may argue: Violence incurs sinful reaction
Violence under My direction does not incur any sinful reaction (2.21
purport)
Krishna refutes:
SEVENTH
Arjuna may argue: Bhisma and Drona will lose their present bodies which are sources of
enjoyment for them
Change of body is like change of dress – They will get fresh bodies and
thus happiness (2.22)
Krishna refutes:
EIGHTH
Anyway Arjuna’s weapons cannot kill the soul (2.23 – 2.24)
NINTH
One may think: There is no soul, the body is all in all
Krishna further
establishes:
Even if there is no soul, still there is no cause of lamentation
for a loss of chemicals (2.26)
Classical Ācāryas
Śrī Śaṅkarācārya
Classical
Translation
2.11 Bhisma, Drona and others are not to be grieved for, because they are of noble character and are eternal in their real nature. With regard to them, asocyan, who are not to be grieved for; tvam, you; anvasocah, grieve, (thinking) 'They die because of me; without them what shall I do with dominion and enjoyment?'; ca, and; bhasase, you speak; prajnavadan, words of wisdom, words used by men of wisdom, of intelligence. The idea is, 'Like one mad, you show in yourself this foolishness and learning which are contradictory.'
Because, panditah, the learned, the knowers of the Self panda means wisdon about the Self; those indeed who have this are panditah, one the authority of the Upanisadic text, '৷৷.the knowers of Brahman, having known all about scholarship,৷৷.' (Br. 3.5.1) ['Therefore the knowers of Brahman, having known all about scholorship, should try to live upon that strength which comes of Knowledge; having known all about this strength as well as scholorship, he becomes meditative; having known all about both meditativeness and its opposite, he becomes a knower of Brahman.'] ; na anusocanti, do not grieve for; gatasun, the departed, whose life has become extinct; agatasun ca, and for those who have not departed, whose life has not left, the living. The ideas is, 'Your are sorrowing for those who are eternal in the real sense, and who are not to be grieved for. Hence your are a fool!.'
Śrī Rāmānujācārya
Classical
Translation
2.11 The Lord said You are grieving for those who do not deserve to be grieved for. You also speak words of wisdom about the nature of the body and the self as follows: 'The ancestors fall degraded, deprived of the ritual oblations of food and water' (I. 42). There is no reason for such grief for those who possess the knowledge of the nature of the body and the self. Those who know the exact truth will not grieve for those bodies from which life has departed and for those from whome the principle of life has not departed. They do not grieve for bodies or souls.
Hence, in you this contradiction is visible - your grief at the thought 'I shall slay them?' and at the same time your talk about righteousness and unrighteousness, as if it were the result of knowledge of the self as distinct from the body. Therefore you do not know the nature of the body nor of the self which is distinct from the body and is eternal. Nor do you know of duties like war etc., which (as duty) constitute the means for the attainment of the self, nor of the fact that this war (which forms a duty in the present context), if fought without any selfish desire for results, is a means for the attainment of the knowledge of the true nature of the self.
The implied meaning is this: This self, verily, is not dependent on the body for Its existence, nor is It subjected to destruction on the death of the body, as there is no birth or death for It. Therefore there is no cause for grief. But the body is insentient by nature, is subject to change, and its birth and death are natural; thus it (body) too is not to be grieved for.
First listen about the nature of the self.
Śrī Abhinavagupta
Classical
Translation
2.11 Asocyan etc. You lament for the body that cannot be lamented over, because it is of incessantly perishing nature; and also for the Soul that does not reire to be lamented. No one, either of departed life, i.e., the dead, or of non-departed life, i.e., the living, is to be mourned for. As for instance, the Soul is ever non-perishing. What sort of lamentability can be for It, as It is plessantly travelling in different bodies ? Nor is it right to say that Its lamentability is due only to Its travel in another body. For, in that case, It should be lamented for, even when the stage of youth etc., is attained.
In this manner, the two ideas [the Lord] relates :
Swami Sivananda
Classical
Translation
2.11 The Blessed Lord said Thou hast grieved for those that should not be grieved for, yet thou speakest words of wisdom. The wise grieve neither for the living nor for the dead.
Commentary
2.11 अशोच्यान् those who should not be grieved for? अन्वशोचः hast grieved? त्वम् thou? प्रज्ञावादान् words of wisdom? च and? भाषसे speakest? गतासून् the dead? अगतासून् the living? च and? न अनुशोचन्ति grieve not? पण्डिताः the wise.Commentary -- The philosophy of the Gita begins from this verse.Bhishma and Drona deserve no grief because they are eternal in their real nature and they are virtuous men who possess very good conduct. Though you speak words of wisdom? you are unwise because you grieve for those who are really eternal and who deserve no grief. They who are endowed with the knowledge of the Self are wise men. They will not grieve for the living or for the dead because they know well that the Self is immortal and that It is unborn. They also know that there is no such a thing as death? that it is a separation of the astral body from the physical? that death is nothing more than a disintegration of matter and that the five elements of which the body is composed return to their source. Arjuna had forgotten the eternal nature of the Soul and the changing nature of the body. Because of his ignorance? he began to act as if the temporary relations with kinsmen? teachers? etc.? were permanent. He forgot that his relations with this world in his present life were the results of past actions. These? when exhausted? end all relationship and new ones ones crop up when one takes on another body.The result of past actions is known as karm and that portion of the karma which gave rise to the present incarnation is known as prarabdha karma.
Swami Gambhīrānanda
Classical
Translation
2.11 The Blessed Lord said You grieve for whose who are not to be grieved for; and you speak words of wisdom! The learned do not grieve for the departed and those who have not departed.
Shri Purohit Swami
Classical
Translation
2.11 Lord Shri Krishna said: Why grieve for those for whom no grief is due, and yet profess wisdom? The wise grieve neither for the dead nor the living.
Related values & verses
Related values
Tyaga (Renunciation / Letting Go)Anahankarah (Freedom from False Ego)
Lamenting for what is not worthy of lament is the chief symptom of forgetting one's spiritual identity.
Practical Applications
Before grieving any loss, ask: am I lamenting the body, the soul, or my attachment to a form?
Notice how often grief is for things we never truly possessed.
Replace one habitual lament with a chant of Krishna's name today.
Reflection Questions
What am I lamenting that the wise would not lament?
How might my grief change shape if I saw the soul more clearly?
Analogy
A man weeps over a costume his friend has just removed, while the friend stands beside him, alive and well. Arjuna mourns the bodies of those whose souls are eternal — he speaks learned words but grieves like an unlearned man. The wise (paṇḍitāḥ) see who is wearing the costume; they do not lament for the cloth.
Stories
Yudhiṣṭhira and the yakṣa
At the lake, the yakṣa asked Yudhiṣṭhira: 'What is the greatest wonder?' Yudhiṣṭhira answered: 'Day after day countless beings die, yet the survivors wish to live forever — this is the greatest wonder.'
The wonder is precisely the inversion of paṇḍita-vision: those who should know death is universal still lament each particular death as if it were anomalous. The verse here cuts the same way — Arjuna speaks learned words while behaving as if death were not natural to the body.
King Citraketu and his dead son
When Citraketu's only son died, the king's grief was endless. Nārada and Aṅgirā came and summoned the son's soul back briefly. The soul addressed the weeping king: 'Through countless lives I have had countless parents. Which of them should I now claim as mine?'
The soul departed; the king's grief was cured not by consolation but by knowledge. The Sixth Canto's episode is the Bhāgavatam's commentary on this verse — paṇḍitāḥ are those who have already heard what Citraketu's son told his father.
న త్వేవాహం జాతు నాసం న త్వం నేమే జనాధిపాః ।
న చైవ నభవిష్యామః సర్వే వయమతః పరమ్ ॥ ౧౨ ॥
na tv evāhaṁ jātu nāsaṁ
[na tv evaaham jaatu naasam]
na tvaṁ neme janādhipāḥ
[na tvam neme janaadhipaah]
na caiva na bhaviṣyāmaḥ
[na chaiva na bhavishyaamah]
sarve vayam ataḥ param
[sarve vayam atah param]
Word-for-word
na—nevertu—buteva—certainlyaham—Ijātu—at any timena—did notāsam—existna—nottvam—youna—notime—all thesejana - adhipāḥ—kingsna—neverca—alsoeva—certainlyna—notbhaviṣyāmaḥ—shall existsarve vayam—all of usataḥ param—hereafter .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
na tv evāhaṁ jātu nāsaṁ
na
never
tu
but
na tvaṁ neme janādhipāḥ
na caiva na bhaviṣyāmaḥ
sarve vayam ataḥ param
eva
certainly
aham
I
jātu
at any time
na
did not
āsam
exist
na
not
tvam
you
na
not
ime
all these
jana - adhipāḥ
kings
na
never
ca
also
eva
certainly
na
not
bhaviṣyāmaḥ
shall exist
sarve vayam
all of us
ataḥ param
hereafter .
Important Words
jātu—at any time
An emphatic 'ever'. Kṛṣṇa locks the door at both ends: at no past time did we not exist, at no future time will we cease. The eternity is bilateral, not just forward-going.
āsam—I was
First person imperfect of √as — to be. Kṛṣṇa says of Himself: I was. The verse is a direct ātma-vacana — a self-statement by Bhagavān about His own eternal existence.
jana - adhipāḥ—the kings
Not abstract souls but the specific kings on the battlefield. The eternality being taught is not philosophical only — it is about Bhīṣma, Droṇa, Duryodhana, every named warrior. The Gītā's metaphysics is always pointed at the immediate.
sarve vayam—all of us
Compound — *all we*. The plurality of selves is affirmed: not one soul appearing as many, but many souls all eternal. Gauḍīya siddhānta defends this verse against monism.
ataḥ param—hereafter
Literally 'beyond this'. Kṛṣṇa points to the future beyond the present body. The Gītā insists that 'hereafter' is real, not metaphorical.
Never was there a time when I did not exist, nor you, nor all these kings; nor in the future shall any of us cease to be.
Purport
In the Vedas – in the Kaṭha Upaniṣad as well as in the Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad – it is said that the Supreme Personality of Godhead is the maintainer of innumerable living entities, in terms of their different situations according to individual work and reaction of work. That Supreme Personality of Godhead is also, by His plenary portions, alive in the heart of every living entity. Only saintly persons who can see, within and without, the same Supreme Lord can actually attain to perfect and eternal peace. nityo nityānāṁ cetanaś cetanānām eko bahūnāṁ yo vidadhāti kāmān tam ātma-sthaṁ ye ’nupaśyanti dhīrās teṣāṁ śāntiḥ śāśvatī netareṣām ( Kaṭha Upaniṣad 2.2.13) The same Vedic truth given to Arjuna is given to all persons in the world who pose themselves as very learned but factually have but a poor fund of knowledge. The Lord says clearly that He Himself, Arjuna and all the kings who are assembled on the battlefield are eternally individual beings and that the Lord is eternally the maintainer of the individual living entities both in their conditioned and in their liberated situations. The Supreme Personality of Godhead is the supreme individual person, and Arjuna, the Lord’s eternal associate, and all the kings assembled there are individual eternal persons. It is not that they did not exist as individuals in the past, and it is not that they will not remain eternal persons. Their individuality existed in the past, and their individuality will continue in the future without interruption. Therefore, there is no cause for lamentation for anyone. The Māyāvādī theory that after liberation the individual soul, separated by the covering of māyā, or illusion, will merge into the impersonal Brahman and lose its individual existence is not supported herein by Lord Kṛṣṇa, the supreme authority. Nor is the theory that we only think of individuality in the conditioned state supported herein. Kṛṣṇa clearly says herein that in the future also the individuality of the Lord and others, as it is confirmed in the Upaniṣads, will continue eternally. This statement of Kṛṣṇa’s is authoritative because Kṛṣṇa cannot be subject to illusion. If individuality were not a fact, then Kṛṣṇa would not have stressed it so much – even for the future. The Māyāvādī may argue that the individuality spoken of by Kṛṣṇa is not spiritual, but material. Even accepting the argument that the individuality is material, then how can one distinguish Kṛṣṇa’s individuality? Kṛṣṇa affirms His individuality in the past and confirms His individuality in the future also. He has confirmed His individuality in many ways, and impersonal Brahman has been declared to be subordinate to Him. Kṛṣṇa has maintained spiritual individuality all along; if He is accepted as an ordinary conditioned soul in individual consciousness, then His Bhagavad-gītā has no value as authoritative scripture. A common man with all the four defects of human frailty is unable to teach that which is worth hearing. The Gītā is above such literature. No mundane book compares with the Bhagavad-gītā. When one accepts Kṛṣṇa as an ordinary man, the Gītā loses all importance. The Māyāvādī argues that the plurality mentioned in this verse is conventional and that it refers to the body. But previous to this verse such a bodily conception is already condemned. After condemning the bodily conception of the living entities, how was it possible for Kṛṣṇa to place a conventional proposition on the body again? Therefore, individuality is maintained on spiritual grounds and is thus confirmed by great ācāryas like Śrī Rāmānuja and others. It is clearly mentioned in many places in the Gītā that this spiritual individuality is understood by those who are devotees of the Lord. Those who are envious of Kṛṣṇa as the Supreme Personality of Godhead have no bona fide access to the great literature. The nondevotee’s approach to the teachings of the Gītā is something like that of a bee licking on a bottle of honey. One cannot have a taste of honey unless one opens the bottle. Similarly, the mysticism of the Bhagavad-gītā can be understood only by devotees, and no one else can taste it, as it is stated in the Fourth Chapter of the book. Nor can the Gītā be touched by persons who envy the very existence of the Lord. Therefore, the Māyāvādī explanation of the Gītā is a most misleading presentation of the whole truth. Lord Caitanya has forbidden us to read commentations made by the Māyāvādīs and warns that one who takes to such an understanding of the Māyāvādī philosophy loses all power to understand the real mystery of the Gītā. If individuality refers to the empirical universe, then there is no need of teaching by the Lord. The plurality of the individual soul and the Lord is an eternal fact, and it is confirmed by the Vedas as above mentioned.
— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura
Gauḍīya
Translation
12. It is not that I, you and these kings did not exist, and nor in the future will we not exist.
Commentary
“Now, O friend, I will ask you a question. When you see the death of a person you love, you lament. But is the object of affection while the person is in this world the soul or the body? Śukadeva says that the soul is most dear in all living beings:
sarveṣām eva bhūtānāṁ nṛpa svātmaiva vallabhaḥ. (SB 10.14.50) If the soul is the object of affection, the soul should not be the object of lamentation, because it cannot suffer death, since both types of ātmā, the jīva and īśvara are eternal.” With this intention, He speaks this verse.
It is not that I, the Paramātmā, have ever not been in existence, but rather I have always existed. You also, a jīvātmā, have also always existed. These kings also, jīvātmās, have always existed. Here the Lord shows that previous non-existence (prāg-abhāva) is absent for all souls. And it is not that I, you, and all these kings (sarve vayam) will not exist in the future. Rather we will certainly exist. Here he shows that the soul is devoid of destruction (dhvaṁsa abhāva). By this he concludes that since the Paramātmā and the jīva are both eternal, there is no cause for lamentation. The śruti says:
nityo nityānāṁ cetanaś cetanānām eko bahūnāṁ yo vidadhāti kāmān
He is the chief eternal among all eternals. He is the chief conscious entity among all conscious entities, the one fulfills the needs of all others. Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad 6.13
Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa
Gauḍīya
Translation
12. Never have I not existed nor, you nor these kings. Nor in the future will we ever not exist.
Commentary
Thus, having establishing Arjuna’s lack of wisdom through his unsuitable lamentation, the Lord of all beings, Bhagavān, next speaks about the fundamental difference between the jīvas and Himself to Arjuna, who was desirous of knowing the truth, and was thus standing with folded hands. That difference is established in the śruti:
nityo nityānāṁ cetanaś cetanānām eko bahūnāṁ yo vidadhāti kāmān
He is the eternal among all eternal entities, and the chief conscious being among all conscious beings. Among the many living entities, He is the chief, who fulfills their desires. Śvetāsvatara Upaniṣad 6.13
O Arjuna, it is not that I, the Lord of all, Bhagavān, have not existed at some time (jātu) previously, at some beginning point. I have certainly existed. It is not that you also have not existed. You existed for certain. It is not that these kings did not exist. They existed for certain. And it is not that in the future, at some end point in time, all of us—I, you and all these kings—will not exist. For certain we will exist. Because the jīva, like the Lord of all, exists in all three phases of time, it is not proper to lament concerning the jīva.
This is not just a conventional, illusory difference (vyavahārka bheda) between the jīva and the Lord, caused by ignorance (but which will disappear with the dawn of knowledge), because bhagavān, being omniscient, has no connection with ignorance. As well, even in the liberated state, the jīva’s separate designation is acknowledged in the scriptures. This is illustrated by such statements as:
idaṁ jṣānam upāśritya mama sādharmyam āgatāḥ
sarge’pi nopajāyante pralaye na vyathanti ca
By becoming fixed in this knowledge, one can attain a transcendental nature like My own. Thus established, one is not born at the time of creation or disturbed at the time of dissolution. BG 14.2
One should also not say that the Lord, though actually fixed in non-duality, sees difference between Arjuna and Himself by invoking the theory of bādhita anuvṛtti, by which the liberated soul continues to have an appearance of dualistic vision after the illusion has been destroyed, but which does not create bondage. Even if such a theory were true, teachings could still not take place. Though one may think that a mirage in the desert is water, when that misconception is corrected, one continues with the conviction that the water is false. Though one continues to see the illusion of water in the desert after one has annulled the misconception, because one has the conviction that what he perceives false water, he does not try to take up that water for drinking or other uses. The Lord, continuing a sense of duality which has actually annulled by His realization of non-duality, and thus seeing difference between Arjuna and Himself (according to the theory of bādhita anuvṛtti), the Lord would not engage in teaching Arjuna whatsoever, because he actually would discern the truth of the matter— that duality of Himself and Arjuna was an illusion. [Note: The impersonalists advocate the theory of bādhita anuvrtti to explain the existence of the jīvana mukta, who is beyond duality, but can teach others, when teaching implies duality. According to this theory the liberated soul somehow maintains a type of conditional vision even after realizing non-duality as long as he maintains his body. This conditional vision caused by residual avidya does not interfere with his realization. However, even if he does have that temporary dualistic vision after non-dualistic realization, he would not act as if situated in dualism by teaching, since he would know that the dualism is false. This argument is given by Rāmanuja in his commentary on this verse.]
“Through the teachings of scripture, we find that the intended subject must be non-difference of soul and the Lord since the object of scripture is to speak of something unknown (non-duality) and of beneficial result, and not to speak of what is already known (conventional duality) and useless. This is to be explained as the import of śrutis statements such as adbhyo vā eṣa prātar udety apaḥ sāyaṁ praviśati:: in the morning the sun rises from the water and in the evening merges in the water. (Aitreya Brāhmaṇa 4.20.13)” [Note: The statement is common knowledge and thus useless. It is approximate knowledge at best. However we have to search for deeper significance concerning something unknown to us, the merging of self into God, in the scriptures. This verse is also quoted in Vedānta Syamantaka 3.24.]
This is foolish, for śruti declares difference alone:
pṛthag ātmānaṁ preritāraṁ ca matvā juṣṭas tatas tenāmṛtatvam eti
Having understood that the soul and the inciter of action (the Lord) are different, thus gaining the love of the Lord, one attains freedom from death. Śvetāsvatara Upaniṣad 1.6
This statement shows the value of knowledge of difference between the soul and the Lord, because of the mention of attaining a beneficial result for the individual ātmā—his attainment of freedom from death (amṛtatvam eti).
The descriptions of God and jīva are also something unknown to common men, because they correlate distinctive, contrary qualities to God and jīva. The mutually contrary qualities of the Lord and the jīva—greatness and smallness, lordship and servitude— can be understood only through scripture.
Also, the result of knowledge of non-difference is no result at all, because of non-acceptance of results. [Note: The opponent raised the argument that scriptures should speak of something unknown, which gives beneficial results. But since non-duality means not being conscious of anything, there can be no result at all.]
Absolute non-duality, which the monists say is unknown, is actually unknowable, because it does not actually exist, like horns on a rabbit, and therefore is useless. [Note: The one unchanging Brahman without form or qualities is pure consciousness, but that consciousness cannot know itself or anything, since there is nothing to know or do, and any knowledge will create change. Therefore it is consciousness in name only, but is no better than dull matter.] In this way real difference between the soul and the Lord has been established.
Bhūrijana Dāsa
Gauḍīya
Commentary
Here in the beginning of Krsna's instructions that we are not our body but spiritual souls, Krsna is also defeating Mayavada philosophy. Because He is identifying right from the very beginning that He is an individual, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and Arjuna and each one of the Kings are also individuals.
Krsna is very clearly stressing His individuality and the living entities' individuality in the past, present, and future. And He is not stressing His individuality based on the body because after all He is His body, He doesn't have a material body. And if the impersonalists say that Krsna has a material body so why they read and discuss Bhagavad‑gita?
Study Notes — Gauranga Priya Dāsa
Gauranga Priya Dāsa
Study
Bhakti-śāstrī Notes, ISKCON Chowpatty (2009)
Theme
We are all eternal individuals – Therefore there is no cause of lamentation for change of bodies
LINK BETWEEN TEXTS 2.12 & 2.13: This basic understanding of the difference between the individual
soul and his temporary body is further stressed in the next verse
Supreme Personality of Godhead is the maintainer of innumerable living entities
How is He maintaining?
In terms of different situations according to ‘individual work’ and ‘reaction of work’
Also by plenary portion, He is alive in the heart of all living entities
Visions of Saintly Persons who achieve ‘perfect and eternal peace’ – They can see same Supreme Lord within and without
(b) Refutation of Mayavadi Theory – The following points are refuted:
What is their theory?
Individual soul is separated or broken from original consciousness by covering of Maya or illusion
▪ Refutation – But we know that the soul is unbreakable (Ref. Bg. 2.13 & 2.23)
After liberation the soul merges or dissolves homogenously into impersonal Brahman and lose individual existence
▪ Refutation – But we know that the soul is insoluble and never dissolves (Ref.
Bg. 2.24)
Also refutes the following points
Mayavadi may argue: “Individuality exists only in conditioned state”
▪ Refutation – Krishna clearly states individuality of the Lord and the living
entities for future also (importance of Krishna’s statement as authoritative –
because Krishna cannot be subject to illusion)
Mayavadi may argue: “ Individuality is material and not ‘spiritual’
▪ Refutation – Then how can one distinguish Krishna’s individuality. Krishna
confirms His individuality in the past and also in the future. If Krishna is an
ordinary conditioned soul, born of four defects, then Bhagavad-gita loses all
value
Mayavadi argues: “Plurality mentioned in this verse refers to body”
▪ Refutation – But Bodily conception condemned in the previous verse
Why would Lord place a conventional proposition on the body again
If “Individuality refers to the Empirical universe”
▪ Refutation: Then there is no need of teaching by the Lord
(c) Only a ‘devotee’ can understand the ‘Bhagavad-gita’ and the concept of ‘Spiritual
Individuality’(Ref. Bg. Chapter 4)
Who cannot understand – Those who are envious of the Lord
(d) Failure of Mayavada
Analogy to explain ‘Failure of Mayavadis/Non-Devotees’ – Bees licking the bottle of honey
Ref. Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu on Mayavada
He forbids us to read the most misleading Mayavada presentations on Bhagavad-gita
Classical Ācāryas
Śrī Śaṅkarācārya
Classical
Translation
2.12 Why are they not to be grieved for? Because they are eternal. How? Na tu eva, but certainly it is not (a fact); that jatu, at any time; aham, I ; na asam, did not exist; on the contrary, I did exist. The idea is that when the bodies were born or died in the past, I existed eternally. [Here Ast. adds ghatadisu viyadiva, like Space in pot etc.-Tr.] Similarly, na tvam, nor is it that you did not exist; but you surely existed. Ca, and so also; na ime, nor is it that these ; jana-adhipah, rulers of men, did not exist. On the other hand, they did exist. And similarly, na eva, it is surely not that; vayam, we; sarve, all; na bhavisyamah, shall cease to exist; atah param, after this, even after the destruction of this body. On the contrary, we shall exist. The meaning is that even in all the three times (past, present and future) we are eternal in our nature as the Self. The plural number (in we) is used following the diversity of the bodies, but not in the sense of the multiplicity of the Self.
Śrī Rāmānujācārya
Classical
Translation
2.12 Indeed, I, the Lord of all, who is eternal, was never non-existent, but existed always. It is not that these selves like you, who are subject to My Lordship, did not exist; you have always existed. It is not that 'all of us', I and you, shall cease to be 'in the future', i.e., beyond the present time; we shall always exist. Even as no doubt can be entertainted that I, the Supreme Self and Lord of all, am eternal, likewise, you (Arjuna and all others) who are embodied selves, also should be considered eternal.
The foregoing implies that the difference between the Lord, the sovereign over all, and the individual selves, as also the differences among the individual selves themselves, are real. This has been declared by the Lord Himself. For, different terms like 'I', 'you', 'these', 'all' and 'we' have been used by the Lord while explaining the truth of eternality in order to remove the misunderstanding of Arjuna who is deluded by ignorance.
[Now follows a refutation of the Upadhi theory of Bhaskara and the Ignorance theory of the Advaitins which deny any ultimate difference between the Lord and the Jivas.]
If we examine (Bhaskara's) theory of Upadhis (adjuncts), which states that the apparent differences among Jivas are due to adjuncts, it will have to be admitted that mention about differences is out of place when explaining the ultimate truth, because the theory holds that there are no such differences in reality. But that the differences mentioned by the Lord are natural, is taught by the Sruti also: 'Eternal among eternals, sentient among sentients, the one, who fulfils the desires of the many' (Sve. U. VI. 13, Ka. U. V. 13).
The meaning of the text is: Among the eternal sentient beings who are countless, He, who is the Supreme Spirit, fulfils the desires of all.'
As regards the theory of the Advaitins that the perception of difference is brought about by ignorance only and is not really real, the Supreme Being - whose vision must be true and who, therefore must have an immediate cognition of the differencelss and immutable and eternal consciousness as constituting the nature of the Atman in all authenticity, and who must thery be always free from all ignorance and its effects - cannot possibly perceive the so-called difference arising from ignornace. It is, therefore, unimaginable that He engages himself in activities such as teaching, which can proceed only from such a perception of differences arising from ignorance.
The argument that the Supreme Being, though possessed of the understanding of nom-duality, can still have the awareness of such difference persisting even after sublation, just as a piece of cloth may have been burnt up and yet continues to have the appearance of cloth, and that such a continuance of the subltated does not cause bondage - such an argument is invalid in the light of another analogy of a similar kind, namely, the perception of the mirage, which, when understood to be what it is, does not make one endeavour to fetch water therefrom. In the same way even if the impression of difference negated by the non-dualistic illumination persists, it cannot impel one to activities such as teaching; for the object to whom the instruction is to be imparted is discovered to be unreal. The idea is that just as the discovery of the non-existence of water in a mirage stops all effort to get water from it, so also when all duality is sublated by illumination, no activity like teaching disciples etc., can take place.
Nor can the Lord be conceived as having been previously ignorant and as attaining knowledge of unity through the scirptures, and as still being subject to the continuation of the stultified experiences. Such a position would stand in contradiction to the Sruti and the Smrti: 'He, who is all-comprehender' (Mun. U., 1. 1. 9); all knower and supreme and natural power of varied types are spoken of in Srutis, such as knowledge, strength and action' (Sve. U. 6. 8); 'I know, Arjuna, all beings of the past, present and future but no one knows Me,' etc. (Gita 7. 26).
And again, if the perception of difference and distinction are said to persist even after the unitary Self has been decisively understood, the estion will arise - to whom will the Lord and the succession of teachers of the tradition impart the knowledge in accordance with their understanding? The estion needs an answer. The idea is that knowledge of non-duality and perception of differences cannot co-exist. If it be replied by Advaitins holding the Bimba-Pratibimba (the original and reflections) theory that teachers give instructions to their own reflections in the form of disciples such as Arjuna, it would amount to an absurdity.
For, no one who is not out of his senses would undertake to give any instruction to his own reflections in mediums such as a precious stone, the blade of a sword or a mirror, knowing, as he does, that they are non-different from himself. The theory of the persistence of the sublated is thus impossible to maintain, as the knowledge of the unitary self destroys the beginningless ignorance in which differences falling outside the self are supposed to be rooted. 'The persistence of the sublated' does occur in cases such as the vision of the two moons, where the cause of the vision is the result of some real defect in eyesight, nor removable by the right understanding of the singleness of the moon. Even though the perception of the two moons may continue, the sublated cognition is rendered inconseential on the strength of strong contrary evidence. For, it will not lead to any activity appropriate for a real experience.
But in the present context (i.e. the Advaitic), the conception of difference, whose object and cause are admittedly unreal, is cancelled by the knowledge of reality. So the 'persistence of the sublated' can in no way happen. Thus, if the Supreme Lord and the present succession of preceptors have attained the understanding of (Non-dual) reality, their perception of difference and work such as teaching proceeding from that perception, are impossible. If, on the other hand, the perception of difference persists because of the continuance of ignorance and its cause, then these teachers are themselves ignorant of the truth, and they will be incapable of teaching the truth.
Further, as the preceptor has attained the knowledge of the unitary self and thery the ignorance concerning Brahman and all the effects of such ignorance are thus annihilated, there is no purpose in instructing the disciple. It it is held that the preceptor and his knowledge are just in the imagination of the disciple, the disciple and his knowledge are similarly the product of the imagination of the preceptor, and as such can not put an end to the ignorance in estion. If it is maintained that the disciple's knowledge destroys ignorance etc., because it contradicts the antecedent state of non-enlightenment, the same can be asserted of the preceptor's knowledge. The futility of such teachings is obvious. Enough of these unsound doctrines which have all been refuted.
Śrī Abhinavagupta
Classical
Translation
2.12 See Comment under 2.13
Swami Sivananda
Classical
Translation
2.12 Nor at any time indeed was I not, nor thou, nor these rulers of men, nor verily shall we ever cease to be hereafter.
Commentary
2.12 न not? तु indeed? एव also? अहम् I? जातु at any time? न not? आसम् was? न not? त्वम् thou? न not? इमे these? जनाधिपाः rulers of men? न not? च and? एव also? न not? भविष्यामः shall be? सर्वे all? वयम् we? अतः from this time? परम् after.Commentary -- Lord Krishna speaks here of the immortality of the Soul or the imperishable nature of the Self (Atman). The Soul exists in the three periods of time (past? present and future). Man continues to exist even after the death of the physical body. There is life beyond.
Swami Gambhīrānanda
Classical
Translation
2.12 But certainly (it is) not (a fact) that I did not exist at any time; nor you, nor these rulers of men. And surely it is not that we all shall cease to exist after this.
Shri Purohit Swami
Classical
Translation
2.12 There was never a time when I was not, nor thou, nor these princes were not; there will never be a time when we shall cease to be.
The soul existed before this body, exists now, and will exist after — every soul, including the Lord, is eternal.
Practical Applications
Begin each day reminding yourself that you are a soul, not the body waking up.
When you fear loss, recall that the souls you love are eternal even when bodies are not.
Speak to children and elders with awareness of their eternal nature.
Reflection Questions
When do I most forget my own eternal nature?
How would my relationships shift if I held everyone's eternity in mind?
Analogy
Flames on countless lamps — each lamp distinct, each flame eternal in the substrate of fire. The lamps come and go; the principle of fire is not born and does not die. So with the Lord and the jīvas: each is eternally individual, never abolished in the past or future.
dehinaḥ—of the embodiedasmin—in thisyathā—asdehe—in the bodykaumāram—boyhoodyauvanam—youthjarā—old agetathā—similarlydeha - antara—of transference of the bodyprāptiḥ—achievementdhīraḥ—the sobertatra—thereuponna—nevermuhyati—is deluded .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
dehino ’smin yathā dehe
dehinaḥ
of the embodied
kaumāraṁ yauvanaṁ jarā
tathā dehāntara-prāptir
dhīras tatra na muhyati
asmin
in this
yathā
as
dehe
in the body
kaumāram
boyhood
yauvanam
youth
jarā
old age
tathā
similarly
deha - antara
of transference of the body
prāptiḥ
achievement
dhīraḥ
the sober
tatra
thereupon
na
never
muhyati
is deluded .
Important Words
dehinaḥ—of the embodied
Genitive of dehin — the possessor of a body, the soul. The verse's grammar already does the work of the teaching: there is a *possessor* of the body, distinct from the body.
kaumāram—boyhood
The first station. Already the listener has experienced one bodily transition — from the infant's body to the boy's. The verse uses what the listener already knows to teach what he does not.
deha - antara—another body
Antara — *another*, *further*. The next body after this one is treated as one more in a series, not as a categorical break. Death is rendered grammatically equivalent to growing up.
dhīraḥ—the sober one
From √dhṛ — to hold steady. The dhīra is the one who holds the mind steady across transitions. Not unfeeling — unbewildered. The Gītā's first technical name for the realized practitioner.
muhyati—is bewildered
From √muh — to be confused. Moha will become a great theme of the chapter. Here Kṛṣṇa first uses its verb, with negation: the dhīra does *not* muh at the transition. The whole Gītā is anti-moha.
As the embodied soul continuously passes, in this body, from boyhood to youth to old age, the soul similarly passes into another body at death. A sober person is not bewildered by such a change.
Purport
Since every living entity is an individual soul, each is changing his body every moment, manifesting sometimes as a child, sometimes as a youth and sometimes as an old man. Yet the same spirit soul is there and does not undergo any change. This individual soul finally changes the body at death and transmigrates to another body; and since it is sure to have another body in the next birth – either material or spiritual – there was no cause for lamentation by Arjuna on account of death, neither for Bhīṣma nor for Droṇa, for whom he was so much concerned. Rather, he should rejoice for their changing bodies from old to new ones, thereby rejuvenating their energy. Such changes of body account for varieties of enjoyment or suffering, according to one’s work in life. So Bhīṣma and Droṇa, being noble souls, were surely going to have spiritual bodies in the next life, or at least life in heavenly bodies for superior enjoyment of material existence. So, in either case, there was no cause of lamentation. Any man who has perfect knowledge of the constitution of the individual soul, the Supersoul, and nature – both material and spiritual – is called a dhīra, or a most sober man. Such a man is never deluded by the change of bodies. The Māyāvādī theory of oneness of the spirit soul cannot be entertained, on the ground that the spirit soul cannot be cut into pieces as a fragmental portion. Such cutting into different individual souls would make the Supreme cleavable or changeable, against the principle of the Supreme Soul’s being unchangeable. As confirmed in the Gītā, the fragmental portions of the Supreme exist eternally ( sanātana ) and are called kṣara; that is, they have a tendency to fall down into material nature. These fragmental portions are eternally so, and even after liberation the individual soul remains the same – fragmental. But once liberated, he lives an eternal life in bliss and knowledge with the Personality of Godhead. The theory of reflection can be applied to the Supersoul, who is present in each and every individual body and is known as the Paramātmā. He is different from the individual living entity. When the sky is reflected in water, the reflections represent both the sun and the moon and the stars also. The stars can be compared to the living entities and the sun or the moon to the Supreme Lord. The individual fragmental spirit soul is represented by Arjuna, and the Supreme Soul is the Personality of Godhead Śrī Kṛṣṇa. They are not on the same level, as it will be apparent in the beginning of the Fourth Chapter. If Arjuna is on the same level with Kṛṣṇa, and Kṛṣṇa is not superior to Arjuna, then their relationship of instructor and instructed becomes meaningless. If both of them are deluded by the illusory energy ( māyā ), then there is no need of one being the instructor and the other the instructed. Such instruction would be useless because, in the clutches of māyā, no one can be an authoritative instructor. Under the circumstances, it is admitted that Lord Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Lord, superior in position to the living entity, Arjuna, who is a forgetful soul deluded by māyā.
— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura
Gauḍīya
Translation
13. As the soul passes through boyhood, youth and old age, so it attains another body after death. The wise are not bewildered by this.
Commentary
“One’s body becomes the object of affection as it is related to the soul (which is most dear to the self.) By relation with that body, one’s sons, brothers or other relatives become objects of affection. And by relationship to them, even their sons also become objects of affection. So when their bodies perish, there will certainly be lamentation.”
In answer to this, He speaks this verse. “In the body belonging to the jīva (dehinaḥ) one attains stages such as boyhood. After boyhood is destroyed one attains youth. When youth is destroyed one attains old age. In the same manner, one attains another body (after death). Just as (yathā) one does not lament for the destruction of the objects of affection in the form of boyhood and youth of the body which are related to the soul (and therefore dear), so (tathā) one should also not lament for the destruction of the object of affection, the body, which is also related to the soul.”
“But with the destruction of youth and attaining old age, one does lament.”
“But then again, with the destruction of boyhood and attainment of youth one rejoices. And with the destruction of worn out bodies of Bhīṣma and Droṇa, they will attain new bodies and will also become joyful.”
Another meaning is: Just as in one body a jīva attains various states such as boyhood, the same jīva attains various bodies life after life (and therefore one should not lament). [Note: In the first interpretation one should not lament because changes from boyhood to youth and change of body are all incidental to the ātmā which remains most dear. In the second interpretation one should not lament for the dead body because a person will get another body after death.]
Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa
Gauḍīya
Translation
13. As the soul passes through boyhood, youth and old age, so he attains another body at death. The wise are not bewildered by this.
Commentary
“In spite of the eternal nature of the souls distinct from the bodies of Bhīṣma and others, it is appropriate to lament for the bodies which are the places of enjoyment.”
The soul, which has many bodies in the past, present and future, has the three states of childhood, youth and old age while existing in the present body. Just as one does not lament at gaining a succession of bodies, related to the soul, and suitable for his enjoyment, with the destruction of a series of previous bodies, the acquisition of another body with the destruction of the present body should be a source of jubilation for you, rather than a source of lamentation. In this manner, Yayāti became joyful on gaining a youthful body. The intelligent person (dhīraḥ), one who knows the true nature of the maturing karmas upon the jīva in combination with his impressions (svabhāva) [Note: The impressions are the mechanism or cause of remembrance of experiences from previous lives, by which he shows attraction or repulsion to particular objects. This is distinct from karma, the material response to his previous actions. The karma creates situations for the jīva by giving him a body and circumstances in life. The jīva then chooses to act, but greatly influenced by the impressions, rather than scriptural knowledge. A person not influenced by those impressions or his karma but by true knowledge is a dhīra.] and body, is not bewildered by the change. It should be understood that dehinaḥ (of he who possesses the body) is in the singular to denote a class (and does not imply that there is only one soul in existence) since previously the plurality of souls was stated (you and all these kings.)
The following claim is made by proponents of one soul (ekātmā vāda).
eka eva viśuddhātmā tasyāvidyayāparicchinnasya tasyāṁ pratibimbitasya vā nānātmatvam
The pure ātmā is one only. It appears as many souls either by division or reflection, through ignorance.
The śruti says:
ākāśam ekaṁ hi yathā ghaṭādiṣu pṛthag bhavet,
tathātmaiko hy anekastho hy jalādhāreṣv ivāṁśumān
Just as the one ether becomes separate entities in many pots, so the one ātmā becomes situated as many, as the sun is reflected on the substratum of water. Yajṣavalkya Saṁhitā, Yajur Veda, 3.4.144
The proponents of one soul claim that Kṛṣṇa speaks in the singular in this verse in order to teach oneness of the soul by rejection of plurality, since there is destruction of the false concept of plurality of souls through knowledge. This however is a foolish claim, because of the impossibility of dividing up a mass of consciousness by dull (and inferior) ignorance. Furthermore, even the proponents of one soul do not accept that the one Brahman can be the object of reflection or any action of anything else. [Note: Consciousness is a pure subject and never can become an object. It is not revealed by another object. Only Brahman exists. This is the advaita claim.] Also accepting a real division of the one soul would produce the fault of transformation in the soul, like breaking a rock with a chisel, which would contradict the soul’s unchangeable nature.
And it is impossible for the great formless Brahman to become reflected images (jīvas). Otherwise one would see reflections of space and the directions. [Note: Has anyone seen pure consciousness reflected in a mirror or water? Even material elements like akāśa which are formless and space (dik) cannot really be reflected in water or a mirror. What we see is caused by light and its product color. This is also explained in the commentary on Vedānta Sūtra 3.2.19.] The false proposition that this reflection is different from normal perception cannot be accepted (since the example was given from our perceptual experience to help us understand).
One can perceive a reflection of the sky only because of apprehending a group of glowing objects like constellations and planets within the sky shining on water. [Note: To say that the Brahman gets reflected as numerous jīvas, one would need a Brahman with qualities (sky with planets) that could be reflected and a substance like water (some real object other than brahman) upon which reflection takes place.]
Though the śruti refers to Brahman as ākāśa in such statements as ākāśam ekaṁ hi, mentioned above, this does not indicate a formless Brahman but rather paramātmā. When the śrutis speak of paramātmā as being like the ether or the sun they are proclaiming the many functions of paramātmā. Thus the word ākāśa used to describe the Lord is not contradictory.
Even the existence of an instructor of oneness is an impossibility. Does he know the truth or not? If he knows the truth—that there is only one ātmā—then the existence of someone to teach will not manifest. If he does not know the truth, then he is not in the position to teach knowledge of ātmā because of his ignorance. The argument that brahman can be the subject of bādhita anuvrtti, residual appearance of duality after it has been destroyed by knowledge, has already been rejected.
Bhūrijana Dāsa
Gauḍīya
Commentary
Arjuna is worried because he has to kill Bhisma, Drona and others. He is going to force them to die. So Krsna is telling him: "They cannot die because they are souls. And death is only a change of bodies, and this type of change of bodies isn't so rare because at one time Bhisma was a young boy, then a youth, then now, he is a old man. He has gone through so many changes of bodies. Death is just another change of body. Be sober, stop your lamentation because it is based on illusion!"
Arjuna might say: "But my relationship is with their bodies. So if they are killed, their bodies will be gone and I will be miserable".
Krsna's answer to that is:
[ 2‑ Performance of duty must not be effected by happiness and distress arising from sense perception. (14‑15) ]
Study Notes — Gauranga Priya Dāsa
Gauranga Priya Dāsa
Study
Bhakti-śāstrī Notes, ISKCON Chowpatty (2009)
Theme
A ‘Dhira’ is not bewildered by change of bodies
Change of body – “boyhood to youth to old-age to another body”
Classical Ācāryas
Śrī Śaṅkarācārya
Classical
Translation
2.13 As to that, to show how the Self is eternal, the Lord cites an illustration by saying,'৷৷.of the embodied,' etc. Yatha, as are, the manner in which; kaumaram, boyhood; yauvanam, youth, middle age; and jara, decrepitude, advance of age; dehinah, to an embodied being, to one who possesses a body (deha), to the Self possessing a body; asmin, in this, present; dehe, body . These three states are mutually distinct. On these, when the first state gets destroyed the Self does not get destroyed; when the second state comes into being It is not born. What then? It is seen that the Self, which verily remains unchanged, acires the second and third states. Tatha, similar, indeed; is Its, the unchanging Self's dehantarapraptih, acisition of another body, a body different from the present one. This is the meaning. Tatra, this being so; dhirah, an intelligent person; na, does not; muhyati, get deluded.
Śrī Rāmānujācārya
Classical
Translation
2.13 As the self is eternal, one does not grieve, thinking that the self is lost, when an embodied self living in a body gives up the state of childhood and attains youth and other states. Similarly, the wise men, knowing that the self is eternal, do not grieve, when the self attains a body different from the present body. Hence the selves, being eternal, are not fit objects for grief.
This much has to be done here; the eternal selves because of Their being subject ot beginningless Karma become endowed with bodies suited to Their Karmas. To get rid of this bondage (of bodies), embodied beings perform duties like war appropriate to their stations in life with the help of the same bodies in an attitude of detachment from the fruits as prescribed by the scripture. Even to such aspirants, contacts with sense-objects give pleasure and pain, arising from cold, heat and such other things. But these experiences are to be endured till the acts enjoined in the scriptures come to an end.
The Lord explains the significance immediately afterwards:
Śrī Abhinavagupta
Classical
Translation
2.12-13 Na hi etc. Dehinah etc Never indeed did I not exist, but I did exist [always]. Likewise are you and these kings. If there can be lamentability for one, on attaining change in physical form then why is one not lamented over when one attains the youth from the boyhood ? He, who is wise, does not lament. But, wisdom is easily attainable for him whose concern is not even for this [present] body. Therefore you must seek wisdom.
Swami Sivananda
Classical
Translation
2.13 Just as in this body the embodied (soul) passes into childhood, youth and old age, so also does it pass into another body; the firm man does not grieve thereat.
Commentary
2.13 देहिनः of the embodied (soul)? अस्मिन् in this? यथा as? देहे in body? कौमारम् childhood? यौवनम् youth? जरा old age? तथा so also? देहान्तरप्राप्तिः the attaining of another body? धीरः the firm? तत्र thereat? न not? मुह्यति grieves.Commentary -- Just as there is no interruption in the passing of childhood into youth and youth into old age in this body? so also there is no interruption by death in the continuity of the ego. The Self is not dead at the termination of the stage? viz.? childhood. It is certainly not born again at the beginning of the second stage? viz.? youth. Just as the Self passes unchanged from childhood to youth and from yourth to old age? so also the Self passes unchanged from one body into,another. Therefore? the wise man is not at all distressed about it.
Swami Gambhīrānanda
Classical
Translation
2.13 As are boyhood, youth and decrepitude to an embodied being in this (present) body, similar is the acisition of another body. This being so, an intelligent person does not get deluded.
Shri Purohit Swami
Classical
Translation
2.13 As the soul experiences in this body infancy, youth and old age, so finally it passes into another. The wise have no delusion about this.
The soul passes through childhood, youth, and old age in one body and then into the next — the dhīra is not bewildered by this passage.
Practical Applications
Reflect on the bodies you have already 'transitioned through' — infant, child, youth — and feel the continuity of the same self.
When facing aging or death, anchor in the dhīra-bhāva — the steadiness of one who knows the soul is unchanged.
Speak to a child and an elder today, and in both, look for the same eternal soul.
Reflection Questions
Where do I still treat the body's transitions as if they were my own annihilation?
What does it mean for me to live as a dhīra in this season of life?
Analogy
The same traveler walks first as child, then as youth, then as old man — three forms in one journey, one passenger throughout. The body's three ages, and then the body itself, are stations along the soul's road. The dhīra, the steady one, does not mistake the station for the traveler.
Stories
Bhīṣma chooses his moment of death
Lying on the bed of arrows, Bhīṣma waited for uttarāyaṇa — the auspicious northern course of the sun — before releasing the body. He was unbewildered by the transition; he chose its hour.
This verse names Bhīṣma's bhāva exactly: dhīras tatra na muhyati. The grandsire is the verse's living example, lying on the very field where Kṛṣṇa now speaks it.
మాత్రాస్పర్శాస్తు కౌన్తేయ శీతోష్ణసుఖదుఃఖదాః ।
ఆగమాపాయినోఽనిత్యాస్తాంస్తితిక్షస్వ భారత ॥ ౧౪ ॥
mātrā-sparśās tu kaunteya
[maatraa-sparshaas tu kaunteya]
śītoṣṇa-sukha-duḥkha-dāḥ
[sheetoshna-sukha-duhkha-daah]
āgamāpāyino ’nityās
[aagamaapaayino ’nityaas]
tāṁs titikṣasva bhārata
[taams titikshasva bhaarata]
Word-for-word
mātrā - sparśāḥ—sensory perceptiontu—onlykaunteya—O son of Kuntīśīta—winteruṣṇa—summersukha—happinessduḥkha—and paindāḥ—givingāgama—appearingapāyinaḥ—disappearinganityāḥ—nonpermanenttān—all of themtitikṣasva—just try to toleratebhārata—O descendant of the Bharata dynasty .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
mātrā-sparśās tu kaunteya
mātrā - sparśāḥ
sensory perception
tu
only
kaunteya
O son of Kuntī
śītoṣṇa-sukha-duḥkha-dāḥ
śīta
winter
uṣṇa
summer
sukha
happiness
duḥkha
and pain
dāḥ
giving
āgamāpāyino ’nityās
āgama
appearing
apāyinaḥ
disappearing
anityāḥ
nonpermanent
tāṁs titikṣasva bhārata
tān
all of them
titikṣasva
just try to tolerate
bhārata
O descendant of the Bharata dynasty .
Important Words
mātrā - sparśāḥ—sense contacts
Mātrā — the measure or limit of perception; sparśa — touch, contact. The compound names sensory experience itself. Heat, cold, joy, sorrow — all are mātrā-sparśas, surface waves over the deep self.
anityāḥ—not eternal
The key adjective. The cure for dread is the diagnosis of impermanence: this too will pass. Not nihilism — the higher reality remains; only the surface contact is anitya.
āgama - apāyinaḥ—appearing and disappearing
Compound of āgama (coming) and apāyin (going). The seasons come and go without your permission; the senses' verdict on the world does the same. The verse trains the listener to expect both.
titikṣasva—tolerate
Imperative from desiderative of √tij — to endure. Not 'feel nothing'; *endure*. The Gauḍīya commentators emphasize: tolerance is the active virtue of one who knows the contact will pass.
bhārata—O descendant of Bharata
Vocative. Kṛṣṇa addresses Arjuna by his lineage — *you come from a line of tolerators*. The name is a reminder of inherited strength.
O son of Kuntī, the nonpermanent appearance of happiness and distress, and their disappearance in due course, are like the appearance and disappearance of winter and summer seasons. They arise from sense perception, O scion of Bharata, and one must learn to tolerate them without being disturbed.
Purport
In the proper discharge of duty, one has to learn to tolerate nonpermanent appearances and disappearances of happiness and distress. According to Vedic injunction, one has to take his bath early in the morning even during the month of Māgha (January-February). It is very cold at that time, but in spite of that a man who abides by the religious principles does not hesitate to take his bath. Similarly, a woman does not hesitate to cook in the kitchen in the months of May and June, the hottest part of the summer season. One has to execute his duty in spite of climatic inconveniences. Similarly, to fight is the religious principle of the kṣatriyas, and although one has to fight with some friend or relative, one should not deviate from his prescribed duty. One has to follow the prescribed rules and regulations of religious principles in order to rise up to the platform of knowledge, because by knowledge and devotion only can one liberate himself from the clutches of māyā (illusion). The two different names of address given to Arjuna are also significant. To address him as Kaunteya signifies his great blood relations from his mother’s side; and to address him as Bhārata signifies his greatness from his father’s side. From both sides he is supposed to have a great heritage. A great heritage brings responsibility in the matter of proper discharge of duties; therefore, he cannot avoid fighting.
— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura
Gauḍīya
Translation
14. O son of Kuntī, the experience of the sense objects gives sensations of cold and heat, happiness and distress, always temporary, appearing and disappearing. O Bhārata, tolerate these.
Commentary
“Yes this is indeed true. I have shown such indiscretion. My mind, producing nonsense, uselessly covered with lamentation and bewilderment, causes me suffering.”
“It is not the mind alone. The various functions of the mind, in the form of all the senses such as skin, experiencing their sense objects, produce this problem (anartha). One has the experience (sparśa) of the sense objects (mātrā). In the hot season, cold water is pleasant, and in the cold season, it is painful. This happens in an uncontrolled manner, appearing and disappearing (āgama apāyinaḥ). Therefore you must tolerate these experiences of the sense objects. Tolerating them is part of dharma prescribed in the scriptures. One should not give up the bath in the month of Māgha because it gives pain, since it is prescribed in the scriptures. Following dharma gradually rids one of all low qualities. You must tolerate that sons give joy when they are born or earn money, and give sorrow when they die, by their temporary appearance and disappearance. One should not give up one’s scripturally prescribed duty to fight by that consideration. Not performing the prescribed duty eventually brings about great problems.”
Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa
Gauḍīya
Translation
14. O son of Kuntī, the experience of the sense objects gives sensations of cold and hot, happiness and distress, always temporary, appearing and disappearing. O Bhārata, tolerate these experiences of the sense objects.
Commentary
“Let there be no lamentation, caused by sorrow concerning Bhīṣma’s existence in the future after he dies, but I lament because of the grief caused by separation from him. Thus, my senses and mind are burning up.”
Mātrā means “the functions of the senses such as skin, by which the sense objects are defined (miyante).” Thus mātrā refers to the senses. After the perceptions (sparśa) of the sense objects by the senses (mātrā), the perceptions bestow sensations of hot, cold, happiness or distress. Cold water which in the summer gives pleasure, gives pain in the winter. Tolerate these temporary experiences (anityān) since they appear and disappear (āgamāpāyinaḥ), since they are uncertain. This means that just as one performs cold bath in the month of Magha, though it is difficult, because it is the injunction, by having a sense of duty, so Arjuna should fight with Bhīṣma and others though it is difficult, because of the rules of scripture. At the present he should tolerate the incidental experience of suffering because of the accomplishment of proper dharma. From dharma comes the appearance of jṣāna, and from jṣāna arises liberation, after which there is no compliance to follow those rules. Giving up dharma without first becoming firmly established in jṣāna gives rise to obstacles. O son of Kuntī, O descendant of Bharata, [Note: This Bharata was the son of Duṣyanta and Śakunalā.] it is improper for you to abandon the performance of dharma, since you have the purity of these two great families.
Bhūrijana Dāsa
Gauḍīya
Commentary
Krsna's instructions to Arjuna about this point that he is going to be very much miserable if Bhisma and Drona change their bodies: "Yes! But you must be tolerant!"
Study Notes — Gauranga Priya Dāsa
Gauranga Priya Dāsa
Study
Bhakti-śāstrī Notes, ISKCON Chowpatty (2009)
Theme
Tolerate dualities – One should not abandon religious duties due to bodily inconveniences or
transformations because:
Nonpermanent appearance and disappearance of happiness and distress are like appearance and disappearance of summer and winter seasons
They arise from sense perception
Learn to tolerate them without being disturbed
Focus of Learning
(a) This verse proves that there is no cause of lamentation because:
Bhisma and Drona will get fresh bodies
Also being noble, they will get spiritual or at least heavenly bodies, which implies higher elevation is guaranteed
(b) Definition of ‘Dhira’ – One who has perfect knowledge of the constitution of the soul, Supersoul
and nature (Both material and spiritual)
Undisturbed by change of bodies (2.13)
Tolerates dualities (2.14)
Thus becomes eligible for liberation (2.15)
(c) Refutation of Mayavadi – Their theory of oneness of spirit soul cannot be entertained because
Spirit soul cannot be cut into pieces as fragmental portions
Our Philosophy
Spirit Soul as eternal fragments – They cannot be cut, if could be cut then that would make Supreme cleavable as against principle of Supreme Soul’s being unchangeable
Spirit Soul (Fallible) vs Krishna (Infallible) – Fragmental portions exist eternally (Sanatana) but are Ksara (Fallible – tendency to fall) (Bg. 15.16 – 15.18)
Spirit Soul never merges in the Supreme Soul – even after liberation spirit soul remains fragmental
Spirit soul vs Supersoul (Theory of Reflection) –
▪ The theory of reflection can be applied to the Supersoul, who is present in each
and every individual body and is known as the Paramatma
▪ He is different from the individual living entity.
▪ When the sky is reflected in water, the reflections represent both the sun and
the moon and the stars also.
▪ The stars can be compared to the living entities and the sun or the moon to the
Supreme Lord.
▪ The individual fragmental spirit soul is represented by Arjuna, and the Supreme
Soul is the Personality of Godhead Sri Krishna.
(d) Soul is never equal to Supersoul – Established by:
Theory of reflection (as explained above)
If they are equal-position of instructor and instructed, holds no value
Thus Lord Krishna is the ‘Supreme Personality of Godhead’ and Arjuna is the ‘living entity’ who is the forgotten soul deluded by Maya
Classical Ācāryas
Śrī Śaṅkarācārya
Classical
Translation
2.14 'In the case of a man who knows that the Self is eternal, although there is no possibility of delusion concerning the destruction of the Self, still delusion, as of ordinary people, caused by the experience of cold, heat, happiness and sorrow is noticed in him. Delusion arises from being deprived of happiness, and sorrow arises from contact with pain etc.' apprehending this kind of a talk from Arjuna, the Lord said, 'But the contacts of the organs,' etc.
Matra-sparsah, the contacts of the organs with objects; are sita-usna-sukha-duhkha-dah, producers of cold, heat, happiness and sorrow. Matrah means those by which are marked off (measured up) sounds etc., i.e. the organs of hearing etc. The sparsah, contacts, of the organs with sound etc. are matra-sparsah. Or, sparsah means those which are contacted, i.e. objects, viz sound etc. Matra-sparsah, the organs and objects, are the producers of cold, heat, happiness and sorrow.
Cold sometimes produces pleasure, and sometimes pain. Similarly the nature of heat, too, is unpredictable. On the other hand, happiness and sorrow have definite natures since they do not change. Hence they are mentioned separately from cold and heat. Since they, the organs, the contacts, etc., agamapayinah, have a beginning and an end, are by nature subject to origination and destruction; therefore, they are anityah, transient. Hence, titiksasva, bear; tan, them cold, heart, etc., i.e. do not be happy or sorry with regard to them.
Śrī Rāmānujācārya
Classical
Translation
2.14 As sound, touch, form, taste and smell with their bases, are the effects of subtle elements (Tanmatras), they are called Matras. The contact with these through the ear and other senses gives rise to feelings of pleasure and pain, in the form of heat and cold, softness and hardness. The words 'cold and heat' illustrate other sensations too. Endure these with courage till you have discharged your duties as prescribed by the scriptures. The brave must endure them patiently, as they 'come and go'. They are transient. When the Karmas, which cause bondage, are destroyed, this 'coming and going' will end.
The Lord now explains the purpose of this endurance:
Śrī Abhinavagupta
Classical
Translation
2.14 Matra etc. But the unwise lament even over those passing situations of cold and heat, pleasure and pain that are created by those touches i.e., the contacts of the sense-objects-referable with the term matra - with the Soul through the door of the sense-organs; but the wise do not do so. Thus says [the Lord].
Or, the passage may be interpreted as : The touches (contacts) of these objects are with the matras, i.e., with the sense-organs, and not directly with the Supreme Self, Coming : birth. Going : destruction, Those situations that have these two you must forbear i.e., put up with.
Swami Sivananda
Classical
Translation
2.14 The contacts of the senses with the objects, O son of Kunti, which cause heat and cold, pleasure and pain, have a beginning and an end; they are impermanent; endure them bravely, O Arjuna.
Commentary
2.14 मात्रास्पर्शाः contacts of senses with objects? तु indeed? कौन्तेय O Kaunteya (son of Kunti)? शीतोष्णसुखदुःखदाः producers of cold and heat? pleasure and pain? आगमापायिनः with beginning and end? अनित्याः impermanent? तान् them? तितिक्षस्व bear (thou)? भारत O Bharata.Commentary -- Cold is pleasant at one time and painful at another. Heat is pleasant in winter but painful in summer. The same object that gives pleasure at one time gives pain at another time. So the sensecontacts that give rise to the sensations of heat and cold? pleasure and pain come and go. Therefore? they are impermanent in nature. The objects come in contact with the senses or the Indriyas? viz.? skin? ear? eye? nose? etc.? and the sensations are carried by the nerves to the mind which has its seat in the brain. It is the mind that feels pleasure and pain. One should try to bear patiently heat and cold? pleasure and pain and develop a balanced state of mind. (Cf.V.22)
Swami Gambhīrānanda
Classical
Translation
2.14 But the contacts of the organs with the objects are the producers of cold and heat, happiness and sorrow. They have a beginning and an end, (and) are transient. Bear them, O descendant of Bharata.
Shri Purohit Swami
Classical
Translation
2.14 Those external relations which bring cold and heat, pain and happiness, they come and go; they are not permanent. Endure them bravely, O Prince!
Heat and cold, pleasure and pain — these come and go like seasons; the wise do not let them dictate the course of their dharma.
Practical Applications
When discomfort arises, name it as 'just a season' (āgamāpāyinaḥ) — coming and going.
Tolerate one inconvenience today without complaint, as a small training in titikṣā.
Do not adjust your sādhana to your moods; let the moods adjust to your sādhana.
Reflection Questions
Which discomfort am I treating as permanent that is actually only a season?
Where have I let weather (mental or material) suspend my dharma?
Analogy
A traveler crosses both summer and winter on a long road. He does not panic in the heat or weep in the cold — he tolerates, knowing both pass. Sense-contact gives heat and cold, joy and sorrow, in the same way. The wise traveler titikṣasva — endures.
Stories
Haridāsa Ṭhākura beaten in twenty-two marketplaces
On the order of the Kazi, Haridāsa was beaten with rods in twenty-two market squares. The expectation was that he would either die or renounce the holy name. Instead, he chanted continuously and felt no anger toward the beaters — praying that the sin not fall on them.
When the body's pain was unbearable, his consciousness was elsewhere — fixed on the Name. He demonstrated mātrā-sparśās tāṁs titikṣasva in its mature form: the sense-touch of the rods came and went; the soul-touch of the Name remained. He was Mahāprabhu's example of the perfect endurer.
King Parīkṣit and the brāhmaṇa's curse
Cursed to die in seven days, Parīkṣit did not lament the heat of approaching death or seek to cool it with diversion. He sat on the bank of the Gaṅgā, fasting, and listened to the Bhāgavatam from Śuka. He let the sense-touch of approaching death pass without disturbance, and used the seven days to fix his mind on Kṛṣṇa.
The verse's bhārata-titikṣā became, in his hands, the doorway to liberation.
yam—one to whomhi—certainlyna—nevervyathayanti—are distressingete—all thesepuruṣam—to a personpuruṣa - ṛṣabha—O best among mensama—unalteredduḥkha—in distresssukham—and happinessdhīram—patientsaḥ—heamṛtatvāya—for liberationkalpate—is considered eligible .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
yaṁ hi na vyathayanty ete
yam
one to whom
hi
certainly
na
never
vyathayanti
are distressing
ete
all these
puruṣaṁ puruṣarṣabha
puruṣam
to a person
puruṣa - ṛṣabha
O best among men
sama
unaltered
sama-duḥkha-sukhaṁ dhīraṁ
duḥkha
in distress
sukham
and happiness
dhīram
patient
saḥ
he
amṛtatvāya
for liberation
so ’mṛtatvāya kalpate
kalpate
is considered eligible .
Important Words
puruṣa - ṛṣabha—best among men
Ṛṣabha — bull, chief. Kṛṣṇa addresses Arjuna with a kṣatriya honorific exactly while teaching renunciation of pleasure-pain reactions. The qualification of the path is not weakness but the deepest masculine strength.
vyathayanti—disturb
From √vyath — to tremble, to shake. The senses' alternations cause vyathā — shudder — in the ordinary heart. The dhīra's heart does not shudder; the seas hit a different shore.
sama—equal
The chapter's central word for equanimity. Sama-darśana, sama-bhāva, samatvam — the Gītā returns to sama again and again. Here it modifies duḥkha-sukha: the gap between pain and pleasure has been closed.
dhīram—the sober one
Repeated from 2.13 — but now with a new attribute: not only unbewildered by the body's transitions but unmoved by sense contact's alternations. The character is deepening.
amṛtatvāya—for immortality
Dative — *for the purpose of* immortality. The verse promises a definite outcome: equanimity is not its own reward; it is the qualification for amṛta. The Gauḍīya line reads amṛtatva as bhakti-sambandha, eternal life with the Lord.
O best among men [Arjuna], the person who is not disturbed by happiness and distress and is steady in both is certainly eligible for liberation.
Purport
Anyone who is steady in his determination for the advanced stage of spiritual realization and can equally tolerate the onslaughts of distress and happiness is certainly a person eligible for liberation. In the varṇāśrama institution, the fourth stage of life, namely the renounced order ( sannyāsa ), is a painstaking situation. But one who is serious about making his life perfect surely adopts the sannyāsa order of life in spite of all difficulties. The difficulties usually arise from having to sever family relationships, to give up the connection of wife and children. But if anyone is able to tolerate such difficulties, surely his path to spiritual realization is complete. Similarly, in Arjuna’s discharge of duties as a kṣatriya, he is advised to persevere, even if it is difficult to fight with his family members or similarly beloved persons. Lord Caitanya took sannyāsa at the age of twenty-four, and His dependents, young wife as well as old mother, had no one else to look after them. Yet for a higher cause He took sannyāsa and was steady in the discharge of higher duties. That is the way of achieving liberation from material bondage.
— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura
Gauḍīya
Translation
15. O best of men, the intelligent person, equal in happiness and distress, who is not pained by these sense objects, attains liberation.
Commentary
Practicing tolerance with this discernment, the experience of the sense objects will, with passage of time, not give distress at all. When a person reaches this state where there is no distress from the objects of the senses, liberation of the ātmā is close at hand; he is qualified for liberation (amṛtatvāya).
Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa
Gauḍīya
Translation
15. O best of men, the person who applies his intelligence to dharma, whom the experience of the sense objects by the senses does not disturb, being equal in happiness and distress, is fit for liberation.
Commentary
In this verse the Lord shows that by practicing tolerance of suffering for the sake of dharma, a person gains happiness. The word dhīra indicates a person who makes (irayati) his intelligence (dhī) active in these matters of dharma. The experiences of the sense objects, regarded as either favorable or unfavorable for oneself (mātrā sparśā), do not throw the person fixed in dharma (dhīraḥ) into the delusion of happiness and suffering (na vyathayanti). That person is fit for liberation, whereas those persons disturbed by happiness and distress are not fit for liberation.
To make the meaning clearer the Lord further described the person. The person performing his duties of dharma is equal towards suffering due to the difficulties in attaining the goal of the duties and happiness which ultimately results, being without sad or happy face.
Bhūrijana Dāsa
Gauḍīya
Commentary
That means that if one acts but steadily, not disturbed by happiness or distress, based on jnana, the result is‑ liberation.
Study Notes — Gauranga Priya Dāsa
Gauranga Priya Dāsa
Study
Bhakti-śāstrī Notes, ISKCON Chowpatty (2009)
Theme
Focus on the higher goal of liberation and overcome dualities of happiness and distress
Focus of Learning
(a) Eligibility for liberation from material bondage
Steady in prescribed duties – Anyone who is steady in his determination for the advanced stage of spiritual realisation
Tolerates – One who can equally tolerate the onslaughts of distress and happiness
(b) Examples of Tolerance for the purpose of a higher goal
First example: Renounced order of life – Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu renounces wife and mother, at an early age for the preaching mission
Sannyasa is a painstaking situation but one who is serious, surely adopts this order in spite of all difficulties (difficulties usually arise from having to sever family relations)
Second example: Arjuna is also advised to persevere his duties even at the cost of fighting with ‘family members’
PRACTICAL APPLICATION OF TEXT 2.15
Krishna now mentions for the first time a spiritual goal, liberation. By performing our prescribed
duties (Karma), we obtain knowledge, jnana which is a prerequisite for liberation
(a) Importance of ‘Kaunteya’ and ‘Bharata’ – Great heritage brings great responsibility in the matter
of proper discharge of duties
‘Kaunteya’ (Son of mother Kunti) signifies blood relation from mother’s side
‘Bharata’ (Decendent of King Bharata) signifies blood relation from father’s side
(b) Basis of Tolerating Dualities
Knowledge of ‘illusion’ – They know that dualities arise only from sense perception
Higher goal – Focus on path of liberation
(c) Examples of tolerating dualties
Early morning bath in Month of Magh (winter season)
Women cooking in May/June
To fight as a religion – even with relatives if needed
Renounced order of life which is full of austerities – Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu renouncing wife and mother (2.15)
PRACTICAL APPLICATION OF TEXT 2.14
Prescribed duties are essential for spiritual advancement
They fulfill material desires in a regulated means, and thus gradually detach one from the bodily concept of life, and allow him to rise to the platform of knowledge
Classical Ācāryas
Śrī Śaṅkarācārya
Classical
Translation
2.15 What will happen to one who bears cold and heat? Listen: Verily, the person৷৷.,'etc.
(O Arjuna) hi, verily; yam purusam, the person whom; ete, these, cold and heat mentioned above; na, do not; vyathayanti, torment, do not perturb; dhiram, the wise man; sama-duhkha-sukham, to whom sorrow and happiness are the same, who is free from happiness and sorrow when subjected to pleasure and pain, because of his realization of the enternal Self; sah, he, who is established in the realization of the enternal Self, who forbears the opposites; kalpate, becomes fit; amrtattvaya, for Immortality, for the state of Immortality, i.e. for Liberation.
Śrī Rāmānujācārya
Classical
Translation
2.15 That person endowed with courage, who considers pain as inevitable as pleasure, and who performs war and such other acts suited to his station in life without attachment to the results and only as a means of attaining immortality - one whom the impact of weapons in war etc., which involve soft or harsh contacts, do not trouble, that person only attains immortality, not a person like you, who cannnot bear grief. As the selves are immortal, what is to be done here, is this much only. This is the meaning.
Because of the immortality of the selves and the natural destructibility of the bodies, there is no cause for grief. It was told (previously): 'The wise grieve neither for the dead nor for the living' (2. 11). Now the Lord elucidates the same view.
Śrī Abhinavagupta
Classical
Translation
2.15 But, because all these different situations are of the nature of coming and going, on that account itself are they not to be lamented on ? It is not so. As for instance : What is this which is termed 'coming' ? If it is 'birth', what is that 'birth' itself ? It is wrong to say that is the same as gaining the self by what is non-existent. For, to be of the nature of non-existence, is indeed to be devoid of every inherent nature and to be devoid of the very self. If a thing is devoid of the self and devoid of every nature, how is it possible to convert it into what has an intrinsic nature ? Surely, it is impossible to convert the non-blue into blue. For, it is faulty and undesirable to covert the non-blue into blue. For, it is faulty and undesirable to conclude that a thing with certain in nature changes to be of a different nature. Hence the scritpure goes -
'The intrinsic nature of beings would not cease to
exist, e.g., the heat of the sun'.
On the other hand, if the 'birth' signifies the gaining of self just by what [really] exists, even then, why the lamentability on its coming ? For, what has gained a self, could never be non-existent and conseently it would be eternal.
Likewise, is the act of 'going' also meant for the existent or the non-existent ? What is non-existent is just non-existent [for ever.] How can there be a non-existence-nature even in the case of that which is of the existence-nature ? If it is said that it is of the non-existence-nature in the second moment; [since its birth], then it should be so even in the first moment; and so nothing would be existent. For, the intrinsic nature [ever] remains unabandoned.
But is it not that the destruction of it (i.e., of a given thing, like a pot) is brought about by the stroke of a hammer etc.? Yet, if that destruction is altogether different [from the existent one i.e. the pot], then what does it matter for what is existent ? But, it is not be seen [at that time] ? Yet, what is actually existent (pot) may not be seen just as when it is covered with a cloth; but it has not turned to be altogether different. In fact, it has been said [in the scriptures] that this is not different [from the existent]. Summarising all these, [the Lord] says -
Swami Sivananda
Classical
Translation
2.15 That firm man whom, surely, these afflict not, O chief among men, to whom pleasure and pain are the same, is fit for attaining immortality.
Commentary
2.15 यम् whom? हि surely? न व्यथयन्ति afflict not? एते these? पुरुषम् man? पुरुषर्षभ chief among men? समदुःखसुखम् same in pleasure and pain? धीरम् firm man? सः he? अमृतत्वाय for immortality? कल्पते is fit.Commentary -- Dehadhyasa or identification of the Self with the body is the cause of pleasure and pain. The more you are able to identify yourself with the immortal? allpervading Self? the less will you be affected by the pairs of opposites (Dvandvas? pleasure and pain? etc.)Titiksha or the power of endurance develops the willpower. Calm endurance in pleasure and pain? and heat and cold is one of the alifications of an aspirant on the path of Jnana Yoga. It is one of the Shatsampat or sixfold virtues. It is a condition of right knowledge. Titiksha by itself cannot give you Moksha or liberation? but still? when coupled with discrimination and dispassion? it becomes a means to the attainment of Immortality or knowledge of the Self. (Cf.XVII.53)
Swami Gambhīrānanda
Classical
Translation
2.15 O (Arjuna, who are) foremost among men, verily, the person whom these do not torment, the wise man to whom sorrow and happhiness are the same he is fit for Immortality.
Shri Purohit Swami
Classical
Translation
2.15 The hero whose soul is unmoved by circumstance, who accepts pleasure and pain with equanimity, only he is fit for immortality.
The dhīra who is not disturbed by these dualities is fit for liberation — equanimity is the doorway to amṛta.
Practical Applications
Cultivate one moment of equanimity today in a situation where you usually react.
Re-read this verse when you find yourself 'shaken' by ordinary circumstances.
Pray to be made fit for liberation — not by removing duality but by becoming steady within it.
Reflection Questions
What does my disturbance reveal about what I am still attached to?
Am I willing to be made dhīra by Krishna, even through the very dualities I dislike?
Analogy
A rock at the seashore is struck equally by warm sun and cold spray, by rising tide and falling. The rock is not pleased by warmth nor pained by cold; its weight is its own. The puruṣa who has reached this evenness is eligible for amṛta — immortality.
Stories
Mīrā drinks the poison
When her brother-in-law sent poison disguised as caraṇāmṛta, Mīrā drank it singing Giridhārī's name. The poison did not kill her; some versions say it became nectar in her mouth.
The verse's sama-duḥkha-sukhaṁ dhīram is exact: pleasure and pain reduced to a single equal substance because the heart's reference point is fixed elsewhere. Mīrā was eligible for amṛtatva because amṛta had already entered her tongue through the name. Material poison could not touch what was already nectared.
na—neverasataḥ—of the nonexistentvidyate—there isbhāvaḥ—endurancena—neverabhāvaḥ—changing qualityvidyate—there issataḥ—of the eternalubhayoḥ—of the twoapi—verilydṛṣṭaḥ—observedantaḥ—conclusiontu—indeedanayoḥ—of themtattva—of the truthdarśibhiḥ—by the seers .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
nāsato vidyate bhāvo
na
never
asataḥ
of the nonexistent
vidyate
there is
bhāvaḥ
endurance
nābhāvo vidyate sataḥ
na
never
abhāvaḥ
changing quality
vidyate
there is
sataḥ
of the eternal
ubhayor api dṛṣṭo ’ntas
ubhayoḥ
of the two
api
verily
dṛṣṭaḥ
observed
tv anayos tattva-darśibhiḥ
antaḥ
conclusion
tu
indeed
anayoḥ
of them
tattva
of the truth
darśibhiḥ
by the seers .
Important Words
asataḥ—of the nonexistent
Genitive of asat — that which lacks being. Prabhupāda glosses asat as the temporary body. Sat-asat-viveka — discriminating the real from the unreal — is the entire epistemology of Vedānta in two syllables.
bhāvaḥ—enduring being
Bhāva here is not 'feeling' but ontological persistence. The temporary has no bhāva — no real continuing existence. The verse is a definition of reality by duration.
abhāvaḥ—cessation
Antonym of bhāva. The sat does not undergo abhāva. The grammar is symmetric and absolute: real ↔ enduring; unreal ↔ ceasing.
sataḥ—of the eternal
Genitive of sat — that which truly is. The soul (and the Supreme Soul) are sat by nature. The whole Upaniṣadic and Gītā vocabulary of sat-cit-ānanda begins here.
tattva - darśibhiḥ—by seers of truth
Tattva — *thatness*, the real principle; darśin — one who sees. Knowledge here is darśana, direct vision, not inference. The plural suggests a sampradāya — the truth is seen by a line of seers, and the verse reports their consensus.
Those who are seers of the truth have concluded that of the nonexistent [the material body] there is no endurance and of the eternal [the soul] there is no change. This they have concluded by studying the nature of both.
Purport
There is no endurance of the changing body. That the body is changing every moment by the actions and reactions of the different cells is admitted by modern medical science; and thus growth and old age are taking place in the body. But the spirit soul exists permanently, remaining the same despite all changes of the body and the mind. That is the difference between matter and spirit. By nature, the body is ever changing, and the soul is eternal. This conclusion is established by all classes of seers of the truth, both impersonalist and personalist. In the Viṣṇu Purāṇa (2.12.38) it is stated that Viṣṇu and His abodes all have self-illuminated spiritual existence ( jyotīṁṣi viṣṇur bhuvanāni viṣṇuḥ ). The words existent and nonexistent refer only to spirit and matter. That is the version of all seers of truth. This is the beginning of the instruction by the Lord to the living entities who are bewildered by the influence of ignorance. Removal of ignorance involves the reestablishment of the eternal relationship between the worshiper and the worshipable and the consequent understanding of the difference between the part-and-parcel living entities and the Supreme Personality of Godhead. One can understand the nature of the Supreme by thorough study of oneself, the difference between oneself and the Supreme being understood as the relationship between the part and the whole. In the Vedānta-sūtras, as well as in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, the Supreme has been accepted as the origin of all emanations. Such emanations are experienced by superior and inferior natural sequences. The living entities belong to the superior nature, as it will be revealed in the Seventh Chapter. Although there is no difference between the energy and the energetic, the energetic is accepted as the Supreme, and the energy or nature is accepted as the subordinate. The living entities, therefore, are always subordinate to the Supreme Lord, as in the case of the master and the servant, or the teacher and the taught. Such clear knowledge is impossible to understand under the spell of ignorance, and to drive away such ignorance the Lord teaches the Bhagavad-gītā for the enlightenment of all living entities for all time.
— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura
Gauḍīya
Translation
16. There is no permanent existence for the body, and no cessation of existence for the soul. Those who see things in truth see this conclusion about both of these.
Commentary
The previous verse described the results for those who have attained the level of discrimination. Actually as śruti says, the soul is not attached to matter: asaṅgo hy ayaṁ puruṣaḥ. (Bṛhad Āraṇyaka Upaniṣad 4.3.15) Thus, the jīva does not have a relationship with the subtle or gross bodies and their products such as lamentation and bewilderment. This relationship is caused by ignorance. This is explained in this verse.
For the soul, there is no existence (bhāvaḥ) of lamentation and bewilderment for their shelter, the body (asataḥ), since they have qualities opposed to the qualities of the soul. And there is no non-existence (abhāvaḥ) of the jīva with its eternal form (sataḥ). The conclusion (antaḥ) about these two—the body and the soul—has been seen by the seers of truth.
By this conclusion, there will be no lamentation or bewilderment arising from seeing the body and things related to the body, because Bhīṣma and others of the opposing party as well as you and your allies are indestructible, being eternal. How can Bhīṣma and others be destroyed, and why do you lament for them? That is the meaning of this verse.
Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa
Gauḍīya
Translation
16. There is no permanent existence for the body, and no change for the soul. Those who see things as they are realize this conclusion about both of these.
Commentary
In this way, the Lord has criticized Arjuna’s stance of being learned, because of his inappropriate lamentation. Worship of Himself alone is the means of destroying lamentation, and this arises from recognizing the difference between the worshipper (jīva) and the object of worship (the Lord). Thus the Lord has taught the real (not illusory) dualism of the jīvas,or aṁśas (dependents), the worshippers, from Himself, the aṁśi (shelter of the dependents), the object of worthy of worship. Now there are statements like the following:
yadātma-tattvena tu brahma-tattvaṁ dīpopameneha yuktaḥ prapaśyet
ajaṁ dhruvaṁ sarva-tattvair viśuddhaṁ jṣātvā devaṁ mucyate sarva pāśaiḥ
When the yogī realizes the Brahman, through the realization of the ātmā which is like a lamp, after knowing the unborn, unchanging, pure Lord with all His ornaments, he attains liberation from all bondage.
Śvetāsvatara Upaniṣad 2.15
Such statements show that the person who has knowledge about the svarūpa of conscious aṁśa, the jīva, is qualified for knowledge of the svarūpa of the conscious aṁśī, the Supreme Lord. Because of such statements, first knowledge of the jīva is taught to all persons without distinction, including the saniṣṭha devotees. With this and the following verses, the Lord begins by giving an understanding of the difference between body and ātmā, since such understanding should not come in the middle of the work.
An object which is subject to change, such as the body (asataḥ), does not have unchangeable nature (bhāvaḥ). The unchanging ātmā (sataḥ) does not have the nature of changing (abhāvaḥ). The body has the nature of change and the soul has the nature of not changing. This conclusion (antaḥ) about the body, designated by the word “asat—temporary,” and soul, designated by the word “sat—permanent,” is realized (dṛṣṭaḥ) by those men who know the natures of these two (tattva darśibhiḥ).
Destructible, unconscious things such as the body is called asat and the indestructible soul with consciousness is called sat. The same conclusion is seen in the Viṣṇu Purāṇa:
jyotīṁṣi viṣṇur bhuvanāni viṣṇur
vanāni viṣṇur girayo diśaṣ ca
nadyaḥ samudrāś ca sa eva sarvaṁ
yad asti yan nāsti ca vipra-varya
Viṣṇu is the planets. Viṣṇu is the worlds. Viṣṇu is the forests, mountains and directions. He is the rivers and oceans. He alone is everything which is conscious (yad asti) and unconscious (yan nāsti), O best of the vipras. Viṣṇu Puṛṇa 2.12.38
The word nāsti (does not exist) refers to dull matter and the word asti (exists) refers to the conscious entity. This is described in later verses: vastv asti kim kutracid ādi-madhya-paryanta hīnaṁ satataika rūpam: is there any object anywhere which has no beginning, middle or end and remains continually in one form? (Viṣṇu Purāṇa 2.12.41) Thus nāsti means dull matter and asti means a conscious entity, by the explanation in the verse of the Viṣṇu Purāṇa itself.
Some say that the Lord speaks this verse in order to establish sat karya vāda, the idea of saṅkhya philosophers that the effect is inherent in the cause, but this is not the intention, since the verse merely serves to establish the true nature of body and soul, for a person bewildered by lack of ascertainment of the nature of body and soul, by eradicating the confusion concerning them. [Note: Sat kārya vāda maintains that the effect is inherent in the cause, since something which is real (effect) cannot arise from what is non-existent. By this, they conclude that prakṛti alone is the cause of the evolution and destruction of the universe, without the necessity of God. There is a similarity with the statement of this verse: there is no creation (na bhāva) of the non-existent (asat). But the meaning of the verse is: there is no permanence (na bhāva) of the body (asat).]
Bhūrijana Dāsa
Gauḍīya
Commentary
This is another "slap" given by Krsna. Krsna is saying: "Those who are seers of the truth, not you, you are lamenting!"
To explain this point that "existence" means "eternality" and "non‑existence" means "temporality", Krsna explains the next two verses.
Study Notes — Gauranga Priya Dāsa
Gauranga Priya Dāsa
Study
Bhakti-śāstrī Notes, ISKCON Chowpatty (2009)
Theme
This verse gives the vision of “seers of truth” – It is the beginning of instruction by the Lord to the
living entities who are bewildered by influence of ignorance
Of the non-existent (material body) there is no endurance
Of the eternal (the soul) there is no change
Focus of Learning
(a) Difference between matter (body) and spirit
Body – Modern science admits that the body is changing at every moment
Spirit – Spirit soul exists permanently despite all changes of body and mind
All opinions agree – This conclusion is established by all classes of seers of truth – both Impersonalists and personalists
Supporting Reference – Ref. Vishnu Purana – “Vishnu and His abodes all have self-illuminated spiritual existences”. The words existent and non-existent refer only to spirit and matter
(b) Influence of ignorance – Living entities are bewildered and identify themselves with the body or
mind. Two kinds of ignorance/misgivings are:
Identifying with matter
Identifying oneself as God
(c) Removal of ignorance – It involves:
Re-establish relationship – Re-establishment of the eternal relationship of the worshiper and worshipable
Correct understanding of duality – Consequent understanding of the difference between the part and parcel living entities and the Supreme Personality of Godhead
SUMMARISED THEME 2B:
VISION OF “SEERS OF TRUTH” (2.16 – 2.25)
Vision by those who view the world based on scriptures. Shown by 4 points:
1. Clear vision helps one avoid lamentation on bodily platform (2.16)
No death for soul and no endurance for the body
This implies Kauravas cannot escape death even if Arjuna does not kill
2. One can see that no sin is involved in such violence because (2.17 – 2.20)
It is done under Krishna’s direction
And with knowledge of soul and body
3. Change of body is compared to change of dress (2.22)
4. No weapon can kill or harm the soul (2.23 – 2.24)
SUMMARISED THEME 2C
CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SOUL (2.17 – 2.25)
1. Eternally an individual (2.12) identity and part and parcel of the Supreme
2. Soul is unborn (2.21) and does not take birth
3. Soul is indestructable and eternal (2.18) and therefore never dies
4. Soul is immeasurable (2.18) – It is too small to be measured by any material means
Ref. Svetasvatara Upanisad – 1/10,000th tip of a hair (2.17 purport)
5. Soul never undergoes changes
Soul is steady (2.20) – does not undergo six changes like the body
Immutable – (2.21 & 2.25)
Never changes like matter - Unlike body which goes through six changes (2.25 purport)
Never become God - Soul always remains atomic to Infinite Supreme (2.25 purport)
Cannot be cut, burnt, dried or wet (2.23)
Immovable, unchangeable, everlasting and eternally the same (2.24)
6. Position of soul
Situated in the region of the heart (2.17 & 2.22 & Mundaka Upanishad)
Present everywhere (Sarva-Gata) (2.24) – Living entities are also present in sun and fire
7. How to perceive the soul
Soul is invisible and inconceivable (2.25) – No human experiements can conceive the soul
Symptom of the soul– Soul is perceived by ‘individual consciousness’ (2.17 purport)
The only proof for the soul– Vedic scriptures – Sruti (2.25 purport)
8. Influence of soul – Pervades entire body (Mundaka Upanishad)
Analogy: Like sun pervades entire universe and maintains, similarly light of soul maintains the material body
Analogy: Active principle of medicine spreads all over the body
9. Effect on life airs on the soul – Soul is surrounded by 5 kinds of life airs
Hatha Yoga – helps in liberation
(d) Understanding the nature of the Supreme
One can understand by through study of oneself, the difference between oneself and the Supreme being understood as the relationship between the part and the whole
Supreme has been accepted as the source of all emanations in the Vedanta sutras and the Srimad Bhagavatam
Living entities belong to the superior nature (Ref. Bg. 7.5)
Although there is a difference between energy and energetic, the energetic is accepted as the Supreme and energy or nature is accepted as the subordinate
This implies the living entities are always subordinate, just like ‘master and servant’, or ‘teacher and taught’
(e) Purpose of Bhagavad-gita
To drive away all ignorance (Refer to second point of this purport)
Enlightenment of all living entities for all time to come
Classical Ācāryas
Śrī Śaṅkarācārya
Classical
Translation
2.16 Since 'the unreal has no being,' etc., for this reason also it is proper to bear cold, heat, etc. without becoming sorrowful or deluded. Asatah, of the unreal, of cold, heat, etc. together with their causes; na vidyate, there is no; bhavah, being, existence, reality; because heat, cold, etc. together with their causes are not substantially real when tested by means of proof. For they are changeful, and whatever is changeful is inconstant. As configurations like pot etc. are unreal since they are not perceived to be different from earth when tested by the eyes, so also are all changeful things unreal because they are not perceived to be different from their (material) causes, and also because they are not perceived before (their) origination and after destruction.
Objection: If it be that [Here Ast. has the additional words 'karyasya ghatadeh, the effect, viz pot etc. (and)'.-Tr.] such (material) causes as earth etc. as also their causes are unreal since they are not perceived differently from their causes, in that case, may it not be urged that owing to the nonexistence of those (causes) there will arise the contingency of everything becoming unreal [An entity cannot be said to be unreal merely because it is non-different from its cause. Were it to be asserted as being unreal, then the cause also should be unreal, because there is no entity which is not subject to the law of cuase and effect.]?
Vedantin: No, for in all cases there is the experience of two awarenesses, viz the awareness of reality, and the awareness of unreality. [In all cases of perception two awarenesses are involved: one is invariable, and the other is variable. Since the variable is imagined on the invariable, therefore it is proved that there is something which is the substratum of all imagination, and which is neither a cause nor an effect.] That in relation to which the awareness does not change is real; that in relation to which it changes is unreal. Thus, since the distinction between the real and the unreal is dependent on awareness, therefore in all cases (of empirical experiences) everyone has two kinds of awarenesses with regard to the same substratum: (As for instance, the experiences) 'The pot is real', 'The cloth is real', 'The elephant is real' (which experiences) are not like (that of) 'A blue lotus'. [In the empirical experience, 'A blue lotus', there are two awarenesses concerned with two entities, viz the substance (lotus) and the ality (blueness). In the case of the experience, 'The pot is real', etc. the awarenesses are not concerned with substratum and alities, but the awareness of pot,of cloth, etc. are superimposed on the awareness of 'reality', like that of 'water' in a mirage.] This is how it happens everywhere. [The coexistence of 'reality' and 'pot' etc. are valid only empirically according to the non-dualists; whereas the coexistence of 'blueness' and 'lotus' is real according to the dualists.]
Of these two awareness, the awareness of pot etc. is inconstant; and thus has it been shown above. But the awareness of reality is not (inconstant). Therefore the object of the awareness of pot etc. is unreal because of inconstancy; but not so the object of the awareness of reality, because of its constancy.
Objection: If it be argued that, since the awareness of pot also changes when the pot is destroyed, therefore the awareness of the pot's reality is also changeful?
Vedantin: No, because in cloth etc. the awareness of reality is seen to persist. That awareness relates to the odjective (and not to the noun 'pot'). For this reason also it is not destroyed. [This last sentence has been cited in the f.n. of A.A.-Tr.]
Objection: If it be argued that like the awareness of reality, the awareness of a pot also persists in other pots?
Vedantin: No, because that (awareness of pot) is not present in (the awareness of) a cloth etc.
Objection: May it not be that even the awareness of reality is not present in relation to a pot that has been destroyed?
Vedantin: No, because the noun is absent (there). Since the awareness of reality corresponds to the adjective (i.e. it is used adjectivelly), therefore, when the noun is missing there is no possibility of its (that awareness) being an adjective. So, to what should it relate? But, again, the awareness of reality (does not cease) with the absence of an object৷৷ [Even when a pot is absent and the awareness of reality does not arise with regare to it, the awareness of reality persists in the region where the pot had existed.
Some read nanu in place of na tu ('But, again'). In that case, the first portion (No,৷৷.since৷৷.adjective. So,৷৷.relate?) is a statement of the Vedantin, and the Objection starts from nanu punah sadbuddheh, etc. so, the next Objection will run thus: 'May it not be said that, when nouns like pot etc. are absent, the awareness of existence has no noun to alify, and therefore it becomes impossible for it (the awareness of existence) to exist in the same substratum?'-Tr.]
Objection: May it not be said that, when nouns like pot etc. are absent, (the awareness of existence has no noun to alify and therefore) it becomes impossible for it to exist in the same substratum? [The relationship of an adjective and a noun is seen between two real entities. Therefore, if the relationship between 'pot' and 'reality' be the same as between a noun and an adjective, then both of them will be real entities. So, the coexistence of reality with a non-pot does not stand to reason.]
Vedantin: No, because in such experiences as, 'This water exists', (which arises on seeing a mirage etc.) it is observed that there is a coexistence of two objects though one of them is non-existent.
Therefore, asatah, of the unreal, viz body etc. and the dualities (heat, cold, etc.), together with their causes; na vidyate, there is no; bhavah, being. And similarly, satah, of the real, of the Self; na vidyate, there is no; abhavah, nonexistence, because It is constant everywhere. This is what we have said.
Tu, but; antah, the nature, the conclusion (regarding the nature of the real and the unreal) that the Real is verily real, and the unreal is verily unreal; ubhayoh api, of both these indeed, of the Self and the non-Self, of the Real and the unreal, as explained above; drstah, has been realized thus; tattva-darsibhih, by the seers of Truth. Tat is a pronoun (Sarvanama, lit. name of all) which can be used with regard to all. And all is Brahman. And Its name is tat. The abstraction of tat is tattva, the true nature of Brahman. Those who are apt to realize this are tattva-darsinah, seers of Truth.
Therefore, you too, by adopting the vision of the men of realization and giving up sorrow and delusion, forbear the dualities, heat, cold, etc. some of which are definite in their nature, and others inconstant , mentally being convinced that this (phenomenal world) is changeful, verily unreal and appears falsely like water in a mirage. This is the idea.
What, again, is that reality which remains verily as the Real and surely for ever? This is being answered in, 'But know That', etc.
Śrī Rāmānujācārya
Classical
Translation
2.16 'The unreal,' that is, the body, can never come into being. 'The real,' that is, the self, can never cease to be. The finale about these, the body and the self, which can be experienced, has been realised correctly by the seers of the Truth. As analyis ends in conclusion, the term 'finale' is here used. The meaning is this: Non-existence (i.e., perishableness) is the real nature of the body which is in itself insentient. Existence (i.e., imperishableness) is the real nature of the self, which is sentient. [What follows is the justification of describing the body as 'unreal' and as having 'never come into being.']
Non-existence has, indeed, the nature of perishableness, and existence has the nature of imperishableness, as Bhagavan Parasara has said: 'O Brahmana, apart from conscious entity there does not exist any group of things anywhere and at any time. Thus have I taught you what is real existence - how conscious entity is real, and all else is unreal' (V. P., 2.12.43 - 45). 'The Supreme Reality is considered as imperishable by the wise. There is no doubt that what can be obtained from a perishable substance is also perishable' (Ibid., 2.14.24). 'That entity which even by a change in time cannot come to possess a difference through modification etc., is real. What is that entity, O King? (It is the self who retains Its knowledge)' (Ibid., 2.13.100).
It is said here also: 'These bodies ৷৷. are said to have an end' (2.18) and 'Know That (the Atman) to be indestructible' (2.17). It is seen from this that this (i.e., perishableness of the body and imperishableness of the self) is the reason for the designating the Atman as 'existence' (Sattva) and body as 'non-existence' (Asvattva). This verse has no reference to the doctrine of Satkaryavada (i.e., the theory that effects are present in the cause), as such a theory has no relevance here. Arjuna is deluded about the true nature of the body and the self; so what ought to be taught to him in order to remove his delusion, is discrimination between these two - what is alified by perishablenss and what, by imperishableness. This (declaration) is introduced in the following way: 'For the dead, or for the living' (2.11).
Again this poin is made clear immediately (by the words), 'Know that to be indestructible ৷৷.' (2.17) and 'These bodies ৷৷. are said to have an end' (2.18).
How the imperishableness of the self is to be understood, Sri Krsna now teaches:
Śrī Abhinavagupta
Classical
Translation
2.16 Nasatah etc. And then, also following the common worldly practice [the Lord] says this : There is no [real] existence for what is non-existent i.e., the body [etc.], that is continuously perishing; for it is changing incessantly by stages. Again, never there is destruction for the ever existing Supreme Self, because of Its unchanging nature. So says the Veda too :
'Lo ! This Soul is of unchanging nature and [hence]
is destructions' (the Br. U, IV, v. 14).
Of These two : of what is existent and what is non-existent. Finality : the point of boundary where they come to an end.
But is this permanent or transient which is perceived by persons who are prone to see the truth ? Having raised this doubt, [the Lord] says :
Swami Sivananda
Classical
Translation
2.16 The unreal hath no being; there is non-being of the real; the truth about both has been seen by the knowers of the Truth (or the seers of the Essence).
Commentary
2.16 न not? असतः of the unreal? विद्यते is? भावः being? न not? अभावः nonbeing? विद्यते is? सतः of the real? उभयोः of the two? अपि also? दृष्टः (has been) seen? अन्तः the final truth? तु indeed? अनयोः of these? तत्त्वदर्शिभिः by the knowers of the Truth.Commentary -- The changeless? homogeneous Atman or the Self always exists. It is the only solid Reality. This phenomenal world of names and forms is ever changing. Hence it is unreal. The sage or the Jivanmukta is fully aware that the Self always exists and that this world is like a mirage. Through his Jnanachakshus or the eye of intuition? he directly cognises the Self. This world vanishes for him like the snake in the rope? after it has been seen that only the rope exists. He rejects the names and forms and takes the underlying Essence in all the names and forms? viz.? AstiBhatiPriya or Satchidananda or ExistenceKnowledgeBliss Absolute. Hence he is a Tattvadarshi or a knower of the Truth or the Essence.What is changing must be unreal. What is constant or permanent must be real.
Swami Gambhīrānanda
Classical
Translation
2.16 Of the unreal there is no being; the real has no nonexistence. But the nature of both these, indeed, has been realized by the seers of Truth.
Shri Purohit Swami
Classical
Translation
2.16 That which is not, shall never be; that which is, shall never cease to be. To the wise, these truths are self-evident.
The unreal has no continuing existence; the real never ceases to be — wisdom is learning to invest only in what abides.
Practical Applications
Audit one area of your life: how much of it is asat (impermanent) versus sat (eternal)?
Each evening, name one thing that proved itself impermanent today.
Invest your time and attention in proportion to a thing's reality, not its loudness.
Reflection Questions
Where am I still pouring real effort into the asat?
What sat — the eternal — am I underinvesting in?
Analogy
A wax seal pressed on water dissolves; pressed on stone, it endures. The seers of truth distinguish the medium from the impression: what cannot last has no real being, and what cannot perish has no real ending. Both verdicts come from sustained looking — tattva-darśibhiḥ.
avināśi—imperishabletu—buttat—thatviddhi—know ityena—by whomsarvam—all of the bodyidam—thistatam—pervadedvināśam—destructionavyayasya—of the imperishableasya—of itna kaścit—no onekartum—to doarhati—is able .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
avināśi tu tad viddhi
avināśi
imperishable
tu
but
tat
that
viddhi
know it
yena sarvam idaṁ tatam
yena
by whom
sarvam
all of the body
idam
this
tatam
pervaded
vināśam avyayasyāsya
vināśam
destruction
avyayasya
of the imperishable
asya
of it
na kaścit kartum arhati
na kaścit
no one
kartum
to do
arhati
is able .
Important Words
avināśi—indestructible
A + vināśin — not subject to destruction. The first time the soul is named with a privative; many more such privatives will follow (aja, avyaya, sthāṇu, sanātana). The soul is best described by what it lacks of mortality's properties.
tat—that
The pronoun of the Upaniṣads — *tat tvam asi*. Kṛṣṇa points at *that* whose nature He is about to disclose. The deictic carries the weight of mystical reference.
yena—by which
Instrumental — *by which* all this is pervaded. The soul is the pervader of the body; the body is its instrument, not its container. The relation is exactly inverted from how the unschooled think.
tatam—pervaded
Past participle of √tan — to stretch, to spread. The soul stretches through the body the way space stretches through a vessel. Vyāpti — pervasion — is the soul's mode of presence.
avyayasya—of the imperishable
A + vyaya — not subject to decay. Vyaya is expenditure, wasting. The soul is *not spent* by the body's wear. Even time, which spends everything, finds nothing to take here.
That which pervades the entire body you should know to be indestructible. No one is able to destroy that imperishable soul.
Purport
This verse more clearly explains the real nature of the soul, which is spread all over the body. Anyone can understand what is spread all over the body: it is consciousness. Everyone is conscious of the pains and pleasures of the body in part or as a whole. This spreading of consciousness is limited within one’s own body. The pains and pleasures of one body are unknown to another. Therefore, each and every body is the embodiment of an individual soul, and the symptom of the soul’s presence is perceived as individual consciousness. This soul is described as one ten-thousandth part of the upper portion of the hair point in size. The Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad (5.9) confirms this: bālāgra-śata-bhāgasya śatadhā kalpitasya ca bhāgo jīvaḥ sa vijñeyaḥ sa cānantyāya kalpate “When the upper point of a hair is divided into one hundred parts and again each of such parts is further divided into one hundred parts, each such part is the measurement of the dimension of the spirit soul.” Similarly the same version is stated: keśāgra-śata-bhāgasya śatāṁśaḥ sādṛśātmakaḥ jīvaḥ sūkṣma-svarūpo ’yaṁ saṅkhyātīto hi cit-kaṇaḥ “There are innumerable particles of spiritual atoms, which are measured as one ten-thousandth of the upper portion of the hair.” Therefore, the individual particle of spirit soul is a spiritual atom smaller than the material atoms, and such atoms are innumerable. This very small spiritual spark is the basic principle of the material body, and the influence of such a spiritual spark is spread all over the body as the influence of the active principle of some medicine spreads throughout the body. This current of the spirit soul is felt all over the body as consciousness, and that is the proof of the presence of the soul. Any layman can understand that the material body minus consciousness is a dead body, and this consciousness cannot be revived in the body by any means of material administration. Therefore, consciousness is not due to any amount of material combination, but to the spirit soul. In the Muṇḍaka Upaniṣad (3.1.9) the measurement of the atomic spirit soul is further explained: eṣo ’ṇur ātmā cetasā veditavyo yasmin prāṇaḥ pañcadhā saṁviveśa prāṇaiś cittaṁ sarvam otaṁ prajānāṁ yasmin viśuddhe vibhavaty eṣa ātmā “The soul is atomic in size and can be perceived by perfect intelligence. This atomic soul is floating in the five kinds of air ( prāṇa, apāna, vyāna, samāna and udāna ), is situated within the heart, and spreads its influence all over the body of the embodied living entities. When the soul is purified from the contamination of the five kinds of material air, its spiritual influence is exhibited.” The haṭha-yoga system is meant for controlling the five kinds of air encircling the pure soul by different kinds of sitting postures – not for any material profit, but for liberation of the minute soul from the entanglement of the material atmosphere. So the constitution of the atomic soul is admitted in all Vedic literatures, and it is also actually felt in the practical experience of any sane man. Only the insane man can think of this atomic soul as all-pervading viṣṇu-tattva. The influence of the atomic soul can be spread all over a particular body. According to the Muṇḍaka Upaniṣad, this atomic soul is situated in the heart of every living entity, and because the measurement of the atomic soul is beyond the power of appreciation of the material scientists, some of them assert foolishly that there is no soul. The individual atomic soul is definitely there in the heart along with the Supersoul, and thus all the energies of bodily movement are emanating from this part of the body. The corpuscles which carry the oxygen from the lungs gather energy from the soul. When the soul passes away from this position, the activity of the blood, generating fusion, ceases. Medical science accepts the importance of the red corpuscles, but it cannot ascertain that the source of the energy is the soul. Medical science, however, does admit that the heart is the seat of all energies of the body. Such atomic particles of the spirit whole are compared to the sunshine molecules. In the sunshine there are innumerable radiant molecules. Similarly, the fragmental parts of the Supreme Lord are atomic sparks of the rays of the Supreme Lord, called by the name prabhā, or superior energy. So whether one follows Vedic knowledge or modern science, one cannot deny the existence of the spirit soul in the body, and the science of the soul is explicitly described in the Bhagavad-gītā by the Personality of Godhead Himself.
— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura
Gauḍīya
Translation
17. Know that the soul by which the body is pervaded is indestructible. No one can destroy that which indestructible.
Commentary
This verse clarifies the meaning of the previous verse. “Know this jīva (tat) which is spread throughout the body (sarvam idam tatam) is indestructible.”
“But, being spread throughout the body by its consciousness, this soul would be impermanent because it is of medium size only (being the size of the body). [Note: In Nyāya philosophy there are three sizes: minute (paramāṇu or atoms), medium size (combination of atoms), and all pervading. A medium size object, being made of the combination of atoms, is subject to destruction and therefore cannot be eternal.]”
This is not so, for the Lord says, sūkṣmānām apy ahaṁ jīvaḥ: of small things I am the jīva”. (SB 11.16.11) As well, śruti says:
eṣo ’ṇur ātmā cetasā veditavyo yasmin prāṇaḥ paṣcadhā saṁviveśa
One should know by the pure consciousness the small ātmā near which the five life airs rest. Muṇḍaka Upaniṣad 3.1.9
bālāgra-śata-bhāgasya śatadhā kalpitasya ca bhāgo jīvaḥ sa vijṣeyaḥ
One should know that the jīva is the size of one ten thousandth of the tip of the hair. Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad 5.9
ārāgra-mātro hy aparo ’pi dṛṣṭaḥ
The inferior soul is seen to be the size of the tip of a spoke. Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad 5.8
By these statements of śruti we understand that the jīva is very small. It has the power to spread itself throughout the whole body, just as pulverized gems or herbs when applied to the head have the power to spread their nourishing influence throughout the whole body. There is nothing contradictory in being small and pervading the body.
Because of its dependence on upādhis (mistaken identity), the soul goes to various bodies in heaven and hell. In this way the soul is sarva-gataḥ, going everywhere (pervading everywhere). [Note: This is another meaning of sarvam idaṁ tatam. The jīvas are spread throughout the universe in different bodies.] Dattātreya (in the form of the avadhūta brāḥmana) says how the jīva, taking shelter of the mahat-tattva at the beginning of creation, goes to different bodies:
tām āhus tri-guṇa-vyaktiṁ sṛjantīṁ viśvato-mukham
yasmin protam idaṁ viśvaṁ yena saṁsarate pumān
According to great sages, that which is the basis of the three modes of material nature and which manifests the variegated universe is called the sūtra or mahat-tattva. Indeed, this universe is resting within that mahat-tattva, and due to its potency the living entity undergoes material existence. SB 11.9.20
Thus the soul’s pervasion of the body (and still being minute) is not contrary to its eternal nature stated in the previous verse. Therefore the word avyayasya is used in this verse also. It refers to the soul being eternal or nitya. No one can destroy the eternal soul. As the śruti says:
nityo nityānāṁ cetanaś cetanānām eko bahūnāṁ yo vidadhāti kāmān
The Lord is the chief eternal among all eternals (souls). He is the chief conscious entity among all conscious entities. He is the one person who fulfills the needs of all others. Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad 6.13
Or the meaning of the verse can be as follows.
The body, the jīva and the Paramātmā are all seen everywhere in all forms such as human and animal. The first two, the body and jīva, were mentioned in the previous verse. The third, Paramātmā is mentioned in this verse. It is indestructible and spread everywhere in the universe (idam) [Note: In the first interpretation idam referred to the body. Here it refers to the universe.]. The word tu serves to distinguish Paramātmā from the body and jīva. The Paramātmā is by its very nature different from matter and the jīva.
Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa
Gauḍīya
Translation
17. Know that it is indestructible. By it the body is pervaded. No one can destroy that which indestructible.
Commentary
The Lord further explains the nature of the body and jīvātmā just discussed, in two more verses. Know that the substance known as jīvātmā is eternal (avināśi). This whole body (idam sarvam) is pervaded by this soul: the body is pervaded by the ātmā’s consciousness, its capacity to know objects beyond itself (dharma bhūta jṣāna) [Note: This is a term used by Rāmānuja, indicating that the jīva has the ability to know objects other than itself as well as having self-knowledge. Impersonalists argue that Brahman is pure consciousness without knowledge of itself or anything else.] (including the body). No gross object, and not even the body of a living entity, can destroy (vināśam) that jīva which is indestructible (avyayasya), because it has very small size. It is not accepted that the jīva is the same size as the material body. [Note: This is the Jain theory.] That it is very small is understood from śruti statements such as the following:
eṣo’ṇur ātmā cetasā veditavyo yasmin prāṇaḥ paṣcadhā saṁviveśa
This small ātmā, on which five prāṇas rest, is to be known by the consciousness. Muṇḍaka Upaniṣad 3.1.9
However, the infinitesimal jīva’s spreads throughout the body through its capacity to know objects other than itself (dharma bhūta jṣāna). Thus the Lord, as the author of Vedānta Sūtras, says: guṇād vālokavad: the soul is pervasive like light. (Vedānta Sūtra 2.3.26) In the Gīta also the Lord says yathā prakāśayaty ekaḥ: just as one sun lights up the whole world, this ātmā illumines the whole body, O descendent of Bharata. (BG 13.33)
Bhūrijana Dāsa
Gauḍīya
Commentary
And then to explain the point that the material body is temporary and doesn't factually exists, Krsna explains:
Study Notes — Gauranga Priya Dāsa
Gauranga Priya Dāsa
Study
Bhakti-śāstrī Notes, ISKCON Chowpatty (2009)
Theme
COMMON THEME: The soul cannot be killed and the body cannot be saved from death. Therefore Arjuna
should not refrain from the necessity of war
This implies that the Kauravas cannot escape death even if Arjuna does not kill
Focus of Learning
(a) Essence of purport – This verse more clearly explains “the nature of the soul”
(b) Symptom of the soul – “Individual consciousness”
This consciousness is spread all over the body e.g. one can experience the pain and pleasures of the body
Each and everybody is the embodiment of an individual soul, one cannot perceive the pains and pleasures of another’s body
(c) Size of the soul – Ref. Svetasvatara Upanisad
It is one ten-thousandth (1/10,000th) of the tip of the hair
This is a spiritual atom smaller than the material atom
This spark is the basic principle of the material body
(d) Ref. Mundaka Upanisad 3.1.9 – Explains the measurement of the atomic spirit soul
Size – The soul is atomic in size and can be perceived by perfect intelligence
Life airs – Atomic soul is floating in five kinds of airs (prana, apana, vyana, samana, udana)
Position – The soul is situated within the heart and spreads its influence all over the body
Opinion of scientists – Because the measurement of the atomic soul is beyond their power of appreciation, they foolishly assert that there is no soul
Purification of soul – When the soul is purified from the contamination of the five kinds of material airs, it’s spiritual influence is exhibited
(e) Influence of soul all over the body
Material body minus consciousness equals a dead body
Two analogies to explain this:
Active principle of medicine spreads all over the body, similarly the current of the spirit soul is felt all over the body as consciousness
Like the sun pervades the entire universe and maintains it, similarly the light of soul maintains the material body
Conclusion – Consciousness is not due to any amount of material combination and cannot be revived by any material administration
(f) ‘Vedic science’ vs ‘Modern science’ on the soul – The heart is the seat of all energies of the body
Vedic science
Individual soul is present in the heart along with the Supersoul, and therefore all energies of the body are emanating from the heart
Modern science
It accepts the important of red corpuscles and the heart as the seat of all energies
But it cannot ascertain that the source of energy is the soul
(g) Never mistake atomic soul to be all-pervading Vishnu-tattva
Constitution of atomic soul is admitted in all Vedic literatures and is also felt in the practical experience of any sane man
Only an insane man can think of the atomic soul as all-pervading Vishnu-tattva
Classical Ācāryas
Śrī Śaṅkarācārya
Classical
Translation
2.17 Tu, but this word is used for distinguishing (reality) from unreality; tat viddhi, know That; to be avinasi, indestructible, by nature not subject to destruction; what? (that) yena, by which, by which Brahman called Reality; sarvam, all; idam, this, the Universe together with space; is tatam, pervaded, as pot etc. are pervaded by space. Na kascit, none; arhati, can; kartum, bring about; vinasam, the destruction, disappearance, nonexistence; asya, of this avyayasya, of the Immutable, that which does not undergo growth and depletion. By Its very nature this Brahman called Reality does not suffer mutation, because, unlike bodies etc., It has no limbs; nor (does It suffer mutation) by (loss of something) belonging to It, because It has nothing that is Its own. Brahman surely does not suffer loss like Devadatta suffering from loss of wealth. Therefore no one can bring about the destruction of this immutable Brahman. No one, not even God Himself, can destroy his own Self, because the Self is Brahman. Besides, action with regard to one's Self is self-contradictory.
Which, again, is that 'unreal' that is said to change its own nature? This is being answered:
Śrī Rāmānujācārya
Classical
Translation
2.17 Know that the self in its essential nature is imperishable. The whole of insentient matter, which is different (from the self), is pervaded by the self. Because of pervasiveness and extreme subtlety, the self cannot be destroyed; for every entity other than the self is capable of being pervaded by the self, and hence they are grosser than It. Destructive agents like weapons, water, wind, fire etc., pervade the substances to be destroyed and disintegrate them. Even hammers and such other instruments rouse wind through violent contact with the objects and thery destroy their objects. So, the essential nature of the self being subtler than anything else, It is imperishable.
(The Lord) now says that the bodies are perishable:
Śrī Abhinavagupta
Classical
Translation
2.17 Avinasi etc [Here] tu is in the sense of ca 'and'. So, 'and' the Soul is not of perishing nature.
Swami Sivananda
Classical
Translation
2.17 Know that to be indestructible, by Which all this is pervaded. None can cause the destruction of That, the Imperishable.
Commentary
English Commentary By Swami Sivananda2.17 अविनाशि indestructible? तु indeed? तत् That? विद्धि know (thou)? येन by which? सर्वम् all? इदम् this? ततम् is pervaded? विनाशम् destruction? अव्ययस्य अस्य of this Imperishable? न not? कश्चित् anyone? कर्तुम् to do? अर्हति is able.Commentary -- Brahman or Atman pervades all the objects like ether. Even if the pot is broken? the ether that is within and without the pot cannot be destroyed. Even so? if the bodies and all other objects perish? Brahman or the Self that pervades them cannot perish. It is the living Truth? Sat.Brahman has no parts. There cannot be either increase or diminution in Brahman. People are ruined by loss of wealth. But Brahman does not suffer any loss in that way. It is inexhaustible. Therefore? none can bring about the disappearance or destruction of the Self. It always exists. It is always allfull and selfcontained. It is Existence Absolute. It is immutable.
Swami Gambhīrānanda
Classical
Translation
2.17 But know That to be indestructible by which all this is pervaded. None can bring about the destruction of this Immutable.
Shri Purohit Swami
Classical
Translation
2.17 The Spirit, which pervades all that we see, is imperishable. Nothing can destroy the Spirit.
The soul that pervades the body cannot be destroyed; no one can annihilate that imperishable essence.
Practical Applications
Spend two minutes daily contemplating that your real self cannot be harmed.
When fear of bodily harm arises, remember that the fear, not the soul, is the actual problem.
Treat others' bodies as temples of an indestructible self.
Reflection Questions
What fears would dissolve if I really felt the indestructibility of the soul?
How would I treat my body differently if I knew the resident is eternal?
Analogy
Space pervades the room and the pot equally; break the pot and space is undiminished. So the soul pervades the body and is untouched by the body's destruction. The pervader is not what is pervaded — and the destroyer of bodies cannot reach what bodies merely contain.
anta - vantaḥ—perishableime—all thesedehāḥ—material bodiesnityasya—eternal in existenceuktāḥ—are saidśarīriṇaḥ—of the embodied soulanāśinaḥ—never to be destroyedaprameyasya—immeasurabletasmāt—thereforeyudhyasva—fightbhārata—O descendant of Bharata .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
antavanta ime dehā
anta - vantaḥ
perishable
ime
all these
dehāḥ
material bodies
nityasyoktāḥ śarīriṇaḥ
nityasya
eternal in existence
uktāḥ
are said
śarīriṇaḥ
of the embodied soul
anāśino ’prameyasya
anāśinaḥ
never to be destroyed
aprameyasya
immeasurable
tasmād yudhyasva bhārata
tasmāt
therefore
yudhyasva
fight
bhārata
O descendant of Bharata .
Important Words
anta - vantaḥ—having an end
Compound — *possessed of an end*. The bodies are defined by their limit. Their finitude is their defining property, not an accident.
śarīriṇaḥ—of the embodied
Genitive of śarīrin — one who has a body. Like dehin in 2.13, the word grammatically separates the possessor from the possessed. The soul *has* a body; it is not one.
anāśinaḥ—of the indestructible
Genitive of anāśin. The soul cannot be subjected to nāśa — destruction. The bodies are limited; the wearer cannot be ended even in principle.
aprameyasya—of the immeasurable
A + pra-meya — not measurable. The soul cannot be quantified, located, or fixed in any of the categories by which material things are measured. It eludes pramāṇa as a fish escapes a net designed for birds.
yudhyasva—fight
The conclusion-imperative. The whole argument from 2.11 has been building toward this single command. The metaphysics is given so that the duty can be done — Kṛṣṇa is not philosophizing for its own sake.
The material body of the indestructible, immeasurable and eternal living entity is sure to come to an end; therefore, fight, O descendant of Bharata.
Purport
The material body is perishable by nature. It may perish immediately, or it may do so after a hundred years. It is a question of time only. There is no chance of maintaining it indefinitely. But the spirit soul is so minute that it cannot even be seen by an enemy, to say nothing of being killed. As mentioned in the previous verse, it is so small that no one can have any idea how to measure its dimension. So from both viewpoints there is no cause of lamentation, because the living entity as he is cannot be killed nor can the material body be saved for any length of time or permanently protected. The minute particle of the whole spirit acquires this material body according to his work, and therefore observance of religious principles should be utilized. In the Vedānta-sūtras the living entity is qualified as light because he is part and parcel of the supreme light. As sunlight maintains the entire universe, so the light of the soul maintains this material body. As soon as the spirit soul is out of this material body, the body begins to decompose; therefore it is the spirit soul which maintains this body. The body itself is unimportant. Arjuna was advised to fight and not sacrifice the cause of religion for material, bodily considerations.
— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura
Gauḍīya
Translation
18. The bodies belonging to the eternal, indestructible, small soul are said to be temporary. Therefore, fight, O Bhārata.
Commentary
This verse also clarifies verse 16. The possessor of the body (sarīriṇaḥ), the jīva, is beyond measurement, or difficult to understand, because it is very, very small (aprameyasya). Therefore you should fight. This means that you should not give up your dharma as prescribed in scripture.
Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa
Gauḍīya
Translation
18. The bodies belonging to the eternal soul, which is indestructible and very small, are said to be temporary. Therefore, fight, O Bhārata.
Commentary
The bodies of the jīva are said to have a destructible nature (antavantaḥ), whereas the possessor of the body, the jīva (śarīriṇaḥ), is eternal. Because of the very fine nature of the jīva, and because it is the knower and consciousness, the jīva cannot be known (aprameyasasya) (by material methods). [Note: The ātmā is a knower, and pure consciousness, rather than an object of knowledge as we know it in this world. The ātmā is self revealing, it can know itself, but does not know the ātmā as a separate object apart from the self.] Because the jīva and his body have such natures (eternal and destructible), neither the jīva nor his body is worthy of lamentation. The body of the jīva is created by the Lord for the jīva’s enjoyment and his liberation, which can both be attained through execution of dharma. Therefore, as both earthly enjoyment and liberation are attained by dharma, O Arjuna, fight.
Bhūrijana Dāsa
Gauḍīya
Commentary
Arjuna had put foward logic and compassion. "We shouldn't fight because I am going to be killing these dear and beloved people."
But in the next verse Krsna counteracts his argument: "You cannot kill them because they are eternal!" And not only that, one cannot kill the spirit soul, Krsna explains in the next text:
Study Notes — Gauranga Priya Dāsa
Gauranga Priya Dāsa
Study
Bhakti-śāstrī Notes, ISKCON Chowpatty (2009)
Theme
COMMON THEME: The soul cannot be killed and the body cannot be saved from death. Therefore Arjuna
should not refrain from the necessity of war
This implies that the Kauravas cannot escape death even if Arjuna does not kill
Focus of Learning
(a) Essence of purport – This verse more clearly explains “the nature of the soul”
(b) Symptom of the soul – “Individual consciousness”
This consciousness is spread all over the body e.g. one can experience the pain and pleasures of the body
Each and everybody is the embodiment of an individual soul, one cannot perceive the pains and pleasures of another’s body
(c) Size of the soul – Ref. Svetasvatara Upanisad
It is one ten-thousandth (1/10,000th) of the tip of the hair
This is a spiritual atom smaller than the material atom
This spark is the basic principle of the material body
(d) Ref. Mundaka Upanisad 3.1.9 – Explains the measurement of the atomic spirit soul
Size – The soul is atomic in size and can be perceived by perfect intelligence
Life airs – Atomic soul is floating in five kinds of airs (prana, apana, vyana, samana, udana)
Position – The soul is situated within the heart and spreads its influence all over the body
Opinion of scientists – Because the measurement of the atomic soul is beyond their power of appreciation, they foolishly assert that there is no soul
Purification of soul – When the soul is purified from the contamination of the five kinds of material airs, it’s spiritual influence is exhibited
(e) Influence of soul all over the body
Material body minus consciousness equals a dead body
Two analogies to explain this:
Active principle of medicine spreads all over the body, similarly the current of the spirit soul is felt all over the body as consciousness
Like the sun pervades the entire universe and maintains it, similarly the light of soul maintains the material body
Conclusion – Consciousness is not due to any amount of material combination and cannot be revived by any material administration
(f) ‘Vedic science’ vs ‘Modern science’ on the soul – The heart is the seat of all energies of the body
Vedic science
Individual soul is present in the heart along with the Supersoul, and therefore all energies of the body are emanating from the heart
Modern science
It accepts the important of red corpuscles and the heart as the seat of all energies
But it cannot ascertain that the source of energy is the soul
(g) Never mistake atomic soul to be all-pervading Vishnu-tattva
Constitution of atomic soul is admitted in all Vedic literatures and is also felt in the practical experience of any sane man
Only an insane man can think of the atomic soul as all-pervading Vishnu-tattva
Classical Ācāryas
Śrī Śaṅkarācārya
Classical
Translation
2.18 Ime, these; antavantah, destructible; dehah, bodies as the idea of reality which continues with regard to water in a mirage, etc. gets eliminated when examined with the means of knowledge, and that is its end, so are these bodies and they have an end like bodies etc. in dream and magic ; uktah, are said, by discriminating people; to belong nityasya, to the everlasting; anasinah, the indestructible; aprameyasya, the indeterminable; sarirnah, embodied One, the Self. This is the meaning.
The two words 'everlasting' and 'indestructible' are not repetitive, because in common usage everlastingness and destructibility are of two kinds. As for instance, a body which is reduced to ashes and has disappeared is said to have been destoryed. (And) even while existing, when it becomes transfigured by being afflicted with diseases etc. it is said to be 'destroyed'. [Here the A.A. adds 'tatha dhana-nase-apyevam, similar is the case even with regard to loss of wealth.'-Tr.] That being so, by the two words 'everlasting' and 'indestructible' it is meant that It is not subject to both kinds of distruction. Otherwise, the everlastingness of the Self would be like that of the earth etc. Therefore, in order that this contingency may not arise, it is said, 'Of the everlasting, indestructible'.
Aprameyasya, of the indeterminable, means 'of that which cannot be determined by such means of knowledge as direct perception etc.'
Objection: Is it not that the Self is determined by the scriptures, and before that through direct perception etc.?
Vedantin: No, because the Self is self-evident. For, (only) when the Self stands predetermined as the knower, there is a search for a means of knolwedge by the knower. Indeed, it is not that without first determining oneself as, 'I am such', one takes up the task of determining an object of knowledge. For what is called the 'self' does not remain unknown to anyone. But the scripture is the final authority [when the Vedic text establishes Brahman as the innermost Self, all the distinctions such as knower, known and the means of knowledge become sublated. Thus it is reasonable that the Vedic text should be the final authority. Besides, its authority is derived from its being faultless in as much as it has not originated from any human being.]: By way of merely negating superimposition of alities that do not belong to the Self, it attains authoritativeness with regard to the Self, but not by virtue of making some unknown thing known. There is an Upanisadic text in support of this: '৷৷.the Brahman that is immediate and direct, the Self that is within all' (Br. 3.4.1).
Since the Self is thus eternal and unchanging, tasmat, therefore; yudhyasva, you join the battle, i.e. do not desist from the war. Here there is no injunction to take up war as a duty, because be (Arjuna), though he was determined for war, remains silent as a result of being overpowered by sorrow and delusion. Therefore, all that is being done by the Lord is the removal of the obstruction to his duty. 'Therefore, join the battle' is only an approval, not an injunction.
The scripture Gita is intended for eradicating sorrow, delusion, etc. which are the cases of the cycle of births and deaths; it is not intended to enjoin action. As evidences of this idea the Lord cites two Vedic verses: [Ka. 1.2.19-20. There are slight verbal differences.-Tr.]
Śrī Rāmānujācārya
Classical
Translation
2.18 The root 'dih' means 'to grow.' Hence these bodies (Dehas) are characterised by complexity. They have an end - their nature is perishablity. For, jugs and such other things which are characterised by complexity are seen to have an end. The bodies of the embodied self, which are made of conglomerated elements, serve the purpose of experiencing the effects of Karmas, as stated in Brh. U. IV. 4.5, 'Auspicious embodiments are got through good actions.' Such bodies perish when Karmas are exhausted. Further the self is imperishable. Why? Because it is not measurable. Neither can It be conceived as the object of knowledge, but only as the subject (knower). It will be taught later on: 'He who knows It is called the knower of the Field by those who know this (13.1).
Besides, the self is not seen to be made up of many (elements). Because in the perception 'I am the knower' throughout the body, only something other than the body is understood as possessing an invariable form as the knower. Further, this knower cannot be dismembered and seen in different places as is the case with the body. Therefore the self is eternal, for (1) It is not a complex being of a single form; (2) It is the knowing subject; and (3) It pervades all. On the contrary, the body is perishable, because (1) it is complex; (2) it serves the purpose of experiencing the fruits of Karma by the embodied self; (3) it has a plurality of parts and (4) it can be pervaded. Therefore, as the body is by nature perishable and the self by nature is eternal, both are not objects fit for grief. Hence, bearing with courage the inevitable strike of weapons, sharp or hard, liable to be received by you and others, begin the action called war without being attached to the fruits but for the sake of attaining immortality.
Śrī Abhinavagupta
Classical
Translation
2.18 Antavantah etc. The bodies, at the time of their attaining the unobservable stage, meet their apparent destruction. This would be impossible if they do not suffer the peculiar destruction, that it to say they undergo changes every moment. For, it has been said-
'By observing the dilapidated condition of beings at their last moment, the loss of newness is very moment is inferred'
The same has been said by the Sage (Vyasa) also as-
'In every being, in every moment, there is mutual difference between its tiny parts that have different purposes. But on account of its subtlity, it is not cleary comprehended (MB, Santi., Moksa. Ch. 308, verse 121).
[In theabove passage] having different purposes amounts to say 'because they perform different acts having their own respective special purposes.;
Now, the bodies have thier end and are ever changing. On the other hand, the Self is destructionless, because It is incomprehensible. Changing nature belongs only to the insentient thing which is comprehensible, but not to what is non-insentient and is exclusively consciousness in nature. Because, it is not possible [for one] to gain an altogether different nature. Thus, the bodies meet permanently their end and hence they cannot be lamented for; the Self ever remains without destruction (or without changing) and hence need not be lamented for. Thus a single krtya-suffix has been employed on both the senses simultaneously by the sage in the expression asocyan.
Swami Sivananda
Classical
Translation
2.18 These bodies of the embodied Self, Which is eternal, indestructible and immeasurable, are said to have an end. Therefore fight, O Arjuna.
Commentary
2.18 अन्तवन्तः having an end? इमे these? देहाः bodies? नित्यस्य of the everlasting? उक्ताः are said? शरीरिणः of the embodied? अनाशिनः of the indestructible? अप्रमेयस्य of the immesaurable? तस्मात् therefore? युध्यस्व fight? भारत O Bharata.Commentary -- Lord Krishna explains to Arjuna the nature of the allpervading? immortal Self in a variety of ways and thus induces him to fight by removing his delusion? grief and despondency which are born of ignorance.
Swami Gambhīrānanda
Classical
Translation
2.18 These destructible bodies are said to belong to the everlasting, indestructible, indeterminable, embodied One. Therefore, O descendant of Bharata, join the battle.
Shri Purohit Swami
Classical
Translation
2.18 The material bodies which this Eternal, Indestructible, Immeasurable Spirit inhabits are all finite. Therefore fight, O Valiant Man!
Bodies have ends; the soul does not — fight, then, knowing what is and is not at stake.
Practical Applications
Approach difficult duties with the perspective that the body is already perishing.
Distinguish what really stands to be lost from what is merely uncomfortable.
Use this verse as a meditation before any action that requires courage.
Reflection Questions
What am I treating as ultimate that is actually only temporary?
Which duty would I take up if I really believed the body was already ending?
Analogy
Garments wear out and are discarded; the wearer is unchanged. The bodies of the warriors before Arjuna are antavanta — they have a limit, an end — but their wearer is anāśin and aprameya. Therefore, fight: you cannot kill what cannot be killed; you can only retire the cloth.
య ఏనం వేత్తి హన్తారం యశ్చైనం మన్యతే హతమ్ ।
ఉభౌ తౌ న విజానీతో నాయం హన్తి న హన్యతే ॥ ౧౯ ॥
ya enaṁ vetti hantāraṁ
[ya enam vetti hantaaram]
yaś cainaṁ manyate hatam
[yash chainam manyate hatam]
ubhau tau na vijānīto
[ubhau tau na vijaaneeto]
nāyaṁ hanti na hanyate
[naayam hanti na hanyate]
Word-for-word
yaḥ—anyone whoenam—thisvetti—knowshantāram—the killeryaḥ—anyone whoca—alsoenam—thismanyate—thinkshatam—killedubhau—bothtau—theyna—nevervijānītaḥ—are in knowledgena—neverayam—thishanti—killsna—norhanyate—is killed .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
ya enaṁ vetti hantāraṁ
yaḥ
anyone who
enam
this
vetti
knows
hantāram
the killer
yaś cainaṁ manyate hatam
yaḥ
anyone who
ca
also
enam
this
manyate
thinks
hatam
killed
ubhau tau na vijānīto
ubhau
both
tau
they
na
never
vijānītaḥ
are in knowledge
nāyaṁ hanti na hanyate
na
never
ayam
this
hanti
kills
na
nor
hanyate
is killed .
Important Words
hantāram—the slayer
Accusative of hantṛ — agent of √han. The would-be slayer's claim is the false agency the verse cuts down. Kṛṣṇa attacks the doership-identification at the front: 'I am killing.'
hatam—slain
Past participle of √han. Symmetric to hantāram. The victim's claim — 'I am being killed' — is equally false. Both ends of the killing relation are illusory at the level of the soul.
ubhau—both
Dual. The verse pairs them deliberately: slayer and slain share a single ignorance. Neither has knowledge (vijānītaḥ). The categories themselves do not apply at the level of the ātmā.
vijānītaḥ—they two know
Dual present of vi-√jñā — to know discriminatively. The two of them do *not* know. The verb is negated to mark a precise epistemic failure: they lack vijñāna, the discriminating knowledge that distinguishes soul from body.
hanyate—is slain
Present passive. The soul is not *being slain*. Echoes Kaṭha Upaniṣad 2.1.18 — hantā cen manyate hantum — which the verse nearly quotes. The Gītā stands inside the Upaniṣadic tradition openly here.
Neither he who thinks the living entity the slayer nor he who thinks it slain is in knowledge, for the self slays not nor is slain.
Purport
When an embodied living entity is hurt by fatal weapons, it is to be known that the living entity within the body is not killed. The spirit soul is so small that it is impossible to kill him by any material weapon, as will be evident from subsequent verses. Nor is the living entity killable, because of his spiritual constitution. What is killed, or is supposed to be killed, is the body only. This, however, does not at all encourage killing of the body. The Vedic injunction is mā hiṁsyāt sarvā bhūtāni: never commit violence to anyone. Nor does understanding that the living entity is not killed encourage animal slaughter. Killing the body of anyone without authority is abominable and is punishable by the law of the state as well as by the law of the Lord. Arjuna, however, is being engaged in killing for the principle of religion, and not whimsically.
— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura
Gauḍīya
Translation
19. Those who think that the soul kills and those who think that the soul is killed do not know that the soul does not kill or get killed.
Commentary
“O friend Arjuna! You, a soul as well, are neither the performer of killing nor the object of killing.” That is expressed in this verse.
He who thinks the jīva (enam) is the killer—that Arjuna is the killer of Bhīṣma and others, and he who thinks that the jīva is killed—that Arjuna is killed by Bhīṣma, are both ignorant. Therefore, what is your fear of infamy from the words of ignorant people who say that Arjuna killed his guru?
Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa
Gauḍīya
Translation
19. Those who think that the soul kills and those who think that the soul is killed do not know. The soul does not kill or get killed.
Commentary
In this verse Kṛṣṇa confirms the indestructible nature of the soul. That person who thinks that the jīva with such an indestructible nature is a killer, using a sword or other instrument, and thinks that such a jīva is harmed by the sword, does not know. That ātmā, a very fine particle of consciousness, which cannot be cut or transformed in any way, is not a killer nor is it killed. It is neither the performer of the act of killing nor the subject of killing. One should understand that there is no destruction of the ātmā simply by separation of the ātmā from the body. The śruti also makes such statements:
hantā cen manyate hantuṁ hataś cen manyate hatam
ubhau tau na vijānīto nāyaṁ hanti na hanyate
If the killer thinks that he kills or the killed person thinks that he has been killed, both do not know the nature of the soul. He does not kill or get killed. Kaṭha Upaniṣad 1.2.19
In statements such as mā hiṁsyāt sarva-bhūtāni (do not harm any living entity) [Note: The source is not traceable, though it is quoted by Baladeva and Rāmanuja several times. Na hiṁsyāt sarva bhūtāni is found in Mahabhārata, as mentioned earlier.] the violence is explained as violence concerning the separation of ātmā from the body. The statement does not prove that the ātmā is the killer, since the ātmā (which is not killed) exists even when separated from his body.
Bhūrijana Dāsa
Gauḍīya
Commentary
If one thinks that he is the "doer", than he is not in knowledge.
If one thinks that someone is being slain he is not in knowledge.
Study Notes — Gauranga Priya Dāsa
Gauranga Priya Dāsa
Study
Bhakti-śāstrī Notes, ISKCON Chowpatty (2009)
Theme
The soul can neither kill nor is killed
“Neither he who thinks the living entity to be the slayer, nor he who thinks it slain is in knowledge, for the self slays not, nor is slain”
Focus of Learning
(a) Body:
Body is perishable by nature – may perish immediately or after a hundred years
Basis of acquiring material bodies
One acquires body according to one’s work
Practical application: Observance of religious principles should to utilized to elevate because one acquires the body according to one’s work
(b) Soul:
Soul as indestructible – The soul is too minute to be seen by the enemy what to speak of being killed
Soul as immeasurable – It is too small to be measured
(c) How does this verse help Arjuna to overcome lamentation and material compassion
Because the living entity cannot be killed
Nor can the material body be saved for any length of time
(d) The Spirit soul is important, not the body because
As soon as the spirit soul is out of the body, the body begins to decompose
Ref. Vedanta Sutra: Analogy – The living entity is qualified as light, because of being the part and parcel of the Supreme light
(e) Practical application for Arjuna based on this verse:
He is advised to fight
Not sacrifice the cause of religion for material, bodily considerations
(h) Analogy to compare soul and Supersoul
Such atomic particles of spirit whole are compared to sunshine molecules
The fragmental parts of the Supreme Lord are atomic sparks of the rays of the Supreme Lord, called by the name ‘prabha’ or superior energy
(i) Hatha-yoga and purification of soul
Purpose of Hatha-yoga – This is meant to control the five kinds of life airs:
Not for material benefit
But for liberation of minute soul from the material atmosphere
How this control is practiced – By different sitting postures
Classical Ācāryas
Śrī Śaṅkarācārya
Classical
Translation
2.19 But the ideas that you have, 'Bhisma and others are neing killed by me in war; I am surely their killer' this idea of yours is false. How? Yah, he who; vetti, thinks; of enam, this One, the embodied One under consideration; as hantaram, the killer, the agent of the act of killing; ca, and; yah, he who, the other who; manyate, thinks; of enam, this One; as hatam, the killed (who thinks) 'When the body is killed, I am myself killed; I become the object of the act of killing'; ubhau tau, both of them; owing to non-discrimination, na, do not; vijanitah, know the Self which is the subject of the consciousness of 'I'. The meaning is: On the killing of the body, he who thinks of the Self ( the content of the consciousness of 'I' ) [The Ast. omits this phrase from the precedig sentence and includes it in this place. The A.A. has this phrase in both the places.-Tr.] as 'I am the killer', and he who thinks, 'I have been killed', both of them are ignorant of the nature of the Self. For, ayam, this Self; owing to Its changelessness, na hanti, does not kill, does not become the agent of the act of killing; na hanyate, nor is It killed, i.e. It does not become the object (of the act of killing).
The second verse is to show how the Self is changeless:
Śrī Rāmānujācārya
Classical
Translation
2.19 With regard to "This" viz., the self, whose nature has been described above, he who thinks of It as the slayer, i.e., as the cause of slaying, and he who thinks 'This' (self) as slain by some cause or other - both of them do not know. As this self is eternal for the reasons mentioned above, no possible cause of destruction can slay It and for the same reason, It cannot be slain. Though the root 'han' (to slay) has the self for its object, it signifies causing the separation of the body from the self and not destruction of the self. Scriptural texts like 'You shall not cause injury to beings' and 'The Brahmana shall not be killed'? (K. Sm. 8.2) indicate unsanctioned actions, causing separation of the body from the self. [In the above otes, slaughter in an ethical sense is referred to, while the text refers to killing or separating the self from the body in a metaphsyical sense. This is made explicit in the following verse].
Śrī Abhinavagupta
Classical
Translation
2.19 Ya enam etc. Whosoever veiws This i.e., the Self and the body, to be the slayer and the slain, ignorance is in him. That is why he is in bondage.
The same [point the Lord] clarifies -
Swami Sivananda
Classical
Translation
2.19 He who takes the Self to be the slayer and he who thinks It is slain, neither of them ï1knowsï1. It slays not, nor is It slain.
Commentary
2.19 यः he who? एनम् this (Self)? वेत्ति knows? हन्तारम् slayer? यः he who? च and? एनम् this? मन्यते thinks? हतम् slain? उभौ both? तौ those? न not? विजानीतः know? न not? अयम् this? हन्ति slays? न not? हन्यते is slain.Commentary -- The Self is nondoer (Akarta) and as It is immutable? It is neither the agent nor the object of the act of slaying. He who thinks I slay or I am slain with the body or the Ahamkara (ego)? he does not really comprehend the true nature of the Self. The Self is indestructible. It exists in the three periods of time. It is Sat (Existence). When the body is destroyed? the Self is not destroyed. The body has to undergo change in any case. It is inevitable. But the Self is not at all affected by it. Verses 19? 20? 21? 23 and 24 speak of the immortality of the Self or Atman. (Cf.XVIII.17)
Swami Gambhīrānanda
Classical
Translation
2.19 He who thinks of this One as the killer, and he who thinks of this One as the killed both of them do not know. This One does not kill, nor is It killed.
Shri Purohit Swami
Classical
Translation
2.19 He who thinks that the Spirit kills, and he who thinks of It as killed, are both ignorant. The Spirit kills not, nor is It killed.
He who thinks he kills, and he who thinks he is killed — both are ignorant; the soul neither kills nor is killed.
Practical Applications
Resign from being either the doer of all your acts or the perpetual victim.
When you 'cause' an outcome, recall that you are an instrument, not the originator.
Examine where you have been carrying false guilt or false credit.
Reflection Questions
What am I carrying credit or blame for that the soul never truly did?
Where am I living as 'the one who kills' or 'the one who is killed'?
Analogy
Both the man who claims to have lit the lamp and the man who claims to have put it out misunderstand fire: fire is itself, neither produced by the wick nor abolished by the wind. The soul-slayer and the slain are both clinging to a misconception of who is acting and who is being acted upon.
న జాయతే మ్రియతే వా కదాచి-
న్నాయం భూత్వా భవితా వా న భూయః ।
అజో నిత్యః శాశ్వతోఽయం పురాణో
న హన్యతే హన్యమానే శరీరే ॥ ౨౦ ॥
na jāyate mriyate vā kadācin
[na jaayate mriyate vaa kadaachin]
nāyaṁ bhūtvā bhavitā vā na bhūyaḥ
[naayam bhootvaa bhavitaa vaa na bhooyah]
ajo nityaḥ śāśvato ’yaṁ purāṇo
[ajo nityah shaashvato ’yam puraano]
na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre
[na hanyate hanyamaane shareere]
Word-for-word
na—neverjāyate—takes birthmriyate—diesvā—eitherkadācit—at any time (past, present or future)na—neverayam—thisbhūtvā—having come into beingbhavitā—will come to bevā—orna—notbhūyaḥ—or is again coming to beajaḥ—unbornnityaḥ—eternalśāśvataḥ—permanentayam—thispurāṇaḥ—the oldestna—neverhanyate—is killedhanyamāne—being killedśarīre—the body .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
na jāyate mriyate vā kadācin
na
never
jāyate
takes birth
mriyate
dies
vā
either
kadācit
at any time (past, present or future)
nāyaṁ bhūtvā bhavitā vā na bhūyaḥ
na
never
ayam
this
bhūtvā
having come into being
bhavitā
will come to be
vā
or
na
not
bhūyaḥ
or is again coming to be
ajo nityaḥ śāśvato ’yaṁ purāṇo
ajaḥ
unborn
nityaḥ
eternal
śāśvataḥ
permanent
ayam
this
purāṇaḥ
the oldest
na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre
na
never
hanyate
is killed
hanyamāne
being killed
śarīre
the body .
Important Words
jāyate—is born
Present of √jan. The chain of attributes begins by denying birth — birth is the first event that anything material undergoes, and the soul lacks even this beginning.
ajaḥ—unborn
A + ja — without birth. A central Upaniṣadic epithet of the ātmā and of Bhagavān. The Gauḍīya theology holds: the jīva is co-eternal with Kṛṣṇa, never created in time.
nityaḥ—eternal
From √ni — settled, fixed, ever. Not 'long-lasting'; *eternal* in the strict philosophical sense. The Gītā's vocabulary for the soul piles privatives on a base of nityaḥ.
śāśvataḥ—perennial
From śaśvat — always, forever-renewing. While nityaḥ names static eternity, śāśvataḥ adds the flavor of ever-fresh continuity. The soul is not frozen — it is alive and eternal at once.
purāṇaḥ—primeval
Ancient — but in a peculiar sense. Prabhupāda notes: 'purāṇa, although the oldest, is ever fresh.' The soul is older than time and yet always new. The paradox is the soul's own.
For the soul there is neither birth nor death at any time. He has not come into being, does not come into being, and will not come into being. He is unborn, eternal, ever-existing and primeval. He is not slain when the body is slain.
Purport
Qualitatively, the small atomic fragmental part of the Supreme Spirit is one with the Supreme. He undergoes no changes like the body. Sometimes the soul is called the steady, or kūṭa-stha. The body is subject to six kinds of transformations. It takes its birth from the womb of the mother’s body, remains for some time, grows, produces some effects, gradually dwindles, and at last vanishes into oblivion. The soul, however, does not go through such changes. The soul is not born, but, because he takes on a material body, the body takes its birth. The soul does not take birth there, and the soul does not die. Anything which has birth also has death. And because the soul has no birth, he therefore has no past, present or future. He is eternal, ever-existing and primeval – that is, there is no trace in history of his coming into being. Under the impression of the body, we seek the history of birth, etc., of the soul. The soul does not at any time become old, as the body does. The so-called old man, therefore, feels himself to be in the same spirit as in his childhood or youth. The changes of the body do not affect the soul. The soul does not deteriorate like a tree, nor anything material. The soul has no by-product either. The by-products of the body, namely children, are also different individual souls; and, owing to the body, they appear as children of a particular man. The body develops because of the soul’s presence, but the soul has neither offshoots nor change. Therefore, the soul is free from the six changes of the body. In the Kaṭha Upaniṣad (1.2.18) we also find a similar passage, which reads: na jāyate mriyate vā vipaścin nāyaṁ kutaścin na babhūva kaścit ajo nityaḥ śāśvato ’yaṁ purāṇo na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre The meaning and purport of this verse is the same as in the Bhagavad-gītā, but here in this verse there is one special word, vipaścit, which means learned or with knowledge. The soul is full of knowledge, or full always with consciousness. Therefore, consciousness is the symptom of the soul. Even if one does not find the soul within the heart, where he is situated, one can still understand the presence of the soul simply by the presence of consciousness. Sometimes we do not find the sun in the sky owing to clouds, or for some other reason, but the light of the sun is always there, and we are convinced that it is therefore daytime. As soon as there is a little light in the sky early in the morning, we can understand that the sun is in the sky. Similarly, since there is some consciousness in all bodies – whether man or animal – we can understand the presence of the soul. This consciousness of the soul is, however, different from the consciousness of the Supreme because the supreme consciousness is all-knowledge – past, present and future. The consciousness of the individual soul is prone to be forgetful. When he is forgetful of his real nature, he obtains education and enlightenment from the superior lessons of Kṛṣṇa. But Kṛṣṇa is not like the forgetful soul. If so, Kṛṣṇa’s teachings of Bhagavad-gītā would be useless. There are two kinds of souls – namely the minute particle soul ( aṇu-ātmā ) and the Supersoul ( vibhu-ātmā ). This is also confirmed in the Kaṭha Upaniṣad (1.2.20) in this way: aṇor aṇīyān mahato mahīyān ātmāsya jantor nihito guhāyām tam akratuḥ paśyati vīta-śoko dhātuḥ prasādān mahimānam ātmanaḥ “Both the Supersoul [Paramātmā] and the atomic soul [ jīvātmā ] are situated on the same tree of the body within the same heart of the living being, and only one who has become free from all material desires as well as lamentations can, by the grace of the Supreme, understand the glories of the soul.” Kṛṣṇa is the fountainhead of the Supersoul also, as it will be disclosed in the following chapters, and Arjuna is the atomic soul, forgetful of his real nature; therefore he requires to be enlightened by Kṛṣṇa, or by His bona fide representative (the spiritual master).
— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura
Gauḍīya
Translation
20. The soul is never born, nor does it ever die. Neither was it born in the past, nor will it be born in the future. It has no creation in the past, present or future, and no destruction in past, present or future, and is therefore eternal. It is most ancient but not subject to ageing. It is not killed when the body is killed.
Commentary
The eternal nature of the jīva is here clearly proven. The first line negates the possibility of birth and death for the jīva at the present time. The second line negates birth and death in the past and the future. Therefore it is unborn (aja): in past, present and future. Because of no birth, it has no previous non-existence (prag-abhāva). It exists at all times (śāśvataḥ), meaning that at no time in past, present or future, will it be destroyed (dhvaṁsa). Therefore it is eternal (nityaḥ).
“But because the soul exists for a long time, it can grow old.”
“No, though it is old (purā), it is as if new (na for nava) [Note: This is the interpretation of the word “purāṇa” by Śrīdhara and Baladeva as well.], because of absence of the six states of transformations. [Note: These are birth, maintenance, growth, maturity, decay and death.]”
“With the death of the body, will it not die along with the body?”
“It does not die when the body dies. Because it is not joined permanently with the body, the soul is not subservient to it.”
Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa
Gauḍīya
Translation
20. The soul is never born, nor does it ever die. Neither was it born in the past, nor will it be born in the future. It has no growth, nor decay, nor transformation, being most ancient but not subject to ageing. Thus it is not killed when the body is killed.
Commentary
This verse confirms the eternal nature of the ātmā mentioned previously, by showing that it is devoid of the six changes mentioned by Yāska: jāyate asti vardhate viparaṇamate apakṣīyate vinaśyati: birth, existence, increase, transformation, decay and dying. (Nirukta 1.2) The word va here means “and.” With the words na jayate mriyate (the ātmā is not born nor does it die at any time), creation and destruction are both excluded. And just as in the past the jīva was never born, in the future it will never be born again. This indicates that the jīva will never take on another birth and a different existence (indicated by the word asti in Yaska’s statement). One should also not think that this ātmā will ever increase or become more (this is indicated by vardhate in Yāska’s verse).from its present state (na bhūyaḥ). The reason why it will not become greater is then stated, with the words ajo nitya. Things subject to both birth and death such as trees also grow after birth and then die. The jīva, having neither birth nor death (ajo nitya), also does not have growth (na bhūyaḥ). Śasvata means that the jīva does not decay; it exists at all times without decay (decay is represented by apakṣīyate in Yāska’s verse). The word purāṇa indicates that the soul is without change or transformation (viparaṇamate). Though the ātmā is purā, ancient, it is nava, new. It never has to take another new form. Thus the ātmā devoid of the six changes is called nitya. Since the ātmā has this nature, when the body is killed, the ātmā is not killed.
Arjuna, you have uttered words such as “I will be the killer of my guru” out of ignorance, with a fear of being dishonored. But because of the above reasons, you should fearlessly fight this righteous war approved by scripture.
Study Notes — Gauranga Priya Dāsa
Gauranga Priya Dāsa
Study
Bhakti-śāstrī Notes, ISKCON Chowpatty (2009)
Theme
Clearly delineates the eternality of the soul
This verse is like quoting sastra to support the opinion of Krishna, because the Katha Upanisad also mentions a similar passage
For the soul there is neither birth nor death
He has not come into being, does not come into being and will not come into being
He is unborn, eternal, ever existing and primeval
Classical Ācāryas
Śrī Śaṅkarācārya
Classical
Translation
2.20 Na kadacit, neverl; is ayam, this One; jayate, born i.e. the Self has no change in the form of being born to which matter is subject ; va, and ( va is used in the sense of and); na mriyate, It never dies. By this is denied the final change in the form of destruction. The word (na) kadacit), never, is connected with the denial of all kinds of changes thus never, is It born never does It die, and so on. Since ayam, this Self; bhutva, having come to exist, having experienced the process of origination; na, will not; bhuyah, again; abhavita, cease to be thereafter, therefore It does not die. For, in common parlance, that which ceases to exist after coming into being is said to die. From the use of the word va, nor, and na, it is understood that, unlike the body, this Self does not again come into existence after having been non-existent. Therefore It is not born. For, the words, 'It is born', are used with regard to something which comes into existence after having been non-existent. The Self is not like this. Therfore It is not born.
Since this is so, therefore It is ajah, birthless; and since It does not die, therefore It is nityah, eternal. Although all changes become negated by the denial of the first and the last kinds of changes, still changes occuring in the middle [For the six kinds of changes see note under verse 2.10.-Tr.] should be denied with their own respective terms by which they are implied. Therefore the text says sasvatah, undecaying,. so that all the changes, viz youth etc., which have not been mentioned may become negated. The change in the form of decay is denied by the word sasvata, that which lasts for ever. In Its own nature It does not decay because It is free from parts. And again, since it is without alities, there is no degeneration owing to the decay of any ality. Change in the form of growth, which is opposed to decay, is also denied by the word puranah, ancient. A thing that grows by the addition of some parts is said to increase and is also said to be new. But this Self was fresh even in the past due to Its partlessness. Thus It is puranah, i.e. It does not grow. So also, na hanyate, It is puranah, i.e. It does not grow. So also, na hanyate, It is not killed, It does not get transformed; even when sarire, the body; hanyamane, is killed, transformed. The verb 'to kill' has to be understood here in the sense of transformation, so that a tautology [This verse has already mentioned 'death' in the first line. If the verb han, to kill, is also taken in the sense of killing, then a tautology is unavoidable.-Tr.] may be avoided.
In this mantra the six kinds of transformations, the material changes seen in the world, are denied in the Self. The meaning of the sentence is that the Self is devoid of all kinds of changes. Since this is so, therefore 'both of them do not know' this is how the present mantra is connected to the earlier mantra.
Śrī Rāmānujācārya
Classical
Translation
2.20 As the self is eternal for the reasons mentioned (above), and hence free from modifications, it is said that all the attributes of the insentient (body) like birth, death etc., never touch the self. In this connection, as the statement, 'It is never born, It never dies' is in the present tense, it should be understood that the birth and death which are experienced by all in all bodies, do not touch the self. The statement 'Having come into being once, It never ceases to be' means that this self, having emerged at the beginning of a Kalpa (one aeon of manifestation) will not cease to be at the end of the Kalpa (i.e., will emerge again at the beginning of the next Kalpa unless It is liberated). This is the meaning - that birth at the beginning of a Kalpa in bodies such as those of Brahman and others, and death at the end of a Kalpa as stated in the scriptures, do not touch the self. Hence, the selves in all bodies, are unborn, and therefore eternal. It is abiding, not connected, like matter, with invisible modifications taking place. It is primeval; the meaning is that It existed from time immemorial; It is even new i.e., It is capable of being experienced always as fresh. Therefore, when the body is slain the self is not slain.
Śrī Abhinavagupta
Classical
Translation
2.20 Na jayate etc. Having not been at one time, This etc. : this Self will come to be, having not been at any time non-existent, but only having been existent. Therefore This is not born, This does not die too. For, having been [at one time], This will never be non-existent [at another time]; but certainly This will be [always] existent.
Swami Sivananda
Classical
Translation
2.20 It is not born, nor does It ever die; after having been, It again ceases not to be; unborn, eternal, changeless and ancient, It is not killed when the body is killed.
Commentary
2.20 न not? जायते is born? म्रियते dies? वा or? कदाचित् at any time? न not? अयम् this (Self)? भूत्वा having been? भविता will be? वा or? न not? भूयः (any) more? अजः unborn? नित्यः eternal? शाश्वतः changeless? अयम् this? पुराणः ancient? न not? हन्यते is killed? हन्यमाने being killed? शरीरे in body.Commentary This Self (Atman) is destitute of the six types of transformation or BhavaVikaras such as birth? existence? growth? transformation? decline and death. As It is indivisible (Akhanda). It does not diminish in size. It neither grows nor does It decline. It is ever the same. Birth and death are for the physical body only. Birth and death cannot touch the immortal? allpervading Self.
Swami Gambhīrānanda
Classical
Translation
2.20 Never is this One born, and never does It die; nor is it that having come to exist, It will again cease to be. This One is birthless, eternal, undecaying, ancient; It is not killed when the body is killed.
Shri Purohit Swami
Classical
Translation
2.20 It was not born; It will never die, nor once having been, can It cease to be. Unborn, Eternal, Ever-enduring, yet Most Ancient, the Spirit dies not when the body is dead.
The soul is unborn, eternal, ever-existing, primeval — never dying when the body dies.
Practical Applications
Memorize this verse for class and for personal reassurance in moments of fear.
Use it as a meditation when grieving the death of someone dear.
Begin a morning practice of identifying as the unborn soul before getting out of bed.
Reflection Questions
Where is my behavior contradicting my belief in the soul's eternity?
Whom in my life is grieving in a way this verse could console?
Analogy
The sky has no birthday and no funeral. Storms gather and pass through it; suns rise and set within it; the sky does not begin or end. The soul is of this nature — birthless, deathless, ancient and ever-new, untouched by the slaying of the body that moves across it.
వేదావినాశినం నిత్యం య ఏనమజమవ్యయమ్ ।
కథం స పురుషః పార్థ కం ఘాతయతి హన్తి కమ్ ॥ ౨౧ ॥
vedāvināśinaṁ nityaṁ
[vedaavinaashinam nityam]
ya enam ajam avyayam
[ya enam ajam avyayam]
kathaṁ sa puruṣaḥ pārtha
[katham sa purushah paartha]
kaṁ ghātayati hanti kam
[kam ghaatayati hanti kam]
Word-for-word
veda—knowsavināśinam—indestructiblenityam—always existingyaḥ—one whoenam—this (soul)ajam—unbornavyayam—immutablekatham—howsaḥ—thatpuruṣaḥ—personpārtha—O Pārtha (Arjuna)kam—whomghātayati—causes to hurthanti—killskam—whom .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
vedāvināśinaṁ nityaṁ
veda
knows
avināśinam
indestructible
nityam
always existing
ya enam ajam avyayam
yaḥ
one who
enam
this (soul)
ajam
unborn
avyayam
immutable
kathaṁ sa puruṣaḥ pārtha
katham
how
saḥ
that
puruṣaḥ
person
pārtha
O Pārtha (Arjuna)
kaṁ ghātayati hanti kam
kam
whom
ghātayati
causes to hurt
hanti
kills
kam
whom .
Important Words
avināśinam—indestructible
Re-emphasized from 2.17. Knowledge of avināśitā is now used as the premise of a moral argument: knowing the soul cannot be destroyed changes the moral character of the act.
ajam—unborn
Echoes 2.20. The verse stacks the soul's eternal qualities and then asks: how can one who knows this kill? The argument moves from metaphysics to ethics in a single line.
avyayam—immutable
A + vyaya — without expenditure. The soul is not spent or diminished by anything. Hence no act of the body can be said to *reduce* it.
ghātayati—causes to kill
Causative of √han. The verse forbids not only direct killing but causation of killing. For one with knowledge, both are absent because the supposed object — destruction of the soul — does not exist.
hanti—kills
The simple verb beside its causative. The verse closes both forms at once. The point is total: at the level of soul, neither kartṛ nor prayojaka is operative.
O Pārtha, how can a person who knows that the soul is indestructible, eternal, unborn and immutable kill anyone or cause anyone to kill?
Purport
Everything has its proper utility, and a man who is situated in complete knowledge knows how and where to apply a thing for its proper utility. Similarly, violence also has its utility, and how to apply violence rests with the person in knowledge. Although the justice of the peace awards capital punishment to a person condemned for murder, the justice of the peace cannot be blamed, because he orders violence to another person according to the codes of justice. In Manu-saṁhitā, the lawbook for mankind, it is supported that a murderer should be condemned to death so that in his next life he will not have to suffer for the great sin he has committed. Therefore, the king’s punishment of hanging a murderer is actually beneficial. Similarly, when Kṛṣṇa orders fighting, it must be concluded that violence is for supreme justice, and thus Arjuna should follow the instruction, knowing well that such violence, committed in the act of fighting for Kṛṣṇa, is not violence at all because, at any rate, the man, or rather the soul, cannot be killed; so for the administration of justice, so-called violence is permitted. A surgical operation is not meant to kill the patient, but to cure him. Therefore the fighting to be executed by Arjuna at the instruction of Kṛṣṇa is with full knowledge, so there is no possibility of sinful reaction.
— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura
Gauḍīya
Translation
21. He who knows constantly, that this soul is indestructible, unborn, and eternal, kills whom and how? Whom does he cause others to kill and how?
Commentary
With this knowledge, neither you who are fighting nor I who am urging you to
fight have any fault. Here nityam is used as an adverb: "He who knows
constantly that the soul is indestructible, unborn, and eternal.…."
The words describing the soul are used to negate the objections of Arjuna about destruction. "Whom do I (sa puruṣaḥ), the Lord, cause to be killed (by advising you to fight)? And how do I cause anyone to be killed? And whom do you kill? And how do you kill?"
Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa
Gauḍīya
Translation
21. He who knows constantly that this soul is indestructible, unborn, and without decay, kills no one, for how can he kill the ātmā? Nor does he cause others to kill anyone, for how can he cause others to kill the ātmā?
Commentary
This verse explains that one who, having such knowledge, has no fault, though he engages in war with conviction in dharma, or causes others to engage in such a war. He who understands, through logic and scripture, that the soul is indestructible (avināśīnam), unborn (ajam), and without decay (avyayam), kills whom and how does he kill when engaging in battle? Though he causes other to engage in battle, whom does he cause them to kill, and how does he cause them to kill? The use of the interrogative means that he kills no one, and cannot do it at all, nor does he cause others to kill anyone, and cannot cause it at all. Nityam is here used adverbally, with the verb (veda, he knows) meaning “constantly.”
Bhūrijana Dāsa
Gauḍīya
Commentary
Arjuna says: "The soul is eternal, I accept it, but I will be the cause of their changing of bodies! Let me not fight and they will not change their bodies!"
But Krsna replies: "You can't stop this change of bodies by your not fighting!"
Study Notes — Gauranga Priya Dāsa
Gauranga Priya Dāsa
Study
Bhakti-śāstrī Notes, ISKCON Chowpatty (2009)
Theme
The soul is never killed
How can a person who knows that the soul is indestructible, eternal, unborn and immutable kill anyone or cause anyone to kill
PLEASE NOTE:
All points of the purport are covered in the ‘Summarised Theme 2D’ below
Focus of Learning
(a) Soul as steady vs Body as temporary
Body – undergoes 6 changes like birth, growth, sustenance, by-products, dwindling & death
“Kuta-stha” (Steady) which implies that the soul does not undergo these six changes
(b) Practical proof that soul never becomes old – Old man in same spirits as young man
(c) Perception of soul by “consciousness” as the symptom:
Analogy: Sun covered by clouds and light is the symptom
(d) Two kinds of soul (Ref. Katha Upanishad) – Anu (infinitesimal) and Vibhu (infinite)
(e) Difference between consciousness of the soul and the Supreme
Supreme Soul knows past, present and future; individual soul is prone to forgetfulness
(f) The relationship between Krishna and Arjuna
Krishna is the fountainhead of the Supersoul and Arjuna is the atomic soul forgetful of his real nature
Therefore Arjuna needs enlightenment by Krishna
(g) Who can understand the glories of the soul (Ref. Katha Upanishad)
Only one free from all material desires and lamentations and by the grace of Supreme
(h) Similar passage like this verse is found in Katha Upanisad
One word differs i.e. “Vipascit” – learned or ‘with knowledge’
(a) Living entity is never killed, when the body is hurt by weapons
The soul is too small to be killed by any material weapon
Nor is the living entity killable because of spiritual constitution
(b) Immortality of soul – Does not encourage killing of the body – (Refer to Summarized Theme 2D)
Practical application: Immortality of soul does not encourage animal slaughter
Killing of body without authority is abominable
(c) What justifies Arjuna’s killing
Arjuna was engaged in killing for the principle of religion and not whimsically
Classical Ācāryas
Śrī Śaṅkarācārya
Classical
Translation
2.21 In the mantra, 'He who thinks of this One as the killer,' having declared that (the Self) does not become the agent or the object of the actof killing, and then in the mantra, 'Never is this One born,' etc., having stated the reasons for (Its) changelessness, the Lord sums up the purport of what was declared above: He who knows this One as indestructible, etc.
Yah, he who; veda, knows yah is to be thus connected with Veda ; enam, this One, possessing the characteristics stated in the earlier mantra; as avinasinam, indestructible, devoid of the final change of state; nityam, eternal, devoid of transformation; ajam, birthless; and avyayam, undecaying; katham, how, in what way; (and kam, whom;) does sah, that man of realization; purusah, the person who is himself an authority [i.e. above all injunctions and prohibitions. See 18.16.17.-Tr.]; hanti, kill, undertake the act of killing; or how ghatayati, does he cause (others) to be killed, (how does he) instigate a killer! The intention is to deny both (the acts) by saying, 'In no way does he kill any one, nor does he cause anyone to be killed', because an interrogative sense is absurd (here). Since the implication of the reason [The reason for the denial of killing etc. is the changelessness of the Self, and this reason holds good with regard to all actions of the man of realization.-Tr.], viz the immutability of the Self, [The A.A. omits 'viz the immutability of the Self'.-Tr.] is common (with regard to all actions), therefore the negation of all kinds of actions in the case of a man of realization is what the Lord conveys as the only purport of this context. But the denial of (the act of) killing has been cited by way of an example.
Objection: By noticing what special reason for the impossibility of actions in the case of the man of realization does the Lord deny all actions (in his case) by saying, 'How can that person,' etc.?
Vedantin: Has not the immutability of the Self been already stated as the reason [Some readings omit this word.-Tr.] , the specific ground for the impossibility of all actions?
Objection: It is true that it has been stated; but that is not a specific ground, for the man of realization is different from the immutable Self. Indeed, may it not be argued that action does not become impossible for one who has known as unchanging stump of a tree?!
Vedantin: No, because of man of Knowledge is one with the Self. Enlightenment does not belong to the aggregate of body and senses. Therefore, as the last laternative, the knower is the Immutable and is the Self which is not a part of the aggregate. Thus, action being impossible for that man of Knowledge, the denial in, 'How can that person৷৷.,' etc. is reasonable. As on account of the lack of knowledge of the distinction between the Self and the modifications of the intellect, the Self, though verily immutable, is imagined through ignorance to be the perceiver of objects like sound etc. presented by the intellect etc., in this very way, the Self, which in reality is immutable, is said to be the 'knower' because of Its association with the knowledge of the distinction between the Self and non-Self, which (knowledge) is a modification of the intellect [By buddhi-vrtti, modification of the intellect, is meant the transformation of the internal organ into the form of an extension upto an object, along with its past impressions, the senses concerned, etc., like the extension of the light of a lamp illuminating an object. Consciousness reflected on this transformation and remaining indistinguishable from that transformation revealing the object, is called objective knowledge. Thery, due to ignorance, the Self is imagined to be the perceiver because of Its connection with the vrtti, modification. (-A.G.)
The process is elsewhere described as follows:
The vrtti goes out through the sense-organ concerned, like the flash of a torchlight, and along with it goes the reflection of Consciousness. Both of them envelop the object, a pot for instance. The vrtti destroys the ignorance about the pot; and the reflection of Consciousness, becoming unified with only that portion of it which has been delimited by the pot, reveals the pot.
In the case of knowledge of Brahman, it is admitted that the vrtti in the form, 'I am Brahman', does reach Brahman and destroys ignorance about Brahman, but it is not admitted that Brahman is revealed like a 'pot', for Brahman is self-effulgent.-Tr.] and is unreal by nature. From the statement that action is impossible for man of realization it is understood that the conclusion of the Lord is that, actions enjoined by the scriptures are prescribed for the unenlightened.
Objection: Is not elightenment too enjoined for the ignorant? For, the injunction about enlightenment to one who has already achieved realization is useless, like grinding something that has already been ground! This being so, the distinction that rites and duties are enjoined for the unenlightened, and not for the enlightened one, does not stand to reason.
Vedantin: No. There can reasonable be a distinction between the existence or nonexistence of a thing to be performed. As after the knowledge of the meaning of the injunction for rites like Agnihotra etc. their performance becomes bligatory on the unenlightened one who thinks, 'Agnihotra etc. has to be performed by collecting various accessories; I am the agent, and this is my duty', unlike this, nothing remains later on to be performed as a duty after knowing the meaning of the injunction about the nature of the Self from such texts as, 'Never is this One born,' etc. But apart from the rise of knowledge regarding the unity of the Self, his non-agency, etc., in the form, 'I am not the agent, I am not the enjoyer', etc., no other idea arises. Thus, this distinction can be maintained.
Again, for anyone who knows himself as, 'I am the agent', there will necessarily arise the idea, 'This is my duty.' In relation to that he becomes eligible. In this way duties are (enjoined) [Ast. adds 'sambhavanti, become possible'.-Tr.] for him. And according to the text, 'both of them do not know' (19), he is an unenlightened man. And the text, 'How can that person,' etc. concerns the enlightened person distinguished above, becuase of the negation of action (in this text).
Therefore, the enlightened person distinguished above, who has realized the immutable Self, and the seeker of Liberation are alified only for renunciation of all rites and duties. Therefore, indeed, the Lord Narayana, making a distinction between the enlightened man of Knowledge and the unenlightened man of rites and duties, makes them take up the two kinds of adherences in the text, 'through the Yoga of Knowledge for the men of realization; through the Yoga of Action for the yogis' (3.3).
Similarly also, Vyasa said to his son, 'Now, there are these two paths,' etc. ['Now, there are these two paths on which the Vedas are based. They are thought of as the dharma characterized by engagement in duties, and that by renunciation of them' (Mbh. Sa. 241.6).-Tr.] So also (there is a Vedic text meaning): 'The path of rites and duties, indeed, is the earlier, and renunciation comes after that.' [Ast. says that this is not a otation, but only gives the purport of Tai, Ar. 10.62.12.-Tr.] The Lord will show again and again this very division: 'The unenlightened man who is deluded by egoism thinks thus: "I am the doer"; but the one who is a knower of the facts (about the varieties of the gunas) thinks, "I do not act"' (cf. 3.27,28). So also there is the text, '(The embodied man of selfcontrol,) having given up all actions mentally, continues (happily in the town of nine gates)' (5.13) etc.
With regard to this some wiseacres say: In no person does arise the idea, 'I am the changeless, actionless Self, which is One and devoid of the six kinds of changes beginning with birth to which all things are subject', on the occurrence of which (idea alone) can renunciation of all actions be enjoined. That is not correct, because it will lead to the needlessness of such scriptural instructions as, 'Never is this One born,' etc. (20). They should be asked: As on the authority of scripural instructions there arises the knowledge of the existence of virtue and vice and the knowledge regarding an agent who gets associated with successive bodies, similarly, why should not there arise from the scriptures the knowledge of unchangeability, non-agentship, oneness, etc. of that very Self?
Objection: If it be said that this is due to Its being beyond the scope of any means (of knowledge)?
Vedantin: No, because the Sruti says, 'It is to be realized through the mind alone, (following the instruction of the teacher)' (Br. 4.4.19). The mind that is purified by the instructions of the scriptures and the teacher, control of the body and organs, etc. becomes the instrument for realizing the Self. Again, since there exist inference and scriptures for Its realization, it is mere bravado to say that Knowledge does not arise. And it has to be granted that when knowledge arises, it surely eliminates ignorance, its opposite. And that ignorance has been shown in, 'I am the killer', 'I am killed', and 'both of them do not know' (see 2.19). And here also it is shown that the idea of the Self being an agent, the object of an action, or an indirect agent, is the result of ignorance. Also, the Self being changeless, the fact that such agentship etc. are cuased by ignorance is a common factor in all actions without exception, because only that agent who is subject to change instigates someone else who is different from himself and can be acted on, saying, 'Do this.'
Thus, with a view to pointing out the absence of fitness for rites and duties in the case of an enlightened person, the Lord [Ast, adds vasudeva after 'Lord'.-Tr.] says, 'He who knows this One as indestructible,' 'how can that person,' etc. thery denying this direct and indirect agentship of an enlightened person in respect of all actions without exception. As regards the estion, 'For what, again, is the man of enlightenment alified?', the answer has already been give earlier in, 'through the Yoga of Knowledge for the men of realization' (3.3). Similarly, the Lord will also speak of renunication of all actions in, 'having given up all actions mentally,' etc.(5.13).
Objection: May it not be argued that from the expression, 'mentally', (it follows that) oral and bodily actions are not to be renounced?
Vedantin: No, because of the categoric expression, 'all actions'.
Objection: May it not be argued that 'all actions' relates only to those of the mind?
Vedantin: No, because all oral and bodily actions are preceded by those of the mind, for those actions are impossible in the absence of mental activity.
Objection: May it not be said that one has to mentally renounce all other activities except the mental functions which are the causes of scriptural rites and duties performed through speech and body?
Vedantin: No, because it has been specifically expressed: 'without doing or causing (others) to do anything at all' (5.13).
Objection: May it not be that this renunciation of all actions, as stated by the Lord, is with regard to a dying man, not one living?
Vedantin: No, because (in that case) the specific statement, 'The embodied man৷৷.continues happily in the town of nine gates' (ibid.) will become illogical since it is not possible for a dead person, who neither acts nor makes others act, [The words 'akurvatah akarayatah, (of him) who neither acts nor makes others act', have been taken as a part of the Commentator's arguement. But A.G. points out that they can also form a part of the next Objection. In that, case, the translation of the Objection will be this: Can it not be that the construction of the sentence (under discussion) is Neither doing nor making others do, he rest by depositing (sannyasya, by renouncing) in the body', but not 'he rests in the body by renouncing৷৷.'?] to rest in that body after renouncing all actions.
Objection: Can it not be that the construction of the sentence (under discussion) is, '(he rests) by depositing (sannyasya, by renouncing) in the body', (but) not 'he rests in the body by renouncing৷৷.'?
Vedantin: No, because everywhere it is categorically asserted that the Self is changeless. Besides, the action of 'resting' reires a location, whereas renunciation is independent of this. The word nyasa preceded by sam here means 'renunciation', not 'depositing'. Therefore, according to this Scripture, viz the Gita, the man of realization is eligible for renunciation, alone, not for rites and duties. This we shall show in the relevant texts later on in the cotext of the knowledge of the Self.
And now we shall speak of the matter on hand: As to that, the indestructibility [Indestructibility suggests unchangeability as well.] of the Self, has been postulated. What is it like? That is being said in, 'As after rejecting wornout clothes,' etc.
Śrī Rāmānujācārya
Classical
Translation
2.21 He who knows the self to be eternal, as It is indestructible, unborn and changeless - how can that person be said to cause the death of the self, be it of the self existing in the bodies of gods or animals or immovables? Whom does he kill? The meaning is - how can he destroy any one or cause anyone to slay? How does he become an instrument for slaying? The meaning is this: the feeling of sorrow: 'I cause the slaying of these selves, I slay these,' has its basis solely in ignorance about the true nature of the self.
Let it be granted that what is done is only separation of the bodies from the eternal selves. Even then, when the bodies, which are instruments for the experience of agreeable pleasures, perish, there still exists reason for sorrow in their separation from the bodies. To this (Sri Krsna) replies:
Śrī Abhinavagupta
Classical
Translation
2.21 Veda etc. Whosoever, because of his realisation, under-stands this Self as 'This neither slays [any one]. nor is This slain [by any one] - how could there be any bondage for him ?
Swami Sivananda
Classical
Translation
2.21 Whosoever knows It to be indestructible, eternal, unborn and inexhaustible, how can that man slay, O Arjuna, or cause to be slain?
Commentary
2.21 वेद knows? अविनाशिनम् indestructible? नित्यम् eternal? यः who? एनम् this (Self)? अजम् unborn? अव्ययम् inexhaustible? कथम् how? सः he (that)? पुरुषः man? पार्थ O Partha (son of Pritha)? कम् whom? घातयति causes to be slain? हन्ति kills? कम् whom.Commentary The enlightened sage who knows the immutable and indestructible Self through direct cognition or spiritual Anubhava (experience) cannot do the act of slaying. He cannot cause another to slay also.
Swami Gambhīrānanda
Classical
Translation
2.21 O Partha, he who knows this One as indestructible, eternal, birthless and undecaying, how and whom does that person kill, or whom does he cause to be killed! [This is not a estion but only an emphatic denial.-Tr.]
Shri Purohit Swami
Classical
Translation
2.21 He who knows the Spirit as Indestructible, Immortal, Unborn, Always-the-Same, how should he kill or cause to be killed?
He who knows the soul cannot be killed sees no occasion to kill or be killed in vain — wisdom changes what action means.
Practical Applications
Before reacting violently (verbally or otherwise), ask whether you are really threatened.
Recognize most 'attacks' on you as attacks on the body or ego, not on the eternal self.
Let knowledge change not just your beliefs but your reactions.
Reflection Questions
How would my reactions change if I truly knew the soul is unkillable?
Where am I defending an ego that does not need defending?
Analogy
An executioner who knows the prisoner is already dead does not believe he is the cause of the death. So too the warrior who knows the soul is indestructible does not, in any deep sense, kill — nor does he cause killing. Knowledge of the eternal lifts the act out of the moral category in which the unknowing mind had imprisoned it.
vāsāṁsi—garmentsjīrṇāni—old and worn outyathā—just asvihāya—giving upnavāni—new garmentsgṛhṇāti—does acceptnaraḥ—a manaparāṇi—otherstathā—in the same wayśarīrāṇi—bodiesvihāya—giving upjirṇāni—old and uselessanyāni—differentsaṁyāti—verily acceptsnavāni—new setsdehī—the embodied .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
vāsāṁsi jīrṇāni yathā vihāya
vāsāṁsi
garments
jīrṇāni
old and worn out
yathā
just as
vihāya
giving up
navāni gṛhṇāti naro ’parāṇi
navāni
new garments
gṛhṇāti
does accept
naraḥ
a man
aparāṇi
others
tathā śarīrāṇi vihāya jīrṇāny
tathā
in the same way
śarīrāṇi
bodies
vihāya
giving up
jirṇāni
old and useless
anyāni saṁyāti navāni dehī
anyāni
different
saṁyāti
verily accepts
navāni
new sets
dehī
the embodied .
Important Words
vāsāṁsi—garments
From √vas — to dwell, to clothe. Vāsa is both 'dwelling' and 'clothing'. The body is the soul's dwelling-garment. The double meaning is exact.
jīrṇāni—worn out
Past participle of √jṝ — to grow old. The body wears out the way cloth wears out — through ordinary use. The verse normalizes aging and death by reducing them to ordinary household wear.
vihāya—giving up
Gerund of vi-√hā — to abandon, to leave behind. The motion is voluntary in the analogy (the man chooses to change clothes) and so the verse subtly attributes a certain agency to the soul in transitioning.
saṁyāti—goes to
From sam + √yā — to go together with, to enter into. The soul does not drift; it *goes*. The verb has direction and purpose — karmic trajectory is real.
dehī—the embodied one
Nominative of dehin. The verse closes by naming the subject of the changing: the dehī, the one who *has* a body, never *is* a body. The grammar carries the doctrine.
As a person puts on new garments, giving up old ones, the soul similarly accepts new material bodies, giving up the old and useless ones.
Purport
Change of body by the atomic individual soul is an accepted fact. Even the modern scientists who do not believe in the existence of the soul, but at the same time cannot explain the source of energy from the heart, have to accept continuous changes of body which appear from childhood to boyhood and from boyhood to youth and again from youth to old age. From old age, the change is transferred to another body. This has already been explained in a previous verse (2.13). Transference of the atomic individual soul to another body is made possible by the grace of the Supersoul. The Supersoul fulfills the desire of the atomic soul as one friend fulfills the desire of another. The Vedas, like the Muṇḍaka Upaniṣad, as well as the Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad, compare the soul and the Supersoul to two friendly birds sitting on the same tree. One of the birds (the individual atomic soul) is eating the fruit of the tree, and the other bird (Kṛṣṇa) is simply watching His friend. Of these two birds – although they are the same in quality – one is captivated by the fruits of the material tree, while the other is simply witnessing the activities of His friend. Kṛṣṇa is the witnessing bird, and Arjuna is the eating bird. Although they are friends, one is still the master and the other is the servant. Forgetfulness of this relationship by the atomic soul is the cause of one’s changing his position from one tree to another, or from one body to another. The jīva soul is struggling very hard on the tree of the material body, but as soon as he agrees to accept the other bird as the supreme spiritual master – as Arjuna agreed to do by voluntary surrender unto Kṛṣṇa for instruction – the subordinate bird immediately becomes free from all lamentations. Both the Muṇḍaka Upaniṣad (3.1.2) and Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad (4.7) confirm this: samāne vṛkṣe puruṣo nimagno ’nīśayā śocati muhyamānaḥ juṣṭaṁ yadā paśyaty anyam īśam asya mahimānam iti vīta-śokaḥ “Although the two birds are in the same tree, the eating bird is fully engrossed with anxiety and moroseness as the enjoyer of the fruits of the tree. But if in some way or other he turns his face to his friend the Lord and knows His glories – at once the suffering bird becomes free from all anxieties.” Arjuna has now turned his face towards his eternal friend, Kṛṣṇa, and is understanding the Bhagavad-gītā from Him. And thus, hearing from Kṛṣṇa, he can understand the supreme glories of the Lord and be free from lamentation. Arjuna is advised herewith by the Lord not to lament for the bodily change of his old grandfather and his teacher. He should rather be happy to kill their bodies in the righteous fight so that they may be cleansed at once of all reactions from various bodily activities. One who lays down his life on the sacrificial altar, or in the proper battlefield, is at once cleansed of bodily reactions and promoted to a higher status of life. So there was no cause for Arjuna’s lamentation.
— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura
Gauḍīya
Translation
22. As a man gives up old clothes and accepts new ones, so the soul gives up the old bodies and attains new ones.
Commentary
“But by my fighting, a jīva will give up the body known as Bhīṣma. Then you and I will be the cause of that.”
“What fault is there in a person giving up old worn cloth to put on new cloth? In a similar way, Bhīṣma will give up an old body and attain a new divine body. What fault is there for Me or you in that?”
Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa
Gauḍīya
Translation
22. As a man gives up old clothes and accepts new ones, so the soul gives up the old bodies and attains new ones.
Commentary
“The soul may be indestructible, but with the destruction through war of those bodies known as Bhīṣma and others which gave them happiness, we will deprive them of their happiness. This is the sin. If it were not so, then scriptures prescribing atonements for such killing would be useless.” The answer to this objection is given in this verse.
“Just as giving up old, worn clothing and putting on new clothing gives happiness, giving up an old human body and accepting a new devatā body certainly gives great happiness to the soul. The war will enable both the giving up and accepting to happen more quickly. Therefore, because the war assists this, do not abandon fighting.”
The word saṁyāti, meaning “directly attain,” indicates that one will very quickly attains that body without even undergoing the pains of staying in the womb and other inconveniences. The prescriptions for atonement are applicable to killing persons other than during conditions of war or sacrifice.
Study Notes — Gauranga Priya Dāsa
Gauranga Priya Dāsa
Study
Bhakti-śāstrī Notes, ISKCON Chowpatty (2009)
Theme
Krishna gives an analogy: For the soul, death is simply a change of clothes
Rebukes Arjuna’s lamentation that Bhishma and Drona will lose their current bodies, which are the source of enjoyment – Krishna establishes that they will get fresh bodies
Focus of Learning
(a) Opinion of modern scientist on change of body
They accept the continuous changes of the body which appears from boyhood to childhood to youth to old age
They accept the heart as the source of all energies, and we also say that the soul is present in the region of the heart
(b) How transference of atomic soul to another body is made possible
Grace – By the grace of the Supersoul
Desires and past deeds – Supersoul fulfils the desires of the soul like a friend
Supporting References – Soul and Supersoul are compared to two friendly birds sitting on the same tree (Ref. Mundaka and Svetasvatara Upanisads)
(c) Cause of changing bodies
Forgetfulness of servant-master relationship by the atomic soul with the Supersoul
SUMMARISED THEME 2D
DOES THE IMMORTALITY OF THE SOUL RECOMMEND VIOLENCE? “NO!”
Killing the body of anyone without authority is abominable and is punishable by the law of the state as well as the law of the Lord
Violence has proper utility under authority (2.21 Purport) – No sinful reaction
(c) Who decides the proper utility – a man situated in complete knowledge knows how and where to
apply a thing for its proper utility
(d) Analogy:
Justice of Peace – Ref. Manu Samhita (for details study 2.21 purport)
Surgeons knife – Proper use can save one’s life (for details study 2.21 purport)
(e) How to justify Arjuna’s use of violence
He was killing for the principle of religion, not whimsically
When Krishna orders violence, it is for Supreme justice
For administration of justice, so-called violence is permitted because anyway the soul cannot be killed
Classical Ācāryas
Śrī Śaṅkarācārya
Classical
Translation
2.22 Yatha, as in the world; vihaya, after rejecting jirnani, wornout; vasamsi, clothes; narah, a man grhnati, takes up; aparani, other; navani, new ones; tatha, likewise, in that very manner; vihaya, after rejecting; jirnani, wornout; sarirani, bodies; dehi, the embodied one, the Self which is surely unchanging like the man (in the example); samyati, unites with; anyani, other; navani, new ones. This is meaning.
Śrī Rāmānujācārya
Classical
Translation
2.22 That those who give up their bodies in a righteous war get more beauteous bodies than before, is known through the scriptures. Casting off worn-out garments and taking new and beautiful ones, can be only a cause of joy, as seen here in the world in the case of new garments.
Once again Sri Krsna emphasises for easy understanding the indestructibility of the self, taught before: 'Know that to be indestructible by which all this is pervaded' (II.17) and confirms it thus:
Śrī Abhinavagupta
Classical
Translation
2.22 Vasamsi etc. just as a well - dressed person, on the destruction of his garment, gets himself dressed in another more suitable garment, and he does not perish on that account, in the same way the Self, dressed with different bodies [behaves].
Swami Sivananda
Classical
Translation
2.22 Just as a man casts off worn-out clothes and puts on new ones, so also the embodied Self casts off worn-out bodies and enters others which are new.
2.22 As after rejecting wornout clothes a man takes up other new ones, likewise after rejecting wornout bodies the embodied one unites with other new ones.
Shri Purohit Swami
Classical
Translation
2.22 As a man discards his threadbare robes and puts on new, so the Spirit throws off Its worn-out bodies and takes fresh ones.
As one casts off worn garments and accepts new, so the soul casts off worn bodies and enters new — death is changing clothes.
Practical Applications
Use this verse when comforting yourself or others about death — the most quoted of all Gītā verses for grief.
Reflect on the bodies your soul has already left behind in this lifetime — childhood, youth.
Treat the body's wear and tear as natural, not catastrophic.
Reflection Questions
Whose 'changing of clothes' am I still grieving as if it were total loss?
How might my own approach to aging shift with this image?
Analogy
A man undresses at the end of a long day's work and puts on fresh clothes. The garments are real; the changing is real; but the wearer is the wearer throughout. Death and birth are this changing-room of the soul.
Stories
Bharata's three lives
King Bharata of Ajamīḍha left his kingdom for the forest and, attached to a fawn at the moment of death, was reborn as a deer. In the deer-body he remembered Kṛṣṇa and, in his next birth as Jaḍa Bharata, fixed himself wholly on the Lord.
Three distinct bodies — king, deer, brāhmaṇa — and yet one continuous soul tracing one trajectory. The Bhāgavatam's fifth canto narrates this verse in biographical form: vihāya jīrṇāni anyāni saṁyāti navāni dehī.
నైనం ఛిన్దన్తి శస్త్రాణి నైనం దహతి పావకః ।
న చైనం క్లేదయన్త్యాపో న శోషయతి మారుతః ॥ ౨౩ ॥
nainaṁ chindanti śastrāṇi
[nainam chindanti shastraani]
nainaṁ dahati pāvakaḥ
[nainam dahati paavakah]
na cainaṁ kledayanty āpo
[na chainam kledayanty aapo]
na śoṣayati mārutaḥ
[na shoshayati maarutah]
Word-for-word
na—neverenam—this soulchindanti—can cut to piecesśastrāṇi—weaponsna—neverenam—this souldahati—burnspāvakaḥ—firena—neverca—alsoenam—this soulkledayanti—moistensāpaḥ—waterna—neverśoṣayati—driesmārutaḥ—wind .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
nainaṁ chindanti śastrāṇi
na
never
enam
this soul
chindanti
can cut to pieces
śastrāṇi
weapons
nainaṁ dahati pāvakaḥ
na
never
enam
this soul
dahati
burns
pāvakaḥ
fire
na cainaṁ kledayanty āpo
na
never
ca
also
enam
this soul
kledayanti
moistens
āpaḥ
water
na śoṣayati mārutaḥ
na
never
śoṣayati
dries
mārutaḥ
wind .
Important Words
chindanti—they cut
Plural of √chid — to cut, sever. The weapon's defining act has no object. The senses' first power — to divide — fails at the threshold of the soul.
śastrāṇi—weapons
All weapons, plural. Not 'no weapon' but 'no weapons whatsoever' — the universal negation is meant. Bhīṣma will be felled by Arjuna's arrows; Bhīṣma the soul will not.
pāvakaḥ—fire
Pāvaka — *the purifier*, an epithet of fire. Even fire, the great reducer, cannot reduce the soul. The soul is already pure; nothing can purify it further or burn it down.
āpaḥ—waters
Plural, as is Vedic. Water dissolves; the soul is akledya — un-wettable. The fourfold image (weapon, fire, water, wind) exhausts the elemental categories of injury.
mārutaḥ—wind
The fourth element-agent. Wind dries up rivers, fields, lives. The soul cannot be dried. The verse completes the elemental circle and finds no opening.
The soul can never be cut to pieces by any weapon, nor burned by fire, nor moistened by water, nor withered by the wind.
Purport
All kinds of weapons – swords, flame weapons, rain weapons, tornado weapons, etc. – are unable to kill the spirit soul. It appears that there were many kinds of weapons made of earth, water, air, ether, etc., in addition to the modern weapons of fire. Even the nuclear weapons of the modern age are classified as fire weapons, but formerly there were other weapons made of all different types of material elements. Fire weapons were counteracted by water weapons, which are now unknown to modern science. Nor do modern scientists have knowledge of tornado weapons. Nonetheless, the soul can never be cut into pieces, nor annihilated by any number of weapons, regardless of scientific devices. The Māyāvādī cannot explain how the individual soul came into existence simply by ignorance and consequently became covered by the illusory energy. Nor was it ever possible to cut the individual souls from the original Supreme Soul; rather, the individual souls are eternally separated parts of the Supreme Soul. Because they are atomic individual souls eternally ( sanātana ), they are prone to be covered by the illusory energy, and thus they become separated from the association of the Supreme Lord, just as the sparks of a fire, although one in quality with the fire, are prone to be extinguished when out of the fire. In the Varāha Purāṇa, the living entities are described as separated parts and parcels of the Supreme. They are eternally so, according to the Bhagavad-gītā also. So, even after being liberated from illusion, the living entity remains a separate identity, as is evident from the teachings of the Lord to Arjuna. Arjuna became liberated by the knowledge received from Kṛṣṇa, but he never became one with Kṛṣṇa.
— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura
Gauḍīya
Translation
23. Weapons do not cut the soul. Fire does not burn it. Water does not wet it. Wind does not dry it.
Commentary
Also, it is not possible to injure the soul at all by the weapons used by you in the battle. That is explained in this verse. Weapons such as swords cannot cut it. The fire weapon cannot burn it. The rain weapon cannot wet it, nor can the wind weapon dry it out.
Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa
Gauḍīya
Translation
23. Weapons do not cut the soul. The fire weapon does not burn it. The water weapon does not wet it. The wind weapon does not dry it.
Commentary
“But just as the house dweller is destroyed when his house is burned, when the body is destroyed by the blow of weapons, the soul should also be destroyed.”
Swords (śastrāṇi) cannot cut it. The fire weapon (pāvakaḥ) cannot burn it. The rain weapon (āpaḥ) cannot wet it. The wind weapon (mārutaḥ) cannot dry it. Accordingly, the ātmā is not disturbed at all by being exposed to all these types of weapons (either those used for striking or those that are thrown).
Study Notes — Gauranga Priya Dāsa
Gauranga Priya Dāsa
Study
Bhakti-śāstrī Notes, ISKCON Chowpatty (2009)
Theme
COMMON THEME: The individual soul is eternally the atomic particle of the spirit whole
The soul is unbreakable and insoluble (2.24)
Can never be cut into pieces by any weapon, nor moistened by water (2.23)
Soul can neither be burned nor dried (2.24)
Nor burned by fire, nor withered by the wind (2.23)
Soul is eternally the same – He is everlasting, present everywhere, unchangeable, immovable (2.24)
Focus of Learning
(a) Different kinds of weapons none of which can affect the soul
Made of earth, water, fire, air, ether etc
Example of fire weapons – Nuclear weapons
(b) Failure of Mayavadi’s to explain the following points – They cannot explain:
How the individual soul came into existence simply by ignorance
How the individual soul got separated from the original Supreme Soul
(c) Correct understanding of the position of the soul:
The individual soul is eternally a separated part of the Supreme Soul
Being atomic individual souls eternally, they are prone to be influenced by illusory energy
Thus they become separated from the Supreme Lord
Analogy: Just like sparks of a fire, although one in quality of the fire are prone to be extinguished when out of the fire
Ref. Varaha Purana – Living entities are eternally separated parts and parcels
(d) Analogy of two birds explained
One of the birds (atomic soul) – is captivated and eating the fruits of the tree
Other bird (Krishna) – simply witnesses the activities of his friend (atomic soul)
Although they are friends one is still the master (Krishna as Supersoul) and the other is servant (atomic soul)
How to become free from all lamentations – By voluntary surrender unto the master bird or unto Krishna, the Supreme spiritual master
If somehow one turns his face to Krishna and knows His glories, at once he becomes free from all anxieties
(e) How does this verse help Arjuna to overcome lamentation and material compassion
Arjuna should be happy to kill the bodies of grandfather and teacher in a righteous fight so that they can be cleansed of all reactions and get fresh bodies (fresh garments)
One who lays down his life on the sacrificial alter or in the proper battlefield, is at once cleansed of bodily reactions and promoted to a higher status
Classical Ācāryas
Śrī Śaṅkarācārya
Classical
Translation
2.23 Why does It verily remain unchanged? This is being answered in, 'Weapons do not cut It,' etc. Sastrani, weapons; na, do not; chindanti, cut; enam, It, the embodied one under discussion. It being partless, weapons like sword etc. do not cut off Its limbs. So also, even pavakah, fire; na dahati enam, does not burn, does not reduce It to ashes. Ca, and similarly; apah, water; na enam kledayanti, does not moisten It. For water has the power of disintegrating a substance that has parts, by the process of moistening it. That is not possible in the case of the partless Self. Similarly, air destroys an oil substance by drying up the oil. Even marutah, air; na sosayati, does not dry; (enam, It,) one's own Self. [Ast. reads 'enam tu atmanam, but this Self', in place of enam svatmanam.-Tr.]
Śrī Rāmānujācārya
Classical
Translation
2.23 - 2.24 Weapons, fire, water and air are incapable of cleaving, burning, wetting and drying the self; for, the nature of the self is to pervade all elements; It is present everywhere; for, It is subtler than all the elements; It is not capable of being pervaded by them; and cleaving, burning, wetting and drying are actions which can take place only by pervading a substance. Therefore the self is eternal. It is stable, immovable and primeval. The meaning is that It is unchanging, unshakable and ancient.
Śrī Abhinavagupta
Classical
Translation
2.23 See Comment under 2.25
Swami Sivananda
Classical
Translation
2.23 Weapons cut It not, fire burns It not, water wets It not, wind dries It not.
Commentary
2.23 न not? एनम् this (Self)? छिन्दन्ति cut? शस्त्राणि weapons? न not? एनम् this? दहति burns? पावकः fire? न not?,च and? एनम् this? क्लेदयन्ति wet? आपः waters? न not? शोषयति dries? मारुतः wind.Commentary The Self is indivisible. It has no parts. It is extremely subtle. It is infinite. Therefore? sword cannot cut It fire cannot burn It water cannot wet It wind cannot dry It.
Swami Gambhīrānanda
Classical
Translation
2.23 Weapons do not cut It, fire does not burn It, water does not moisten It, and air does not dry It.
Shri Purohit Swami
Classical
Translation
2.23 Weapons cleave It not, fire burns It not, water drenches It not, and wind dries It not.
Weapons cannot cleave the soul, fire cannot burn it, water cannot wet it, wind cannot dry it — nothing of this world touches our true self.
Practical Applications
When you feel attacked, remind yourself: 'Nothing of this world can touch my true self.'
Use this verse in meditation when overwhelmed by external circumstances.
Let the elemental imagery of the verse counter the elemental violence of the world.
Reflection Questions
Which 'weapon, fire, water, or wind' am I most afraid of right now?
How would I act if I really knew none of it could touch the real me?
Analogy
Try to cut light with a sword, burn wind with fire, dampen space with water, dry the sky with breeze — the elements have no purchase on what is not their kind. The soul belongs to no element, and so none of the four weapons of nature can touch it.
acchedyaḥ—unbreakableayam—this souladāhyaḥ—unable to be burnedayam—this soulakledyaḥ—insolubleaśoṣyaḥ—not able to be driedeva—certainlyca—andnityaḥ—everlastingsarva - gataḥ—all-pervadingsthāṇuḥ—unchangeableacalaḥ—immovableayam—this soulsanātanaḥ—eternally the same .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
acchedyo ’yam adāhyo ’yam
acchedyaḥ
unbreakable
ayam
this soul
adāhyaḥ
unable to be burned
ayam
this soul
akledyo ’śoṣya eva ca
akledyaḥ
insoluble
aśoṣyaḥ
not able to be dried
eva
certainly
ca
and
nityaḥ sarva-gataḥ sthāṇur
nityaḥ
everlasting
sarva - gataḥ
all-pervading
sthāṇuḥ
unchangeable
acalo ’yaṁ sanātanaḥ
acalaḥ
immovable
ayam
this soul
sanātanaḥ
eternally the same .
Important Words
acchedyaḥ—unbreakable
A + chedya — not to be cut. The privative of 2.23's chindanti. The verse moves from action-negation ('weapons do not cut') to property-negation ('the soul is uncuttable').
adāhyaḥ—unburnable
A + dāhya — not to be burned. Privative of pāvaka's reach. The soul does not have the property of combustibility.
sarva - gataḥ—all-pervading
Sarva + gata — gone everywhere. The Gauḍīya commentators debate the scope: the jīva is all-pervading within its body (vibhu-vāda is rejected); the Paramātmā is all-pervading absolutely. Either way, the soul transcends spatial limit.
sthāṇuḥ—immovable
A pillar, a fixed post. The soul does not move in the way bodies move. In its own being it is fixed, even when the body it inhabits travels.
sanātanaḥ—eternally the same
From san — eternal; -tana — extending. The word that gives sanātana-dharma its name. The soul is not just enduring but *unchangingly* enduring.
This individual soul is unbreakable and insoluble, and can be neither burned nor dried. He is everlasting, present everywhere, unchangeable, immovable and eternally the same.
Purport
All these qualifications of the atomic soul definitely prove that the individual soul is eternally the atomic particle of the spirit whole, and he remains the same atom eternally, without change. The theory of monism is very difficult to apply in this case, because the individual soul is never expected to become one homogeneously. After liberation from material contamination, the atomic soul may prefer to remain as a spiritual spark in the effulgent rays of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, but the intelligent souls enter into the spiritual planets to associate with the Personality of Godhead. The word sarva-gata (“all-pervading”) is significant because there is no doubt that living entities are all over God’s creation. They live on the land, in the water, in the air, within the earth and even within fire. The belief that they are sterilized in fire is not acceptable, because it is clearly stated here that the soul cannot be burned by fire. Therefore, there is no doubt that there are living entities also in the sun planet with suitable bodies to live there. If the sun globe is uninhabited, then the word sarva-gata – “living everywhere” – becomes meaningless.
— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura
Gauḍīya
Translation
24. The soul cannot be cut, cannot be burned, cannot be moistened or dried. It is eternal, traveling in all bodies, and stable. [Note: This translation and others as well is according to the explanation of the words given by Viśvanātha in his commentary. Each ācārya may have differing opinion on the meaning of particular words.]
Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa
Gauḍīya
Translation
24. The soul cannot at all be cut, cannot be burned, cannot be moistened or dried. It is eternal, traveling in all types of bodies, with fixed form and fixed qualities.
Commentary
Not being affected by any of these weapons, the ātmā is thus called respectively by the appropriate names (uncleavable, unburnable, insoluble and indessicible). The word eva (indeed) applies to all items in the list. The ātmā certainly cannot be cut, burned, moistened or dried.
The ātmā is called all pervading (sarva gataḥ) because it accepts all types of bodies, such as that of man, devatā, bird and beast one after the other, according to karma. The ātmā also possesses a fixed form (sthāṇuḥ) and fixed qualities (acalaḥ). The śruti says:
avināśī vā are’yam ātmānucchitti-dharmā
This ātmā is indestructible, with eternal qualities. Bṛhad Āraṇyaka Upaniṣad
4.5.14
One cannot interpret the phrase anucchitti dharmā to mean simply “having the quality of indestructibility” since that would have the same meaning as avināśī mentioned previously in the same sentence. The meaning is “the indestructible ātmā has eternal (anuchitti) qualities (dharma).”
Sanātanaḥ in the Gītā verse means “eternal.” The reason for this fault of repetition or redundancy of words (the word nitya has already been mentioned in the verse) will be explained in the next verse.
Study Notes — Gauranga Priya Dāsa
Gauranga Priya Dāsa
Study
Bhakti-śāstrī Notes, ISKCON Chowpatty (2009)
Theme
COMMON THEME: The individual soul is eternally the atomic particle of the spirit whole
The soul is unbreakable and insoluble (2.24)
Can never be cut into pieces by any weapon, nor moistened by water (2.23)
Soul can neither be burned nor dried (2.24)
Nor burned by fire, nor withered by the wind (2.23)
Soul is eternally the same – He is everlasting, present everywhere, unchangeable, immovable (2.24)
Focus of Learning
(a) Different kinds of weapons none of which can affect the soul
Made of earth, water, fire, air, ether etc
Example of fire weapons – Nuclear weapons
(b) Failure of Mayavadi’s to explain the following points – They cannot explain:
How the individual soul came into existence simply by ignorance
How the individual soul got separated from the original Supreme Soul
(c) Correct understanding of the position of the soul:
The individual soul is eternally a separated part of the Supreme Soul
Being atomic individual souls eternally, they are prone to be influenced by illusory energy
Thus they become separated from the Supreme Lord
Analogy: Just like sparks of a fire, although one in quality of the fire are prone to be extinguished when out of the fire
Ref. Varaha Purana – Living entities are eternally separated parts and parcels
(d) Analogy of two birds explained
One of the birds (atomic soul) – is captivated and eating the fruits of the tree
Other bird (Krishna) – simply witnesses the activities of his friend (atomic soul)
Although they are friends one is still the master (Krishna as Supersoul) and the other is servant (atomic soul)
How to become free from all lamentations – By voluntary surrender unto the master bird or unto Krishna, the Supreme spiritual master
If somehow one turns his face to Krishna and knows His glories, at once he becomes free from all anxieties
(e) How does this verse help Arjuna to overcome lamentation and material compassion
Arjuna should be happy to kill the bodies of grandfather and teacher in a righteous fight so that they can be cleansed of all reactions and get fresh bodies (fresh garments)
One who lays down his life on the sacrificial alter or in the proper battlefield, is at once cleansed of bodily reactions and promoted to a higher status
Classical Ācāryas
Śrī Śaṅkarācārya
Classical
Translation
2.24 Since this is so, therefore ayam, It; acchedyah, cannot be cut. Since the other elements which are the causes of destruction of one ano ther are not capable of destroying this Self, therefore It is nityah, eternal. Being eternal, It is sarva-gatah, omnipresent. Being omnipresent, It is sthanuh, stationary, i.e. fixed like a stump. Being fixed, ayam, this Self; is acalah, unmoving. Therefore It is sanatanah, changeless, i.e. It is not produced from any cause, as a new thing.
It is not to be argued that 'these verses are repetive since eternality and changelessness of the Self have been stated in a single verse itself, "Never is this One born, and never does It die," etc. (20). Whatever has been said there (in verse 19) about the Self does not go beyond the meaning of this verse. Something is repeated with those very words, and something ideologically.' Since the object, viz the Self, is inscrutable, therefore Lord Vasudeva raises the topic again and again, and explains that very object in other words so that, somehow, the unmanifest Self may come within the comprehension of the intellect of the transmigrating persons and bring about a cessation of their cycles of births and deaths.
Śrī Rāmānujācārya
Classical
Translation
2.23 - 2.24 Weapons, fire, water and air are incapable of cleaving, burning, wetting and drying the self; for, the nature of the self is to pervade all elements; It is present everywhere; for, It is subtler than all the elements; It is not capable of being pervaded by them; and cleaving, burning, wetting and drying are actions which can take place only by pervading a substance. Therefore the self is eternal. It is stable, immovable and primeval. The meaning is that It is unchanging, unshakable and ancient.
Śrī Abhinavagupta
Classical
Translation
2.24 See Comment under 2.25
Swami Sivananda
Classical
Translation
2.24 This Self cannot be cut, burnt, wetted, nor dried up. It is eternal, all-pervading, stable, immovable and ancient.
Commentary
2.24 अच्छेद्यः cannot be cut? अयम् this (Self)? अदाह्यः cannot be burnt? अयम् this? अक्लेद्यः cannot be wetted? अशोष्यः cannot be died? एव also? च and? नित्यः eternal? सर्वगतः allpervading? स्थाणुः stable? अचलः immovable? अयम् this? सनातनः ancient.Commentary The Self is very subtle. It is beyond the reach of speech and mind. It is very difficult to understand this subtle Self. So Lord Krishna explains the nature of the immortal Self in a variety of ways with various illustrations and examples? so that It can be grasped by the people.Sword cannot cut this Self. It is eternal. Because It is eternal? It is allpervading. Because It is allpervading? It is stable like a stature. Because It is stable? It is immovable. It is everlasting. Therefore? It is not produced out of any cause. It is not new. It is ancient.
Swami Gambhīrānanda
Classical
Translation
2.24 It cannot be cut, It cannot be burnt, cannot be moistened, and surely cannot be dried up. It is eternal, omnipresent, stationary, unmoving and changeless.
Shri Purohit Swami
Classical
Translation
2.24 It is impenetrable; It can be neither drowned nor scorched nor dried. It is Eternal, All-pervading, Unchanging, Immovable and Most Ancient.
The soul is unbreakable, unburnable, immutable — eternally the same.
Practical Applications
Memorize this verse and the previous as a paired meditation on the soul's nature.
When change overwhelms you, return to the immutable in yourself.
Speak to others' immutable selves, even when their bodies and minds are changing.
Reflection Questions
What in me is genuinely immutable — and how often do I reside there?
Where do I confuse the changing for the eternal?
Analogy
A stake driven deep into bedrock cannot be cut, cannot be burned, cannot be moved, cannot be uprooted by storm. The verse stacks five privatives on the soul: each removes one mode by which finite things are reached and ended.
A + vyakta — not manifested to the senses. The soul does not become visible the way bodies become visible. The senses' verdict is structurally incomplete; not seeing the soul does not mean the soul is not.
acintyaḥ—inconceivable
A + cintya — not to be thought through. The mind cannot fully grasp the soul by ordinary conception. Acintya will return as a central Gauḍīya category: acintya-bhedābheda.
avikāryaḥ—immutable
A + vikārya — not subject to change. The six modifications of material things (asti, jāyate, vardhate, vipariṇamate, apakṣīyate, vinaśyati) do not apply. The soul is exempt from vikāra.
viditvā—knowing
Gerund of √vid — to know. The verse turns from description to injunction by way of cognition: *having known thus*. Knowledge is the hinge between metaphysics and conduct.
anuśocitum—to grieve
Infinitive of anu-√śuc — to follow with grief, to grieve after. The verse forbids the act of subsequent lamentation. With this knowledge, grief loses its object — and so it should lose its action.
It is said that the soul is invisible, inconceivable and immutable. Knowing this, you should not grieve for the body.
Purport
As described previously, the magnitude of the soul is so small for our material calculation that he cannot be seen even by the most powerful microscope; therefore, he is invisible. As far as the soul’s existence is concerned, no one can establish his existence experimentally beyond the proof of śruti, or Vedic wisdom. We have to accept this truth, because there is no other source of understanding the existence of the soul, although it is a fact by perception. There are many things we have to accept solely on grounds of superior authority. No one can deny the existence of his father, based upon the authority of his mother. There is no source of understanding the identity of the father except by the authority of the mother. Similarly, there is no source of understanding the soul except by studying the Vedas. In other words, the soul is inconceivable by human experimental knowledge. The soul is consciousness and conscious – that also is the statement of the Vedas, and we have to accept that. Unlike the bodily changes, there is no change in the soul. As eternally unchangeable, the soul remains atomic in comparison to the infinite Supreme Soul. The Supreme Soul is infinite, and the atomic soul is infinitesimal. Therefore, the infinitesimal soul, being unchangeable, can never become equal to the infinite soul, or the Supreme Personality of Godhead. This concept is repeated in the Vedas in different ways just to confirm the stability of the conception of the soul. Repetition of something is necessary in order that we understand the matter thoroughly, without error.
— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura
Gauḍīya
Translation
25. It is imperceptibly small, pervading the body inconceivably, and without changes. Knowing it thus, you should not lament.
Commentary
Therefore the ātmā is described in this way (taking the descriptions of the previous verse): it cannot be cut, burned, dried or moistened. The repetition of the words signifying the eternal nature of the soul in this section (such as the use of the words nitya and sanātanaḥ in this verse, and statements of previous verses) is for the purpose of precisely defining the soul for those of confused intellect, just as one will repeat several times in order to make certain that everyone understands, “This is the dharma of Kali-yuga, this is the dharma of Kali-yuga.”
Sarva-gataḥ (gone everywhere) means that the soul goes into all sorts of bodies such as human, animal and deva by its karma. [Note: The other meaning is pervading everywhere, but this meaning is not taken since the subject is the jīva , who pervades only his own body.] Sthāṇu and acala have the same meaning, “having stability,” [Note: Baladeva explains sthānu as “having a stable svarūpa.”] and the repetition makes the meaning clear.
Because it is very fine, it is called avyakta. Because it pervades the body with consciousness, it is called acintya, beyond conception. Being devoid of the six changes such as birth, it is called avikārya.
Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa
Gauḍīya
Translation
25. It is imperceptible, inconceivable, and without changes. Knowing it thus, you should not lament.
Commentary
The ātmā is not perceptible by the material senses (avyaktaḥ). It is beyond logic (acintyaḥ), being understood only through scriptures. By the scriptures the ātmā is understood to be jṣāna svarūpa, knowledge itself, and a knower of things. It is not subject to the six changes (avikāryaḥ).
The Lord, in teaching the nature of the ātmā with such statements as avināśi tu tad viddhi had used repetition of words with similar meaning, in order that the ātmā, which is difficult to understand, can be easily understood. Thus this is not a fault. Or the repeated words can be explained as useful for ascertaining the real nature of the ātmā.
To the extent that you know the nature of the ātmā (evam viditvā) with certainty, you will no longer lament. The Lord will explain next with the words such as āścaryavat paśyati kaścit. (verse 29) how others view the ātmā.
Bhūrijana Dāsa
Gauḍīya
Commentary
Now with the words "atha ca"‑ "if however", the topic is going to be changed. Krsna has explained to Arjuna that the weapons that he is holding they cannot hurt the soul. So he should fight!
But now Krsna is reversing His argument,
[ 3 ‑ The eternal, indestructible, immutable soul cannot be killed and the temporary body cannot be saved. Therefore fight.(26‑30) ]
Study Notes — Gauranga Priya Dāsa
Gauranga Priya Dāsa
Study
Bhakti-śāstrī Notes, ISKCON Chowpatty (2009)
Theme
Further qualities of the soul – Soul is invisible, inconceivable and immutable
Focus of Learning
(a) Soul as invisible – The soul is too small to be seen even by the most powerful microscope
(b) Soul as inconceivable –
No-one can establish the existence of the soul by human experimental efforts
Only source of understanding is the proof by ‘sruti’ (Vedic wisdom)
Example of understandings based solely on superior authorities and beyond the capacity of experiment
▪ To know the existence of one’s father based on the authority of the mother
(c) Soul as immutable – This establishes the stability of the conception of the soul
Never changes like matter – Unlike body which goes through six changes
Never becomes God – The soul always remains atomic to the infinite Supreme
PRACTICAL APPLICATION OF TEXT 2.25
As the soul is beyond the range of ordinary perception, it cannot be understood by direct
empiric methods alone. We must therefore understand the soul on the basis of Vedic wisdom
(a) What is established by the qualities given in this verse
Individual soul is eternally the atomic particle of the spirit whole
He remains the same atom eternally, without change
(b) This verse refutes the monistic theory (Mayavada)
Spirit soul is insoluble – Thus can never merge into Impersonal Brahman but always remains unchangeable, eternal individual
What about impersonal liberation – The atomic soul may prefer to remain as a spiritual spark in Brahmajyoti
Destiny of intelligent souls – They enter the spiritual planets to associate with the Supreme Personality of Godhead
(c) Importance of the word ‘Sarva-gatah’ – All-pervading
This is significant because the living entities are present all over God’s creation
They are present in water, air, land or even in fire
Practical application:
Sterilization by fire is refuted here, because the soul cannot be burned by fire
Living entities are also present in the sun with suitable bodies
(d) PRACTICAL APPLICATION: Applying this philosophy to Arjuna’s case – Arjuna became liberated by
the knowledge received by Krishna, but he never became one with Krishna
Classical Ācāryas
Śrī Śaṅkarācārya
Classical
Translation
2.25 Moreover, ucyate, it is said that; ayam, This, the Self; is avyaktah, unmanifest, since, being beyond the ken of all the organs, It cannot be objectified. For this very reason, ayam, This; is acintyah, inconceivable. For anything that comes within the purview of the organs becomes the object of thought. But this Self is inconceivable becuase It is not an object of the organs. Hence, indeed, It is avikaryah, unchangeable. This Self does not change as milk does when mixed with curd, a curdling medium, etc. And It is chnageless owing to partlessness, for it is not seen that any non-composite thing is changeful. Not being subject to transformation, It is said to be changeless. Tasmat, therefore; vidivata, having known; enam, this one, the Self; evam, thus, as described; na arhasi, you ought not; anusocitum, to grieve, thinking, 'I am the slayer of these; these are killed by me.'
Śrī Rāmānujācārya
Classical
Translation
2.25 The self is not made manifest by those Pramanas (means of knowledge) by which objects susceptible of being cleft etc., are made manifest; hence It is unmanifest, being different in kind from objects susceptible to cleaving etc., It is inconceivable, being different in kind from all objects. As It does not possess the essential nature of any of them. It cannot even be conceived. Therefore, It is unchanging, incapable of modifications. So knowing this self to be possessed of the above mentioned alities, it does not become you to feel grief for Its sake.
Śrī Abhinavagupta
Classical
Translation
2.23-25 Nainam etc. upto arhasi. The weapons etc., that cause destruction, haldly do anything to This. For, being, by nature, exclusively pure Consciousness, remaining without support, having no component parts and being independent, this cannot be destroyed through the process of either assumption of an altogether different nature, or the destruction of the support, or the mutual separation of the component parts, or the rise of an opponent, and so on. Nor the act to going to another body is a new thing for This. For, even when This is [apparently] with a single body, This travels always to different body; for the body does not remain the same even for a moment. By understanding this Self to be as such, you should not lament This.
Swami Sivananda
Classical
Translation
2.25 This (Self) is said to be unmanifested, unthinkable and unchangeable. Therefore, knowing This to be such, thou shouldst not grieve.
Commentary
2.25 अव्यक्तः unmanifested? अयम् this (Self)? अचिन्त्यः unthinkable? अयम् this? अविकार्यः unchangeable? अयम् this? उच्यते is said? तस्मात् therefore? एवम् thus? विदित्वा having known? एनम् this? न not? अनुशोचितुम् to grieve? अर्हसि (thou) oughtest.Commentary The Self is not an object of perception. It can hardly be seen by the physical eyes. Therefore? the Self is unmanifested. That which is seen by the eyes becomes an object of thought. As the Self cannot be perceived by the eyes? It is unthinkable. Milk when mixed with buttermilk changes its form. The Self cannot change Its form like milk. Hence? It is changeless and immutable. Therefore? thus understanding the Self? thou shouldst not mourn. Thou shouldst not think also that thou art their slayer and that they are killed by thee.
Swami Gambhīrānanda
Classical
Translation
2.25 It is said that This is unmanifest; This is inconceivable; This is unchangeable. Therefore, having known This thus, you ougth not to grieve.
Shri Purohit Swami
Classical
Translation
2.25 It is named the Unmanifest, the Unthinkable, the immutable. Wherefore, knowing the Spirit as such, thou hast no cause to grieve.
The soul is invisible, inconceivable, immutable — knowing this, do not lament for the body or anyone else's body.
Practical Applications
When you cannot perceive a spiritual truth, accept that imperceptibility is part of its nature, not evidence against it.
Read this verse before attending a funeral or memorial.
Make peace with the fact that the soul cannot be photographed, measured, or proven by sense data.
Reflection Questions
Where am I demanding that spiritual truth submit to material measurement?
What am I lamenting that I have already been instructed not to lament?
Analogy
The mind tries to picture the soul as one pictures a stone, a flame, a fragrance — and fails. The picture is always too small. Avyakta, acintya, avikārya: the soul does not fit the categories of the picturing mind. Therefore lament for it is doubly absurd — one cannot even mourn correctly what one cannot conceive correctly.
atha—if, howeverca—alsoenam—this soulnitya - jātam—always bornnityam—forevervā—eithermanyase—you so thinkmṛtam—deadtathā api—stilltvam—youmahā - bāho—O mighty-armed onena—neverenam—about the soulśocitum—to lamentarhasi—deserve .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
atha cainaṁ nitya-jātaṁ
atha
if, however
ca
also
enam
this soul
nitya - jātam
always born
nityaṁ vā manyase mṛtam
nityam
forever
vā
either
manyase
you so think
mṛtam
dead
tathāpi tvaṁ mahā-bāho
tathā api
still
tvam
you
mahā - bāho
O mighty-armed one
nainaṁ śocitum arhasi
na
never
enam
about the soul
śocitum
to lament
arhasi
deserve .
Important Words
atha—but if, however
The hypothetical particle. Kṛṣṇa says: *even if* you reject the eternal soul, the conclusion stands. The verse is a concession-argument — it grants the opponent's premise and still defeats his conclusion.
nitya - jātam—always being born
Compound — *constantly being born*. The materialist's claim: the soul (or 'life') is endlessly produced anew. Kṛṣṇa entertains the position to show it does not rescue lamentation.
manyase—you think
Second person — *if you think*. The verb belongs to opinion, not realization. Kṛṣṇa marks the position as merely mata, not jñāna. Still: even granted as mata, the lament fails.
mahā - bāho—mighty-armed
Vocative. Used when Kṛṣṇa wants to remind Arjuna of his power and prepare him for a strong conclusion. The hero is being addressed before being told a hard truth.
śocitum—to grieve
Infinitive of √śuc. Same root as śoka (verse 8) and aśocyān (verse 11). The chapter's controlling verb returns: even on the wrong metaphysics, this verb is unjustified.
If, however, you think that the soul [or the symptoms of life] will always be born and die forever, you still have no reason to lament, O mighty-armed.
Purport
There is always a class of philosophers, almost akin to the Buddhists, who do not believe in the separate existence of the soul beyond the body. When Lord Kṛṣṇa spoke the Bhagavad-gītā, it appears that such philosophers existed, and they were known as the Lokāyatikas and Vaibhāṣikas. Such philosophers maintain that life symptoms take place at a certain mature condition of material combination. The modern material scientist and materialist philosophers also think similarly. According to them, the body is a combination of physical elements, and at a certain stage the life symptoms develop by interaction of the physical and chemical elements. The science of anthropology is based on this philosophy. Currently, many pseudo religions – now becoming fashionable in America – are also adhering to this philosophy, as are the nihilistic nondevotional Buddhist sects. Even if Arjuna did not believe in the existence of the soul – as in the Vaibhāṣika philosophy – there would still have been no cause for lamentation. No one laments the loss of a certain bulk of chemicals and stops discharging his prescribed duty. On the other hand, in modern science and scientific warfare, so many tons of chemicals are wasted for achieving victory over the enemy. According to the Vaibhāṣika philosophy, the so-called soul or ātmā vanishes along with the deterioration of the body. So, in any case, whether Arjuna accepted the Vedic conclusion that there is an atomic soul or he did not believe in the existence of the soul, he had no reason to lament. According to this theory, since there are so many living entities generating out of matter every moment, and so many of them are being vanquished every moment, there is no need to grieve for such incidents. If there were no rebirth for the soul, Arjuna had no reason to be afraid of being affected by sinful reactions due to his killing his grandfather and teacher. But at the same time, Kṛṣṇa sarcastically addressed Arjuna as mahā-bāhu, mighty-armed, because He, at least, did not accept the theory of the Vaibhāṣikas, which leaves aside the Vedic wisdom. As a kṣatriya, Arjuna belonged to the Vedic culture, and it behooved him to continue to follow its principles.
— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura
Gauḍīya
Translation
26. Even if you think the soul is always born and always dies, still you should not lament, O Mighty-armed one!
Commentary
“I have presented to you the conclusive truth according to the scripture. Now I will present the truth according to material vision. Please understand it.” Then He speaks this verse.
If you think that the soul is always born (nitya-jātam) when the body is born, and always dies (nityaṁ mṛtam) with the death of the body, you should not lament for it. O mighty-armed Arjuna, being a brave kṣatriya, this war is your dharma.
As Bhāgavatam says:
kṣatriyāṇām ayaṁ dharmaḥ prajāpati-vinirmitaḥ
bhrātāpi bhrātaraṁ hanyād yena ghoratamas tataḥ
The code of sacred duty for warriors established by Lord Brahmā enjoins that one may have to kill even his own brother. That indeed is the most dreadful law.” SB 10.54.40
Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa
Gauḍīya
Translation
26. Even if you think the soul is continually born and always dies, still you should not lament, O Mighty-armed one!
Commentary
Having given his own opinion on why one should not lament for the soul, the Lord now speaks of the opinion of others, in order to give other viewpoints. The student, knowing these viewpoints and consequently destroying them along with their contamination, , should remain fixed, victorious, in the Lord’s viewpoint.
Endowed with a body such as human form, composed of the four elements, consciousness arises from that, just as red color arises from betel nut or the potency arises in liquor. That body made of four elements is itself the ātmā. This body is real, is subject to appearance and disappearance because of its nature of constant change, and this is known by regular perception. This is what the Lokayatas maintain. [Note: Cārvāka is their leader.] The Buddhists such as the Vaibhāsikas maintain that the ātmā is vijṣāna svarūpa, different from the body, but is still subject to destruction at every moment. In both these philosophies, there should be no lamentation for the ātmā.
The word atha in this verse indicates other opinions. Ca means api, even. If you cannot understand My words about the nature of the soul, then you can take the support of other doctrines such as that of the Lokayatas. In this philosophy which claims that the body is the ātmā, you consider that this self, the body, is continually born and continually dies. The word vā means “and.” Therefore you should not lament for this self (body), with such words as “Alas, how strange it is that we are preparing to commit greatly sinful acts. Driven by the desire to enjoy royal happiness, we are intent on killing our own kinsmen.” (BG 1.44) This is because in these two philosophies there is no fear of sin continuing into next life, since there is no next birth, and there is unavoidable creation and destruction of the selves (body), whose very nature is change.
The Lord then addressed Arjuna with a mocking tone. “O mighty-armed one! You, being the best of the warriors following Vedic traditions, should not hold such wrong views.”
Bhūrijana Dāsa
Gauḍīya
Translation
If, however, you think that the soul [or the symptoms of life] is always born and dies forever, you still have no reason to lament, O mighty‑armed.
Commentary
This is Krsna's "check mate" on Arjuna: "If you think that the soul is eternal then you should fight, do your duty. And if you think that there is no soul, that life is just a symptom of the body which is composed of chemicals, then there will be no killing either. So you should still do your duty and fight!"
"Do you think that by not fighting you will be able to stop their death?" Krsna defeats Arjuna's arguments again and again.
Study Notes — Gauranga Priya Dāsa
Gauranga Priya Dāsa
Study
Bhakti-śāstrī Notes, ISKCON Chowpatty (2009)
Theme
Bauddha-vada – Even if you reject the soul, still there is no cause for lamentation; Krishna addresses
Arjuna as ‘Maha-bahu’
Classical Ācāryas
Śrī Śaṅkarācārya
Classical
Translation
2.26 This (verse), 'On the other hand,' etc., is uttered assuming that the Self is transient. Atha ca, on the other hand, if ( conveys the sense of assumption ); following ordinary experience, manyase, you think; enam, this One, the Self under discussion; is nityajatam, born continually, becomes born with the birth of each of the numerous bodies; va, or; nityam, constantly; mrtam, dies, along with the death of each of these (bodies); tatha api, even then, even if the Self be of that nature; tvam, you; maha-baho, O mighty-armed one; na arhasi, ought not; socitum, to grieve; evam, thus, since that which is subject to birth will die, and that which is subject to death will be born; these two are inevitable.
Śrī Rāmānujācārya
Classical
Translation
2.26 Besides, if you consider this self as identical with the body, which is constantly born and constantly dies - which is nothing other than these characteristics of the body mentioned above -, even then it does not become you to feel grief; because, birth and death are inevitable for the body, whose nature is modification.
Śrī Abhinavagupta
Classical
Translation
2.26 Atha va etc. On the other hand if you deam 'This' to be the body and to be born constantly,-because its stream does not stop-even then, there is no necessity to lament. Or, if, following the [Vainasika Buddhists' ?] doctrine of continuous decay of things, you deem This to be constantly dying, even then where is the need for lamenting ? If you, in the same manner, deem the Self to be constantly born or to be constantly dying on account of Its contacts and separations with bodies, even then it is unwarranted, on every account, on the part of the men of rational thinking, to lament.
Otherwise this [division of] permanence and impermanence does not stand reasoning. For-
Swami Sivananda
Classical
Translation
2.26 But even if thou thinkest of It as being constantly born and constantly dying, even then, O mighty-armed, thou shouldst not grieve.
Commentary
2.26 अथ now? च and? एनम् this (Self)? नित्यजातम् constantly born? नित्यम् constantly? वा or? मन्यसे thinkest? मृतम् dead? तथापि even then? त्वम् thou? महाबाहो mightyarmed? न not? एवम् thus? शोचितुम् to grieve? अर्हसि (thou) oughtest.Commentary Lord Krishna here? for the sake of argument? takes up the popular supposition. Granting that the Self is again and again born whenever a body comes into being? and again and again dies whenever the body dies? O mightyarmed (O Arjuna of great valour and strength)? thou shouldst not grieve thus? because birth is inevitable to want is dead and death is inevitable to what is born. This is the inexorable or unrelenting Law of Nature.
Swami Gambhīrānanda
Classical
Translation
2.26 On the other hand, if you think this One is born continually or dies constantly, even then, O mighty-armed one, you ought not to grieve thus.
Shri Purohit Swami
Classical
Translation
2.26 Even if thou thinkest of It as constantly being born, constantly dying, even then, O Mighty Man, thou still hast no cause to grieve.
Even if one believed only in the body, lament would still be foolish — the body is born, will die, and rebirth follows; this is the nature of the manifest.
Practical Applications
Notice that even materialist philosophy gives no real grounds for endless grief.
Use this verse to engage with skeptical or atheist friends honestly.
Accept the natural cycle of the body without theatrical grief.
Reflection Questions
Even from a purely material view, what am I lamenting that has no rational basis?
How can this verse open dialogue with those who do not yet accept the soul?
Analogy
Even if a man believed the lamp was made fresh each evening and went out each dawn — even on that wrong premise, daily mourning would be senseless, because the cycle is given. Kṛṣṇa concedes hypothetically the materialist's view and shows that even on it grief is unjustified.
జాతస్య హి ధ్రువో మృత్యుర్ధ్రువం జన్మ మృతస్య చ ।
తస్మాదపరిహార్యేఽర్థే న త్వం శోచితుమర్హసి ॥ ౨౭ ॥
jātasya hi dhruvo mṛtyur
[jaatasya hi dhruvo mrityur]
dhruvaṁ janma mṛtasya ca
[dhruvam janma mritasya cha]
tasmād aparihārye ’rthe
[tasmaad aparihaarye ’rthe]
na tvaṁ śocitum arhasi
[na tvam shochitum arhasi]
Word-for-word
jātasya—of one who has taken his birthhi—certainlydhruvaḥ—a factmṛtyuḥ—deathdhruvam—it is also a factjanma—birthmṛtasya—of the deadca—alsotasmāt—thereforeaparihārye—of that which is unavoidablearthe—in the matterna—do nottvam—youśocitum—to lamentarhasi—deserve .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
jātasya hi dhruvo mṛtyur
jātasya
of one who has taken his birth
hi
certainly
dhruvaḥ
a fact
mṛtyuḥ
death
dhruvaṁ janma mṛtasya ca
dhruvam
it is also a fact
janma
birth
mṛtasya
of the dead
ca
also
tasmād aparihārye ’rthe
tasmāt
therefore
aparihārye
of that which is unavoidable
na tvaṁ śocitum arhasi
arthe
in the matter
na
do not
tvam
you
śocitum
to lament
arhasi
deserve .
Important Words
jātasya—of the born
Genitive of jāta — born. The verse opens with the universal premise: *for the born*. No exception is allowed.
dhruvaḥ—certain
From √dhṛ — fixed, sure. Dhruva is the pole-star and the boy whose name means 'certainty'. Death is dhruva — as sure as the pole. The certainty itself is what disarms the lament.
mṛtyuḥ—death
Personified in the Upaniṣads; here, the bare fact. Kṛṣṇa names death without euphemism, because the cure requires the diagnosis spoken plainly.
aparihārye—unavoidable
A + parihārya — not to be removed. From pari-√hṛ — to ward off. The locative locates the duty *in the unavoidable*. Grief over the inevitable is a category error.
arthe—in the matter
Locative — *in this matter*. Artha here means the *thing at hand*, the subject under discussion. The whole conduct of war is being placed in the file marked 'aparihārya'.
One who has taken his birth is sure to die, and after death one is sure to take birth again. Therefore, in the unavoidable discharge of your duty, you should not lament.
Purport
One has to take birth according to one’s activities of life. And after finishing one term of activities, one has to die to take birth for the next. In this way one is going through one cycle of birth and death after another without liberation. This cycle of birth and death does not, however, support unnecessary murder, slaughter and war. But at the same time, violence and war are inevitable factors in human society for keeping law and order. The Battle of Kurukṣetra, being the will of the Supreme, was an inevitable event, and to fight for the right cause is the duty of a kṣatriya. Why should he be afraid of or aggrieved at the death of his relatives since he was discharging his proper duty? He did not deserve to break the law, thereby becoming subjected to the reactions of sinful acts, of which he was so afraid. By avoiding the discharge of his proper duty, he would not be able to stop the death of his relatives, and he would be degraded due to his selection of the wrong path of action.
— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura
Gauḍīya
Translation
27. For what is born, death is certain. For what is dead, birth is certain. Therefore, since both are unavoidable, you should not lament.
Commentary
Since (hi) death is certain (dhruvaḥ) with the depletion of karmas meant for this life, and birth is also certain because of the karma accrued by that body which just died— since both death and birth are unavoidable (aparihārye arthe)—do not lament.
Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa
Gauḍīya
Translation
27. For what is born, death is certain. For what is dead, birth is certain. Therefore, since both are unavoidable, you should not lament.
Commentary
The body is redundant and the ātmā is eternal. Birth is combination of ātmā with previously non-existing senses and body. Death is the separation of the ātmā from that body with its senses. Because birth and death both arise from performance of dharma and adharma, birth and death primarily belong to a substrata or shelter of dharma and adharma which must be eternal. Birth and death belong secondarily to the body. If the soul were not eternal (lasting only one lifetime), it could not be accepted as the substrate of dharma and adharma, because then it could have no acquisition of results to actions previously performed and simultaneously it would acquire effects not caused by actions previously performed. This is the view of the logicians (follows of Gautama’s Nyāya philosophy).
Even in their view, one should give up lamenting for the ātmā. Hi in this verse indicates cause. For the eternal element, the ātmā, which attains birth (jātasya) by accepting a body under the laws of karma, death is certain with the destruction of those karmas. After death, birth is certain, caused by the karmas of the previous body. This is impossible to avoid (aparihārye). For this reason (arthe), because ātmā has the very nature of birth and death, you, being learned, should not lament. Even if you decline to fight, these people will die with the exhaustion of their present karmas. But you will have deviated from your duty of fighting.
Study Notes — Gauranga Priya Dāsa
Gauranga Priya Dāsa
Study
Bhakti-śāstrī Notes, ISKCON Chowpatty (2009)
Theme
Karma-vada – One has to take birth according to his activities in his past lives and die after finishing
his term of reactions
Thus death generates no loss in this natural cause of events
Thus this verse helps to dispel the lamentation based on the illusory bodily concept of life
Classical Ācāryas
Śrī Śaṅkarācārya
Classical
Translation
2.27 This being so, 'death of anyone born', etc. Hi, for; mrtyuh, death; jatasya, of anyone born; dhruvah, is certain; is without exception; ca, and mrtasya, of the dead; janmah, (re-) birth; is dhruvam, a certainly. Tasmat, therefore, this fact, viz birth and death, is inevitable. With regard to that (fact), apariharye, over an enevitable; arthe, fact; tvam, you; na arhasi, ought not; socitum, to grieve.
Śrī Rāmānujācārya
Classical
Translation
2.27 For what has originated, destruction is certain - it is seen to be inevitable. Similarly what has perished will inevitably originate. How should this be understood - that there is origination for that (entity)which has perished? It is seen that an existing entity only can originate and not a non-existent one. Origination, annihilation etc., are merely particular states of an existent entity.
Now thread etc., do really exist. When arranged in a particular way, they are called clothes etc. It is seen that even those who uphold the doctrine that the effect is a new entity (Asatkarya-vadins) will admit this much that no new entity over and above the particular arrangement of threads is seen. It is not tenable to hold that this is the coming into being of a new entity, since, by the process of manufacture there is only attainment of a new name and special functions. No new entity emerges.
Origination, annihilation etc., are thus particular stages of an existent entity. With regard to an entity which has entered into a stage known as origination, its entry into the opposite condition is called annihilation. Of an evolving entity, a seqence of evolutionary stages is inevitable. For instance, clay becomes a lump, jug, a potsherd, and (finally) powder. Here, what is called annihilation is the attainment of a succeeding stage by an entity which existed previously in a preceding stage. And this annihilation itself is called birth in that stage. Thus, the seence called birth and annihilation being inevitable for an evolving entity, it is not worthy of you to grieve.
Now Sri Krsna says that not even the slightest grief arising from seeing an entity passing from a previous existing stage to an opposite stage, is justifiable in regard to human beings etc.
Śrī Abhinavagupta
Classical
Translation
2.27 Jatasya etc. Destruction comes after birth, and after the destruction comes birth. Thus, this series of birth-and-death is like a circle. Hence to what extent is this to be lamented for ?
Furthermore-
Swami Sivananda
Classical
Translation
2.27 For certain is death for the born, and certain is birth for the dead; therefore, over the inevitable thou shouldst not grieve.
Commentary
2.27 जातस्य of the born? हि for? ध्रुवः certain? मृत्युः death? ध्रुवम् certain? जन्म birth? मृतस्य of the dead? च and? तस्मात् therefore? अपरिहार्ये inevritable? अर्थे in matter? न not? त्वम् thou? शोचितुम् to grieve? अर्हसि (thou) oughtest.Commentary Birth is sure to happen to that which is dead death is sure to happen to what which is born. Birth and death are certainly unavoidable. Therefore? you should not grieve over an inevitable matter.
Swami Gambhīrānanda
Classical
Translation
2.27 For death of anyone born is certain, and of the dead (re-) birth is a certainly. Therefore you ought not to grieve over an inevitable fact.
Shri Purohit Swami
Classical
Translation
2.27 For death is as sure for that which is born, as birth is for that which is dead. Therefore grieve not for what is inevitable.
For one who is born, death is certain; for one who has died, birth is certain — therefore do not lament the inevitable.
Practical Applications
Make peace with mortality long before it visits your closest circle.
Notice how much of your daily anxiety is about delaying the inevitable.
Let inevitability free you from over-investing in outcomes you cannot control.
Reflection Questions
What inevitability am I exhausting myself trying to deny?
How would I live differently if I really accepted the certainty of death and rebirth?
Analogy
A river born in the high snows is sure to reach the sea; the sea is sure to send up clouds; the clouds will fall again as snow. To stand on the bank weeping at the inevitable arrival of the sea is to misunderstand the nature of rivers. Birth and death are this current.
avyakta - ādīni—in the beginning unmanifestedbhūtāni—all that are createdvyakta—manifestedmadhyāni—in the middlebhārata—O descendant of Bharataavyakta—nonmanifestednidhanāni—when vanquishedeva—it is all like thattatra—thereforekā—whatparidevanā—lamentation .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
avyaktādīni bhūtāni
avyakta - ādīni
in the beginning unmanifested
bhūtāni
all that are created
vyakta-madhyāni bhārata
vyakta
manifested
madhyāni
in the middle
bhārata
O descendant of Bharata
avyakta-nidhanāny eva
avyakta
nonmanifested
nidhanāni
when vanquished
eva
it is all like that
tatra kā paridevanā
tatra
therefore
kā
what
paridevanā
lamentation .
Important Words
avyakta - ādīni—unmanifest in the beginning
Compound — *whose beginning is unmanifest*. Before this body, the being existed unmanifest to the present senses. The verse extends the unseen back into the past.
vyakta - madhyāni—manifest in the middle
*Whose middle is manifest*. Only the present body — the small middle — is visible. The verse offers a proportional view: most of the being's existence is, at any time, off-stage.
avyakta - nidhanāni—unmanifest at the end
*Whose end is unmanifest*. After this body, again unseen. The being's manifest portion is bracketed on both sides by the unmanifest. This is the structure of every embodied being, not an exception.
bhūtāni—beings
Plural — all beings, not just humans. The verse is metaphysical, not species-specific. Every embodied being shares this triple structure.
paridevanā—lamentation
From pari + √div — to weep around, to lament loudly. The verse asks: given this structure, what occasion is there for paridevanā? The question is rhetorical — there is none.
All created beings are unmanifest in their beginning, manifest in their interim state, and unmanifest again when annihilated. So what need is there for lamentation?
Purport
Accepting that there are two classes of philosophers, one believing in the existence of the soul and the other not believing in the existence of the soul, there is no cause for lamentation in either case. Nonbelievers in the existence of the soul are called atheists by followers of Vedic wisdom. Yet even if, for argument’s sake, we accept this atheistic theory, there is still no cause for lamentation. Apart from the separate existence of the soul, the material elements remain unmanifested before creation. From this subtle state of nonmanifestation comes manifestation, just as from ether, air is generated; from air, fire is generated; from fire, water is generated; and from water, earth becomes manifested. From the earth, many varieties of manifestations take place. Take, for example, a big skyscraper manifested from the earth. When it is dismantled, the manifestation becomes again unmanifested and remains as atoms in the ultimate stage. The law of conservation of energy remains, but in course of time things are manifested and unmanifested – that is the difference. Then what cause is there for lamentation either in the stage of manifestation or in unmanifestation? Somehow or other, even in the unmanifested stage, things are not lost. Both at the beginning and at the end, all elements remain unmanifested, and only in the middle are they manifested, and this does not make any real material difference. And if we accept the Vedic conclusion as stated in the Bhagavad-gītā that these material bodies are perishable in due course of time ( antavanta ime dehāḥ ) but that the soul is eternal ( nityasyoktāḥ śarīriṇaḥ ), then we must remember always that the body is like a dress; therefore why lament the changing of a dress? The material body has no factual existence in relation to the eternal soul. It is something like a dream. In a dream we may think of flying in the sky, or sitting on a chariot as a king, but when we wake up we can see that we are neither in the sky nor seated on the chariot. The Vedic wisdom encourages self-realization on the basis of the nonexistence of the material body. Therefore, in either case, whether one believes in the existence of the soul or one does not believe in the existence of the soul, there is no cause for lamentation for loss of the body.
— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura
Gauḍīya
Translation
28. Living entities are invisible in the beginning, manifest in the middle, and invisible at the end. What is there to lament in this?
Commentary
Thus from the point of view of the soul, having no birth and death (verse 20), and from the point of view of the body, for which birth and death are certain (verse 27), the causes for lamentation have been eliminated. In this verse the Lord argues against lamentation using both ideas—being eternal and having certain birth and death (but with a purely materialistic argument).
Devas, humans and animals are not visible before their birth. However, their subtle and gross bodies do exist invisibly in a potential form, from the existence of the causal ingredients such as earth. They become visible in the middle period, and invisible after death. Even at the time of mahāpralaya these bodies exist in a subtle form through the continued existence in subtle form of karmas and other elements. Thus all living entities bodies are invisible before birth and after death, and are visible in the interval.
This is stated by the personified Vedas in the Bhāgavatam:
sthira-cara-jātayaḥ syur ajayottha-nimitta-yujaḥ
O eternally liberated, transcendental Lord, Your material energy causes the various moving and nonmoving species of life to appear by activating their material desires, but only when and if You sport with her by briefly glancing at her. SB 10.87.29
What cause is there for lamentation (paridevanā)?
As Nārada says:
yan manyase dhruvaṁ lokam adhruvaṁ vā na cobhayam
sarvathā na hi śocyās te snehād anyatra mohajāt
O King, in all circumstances, whether you consider the soul to be an eternal principle, or the material body to be perishable, or everything to exist in the impersonal Absolute Truth, or everything to be an inexplicable combination of matter and spirit, feelings of separation are due only to illusory affection and nothing more SB 1.13.44.
Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa
Gauḍīya
Translation
28. Living entities are invisible in the beginning, manifest in the middle, and invisible at the end. What is there to lament in this?
Commentary
If one thinks that the body is the self, or if one thinks that the body is different from ātmā, there is no need to lament for the destruction of the body, since the elements composing the body are eternal. This is expressed in this verse.
The original form of all things is the very fine pradhāna, because it is devoid of all individual forms and names. The destruction (nidhanāni) of the names and forms of things in this invisible pradhāna (avyakta) is called avyakta nidhanāni. The formation of a pot takes place by eternal material called earth assuming a state of having a pot with belly and neck, and its assuming and opposite state in assuming the form of fragments is its destruction. The materials however always remain. Thus Parāśara says:
mahī ghaṭatvaṁ ghaṭataḥ kapālikā cūrṇa-rajas tato’ṇuḥ
Earth takes the form of a pot and then the form of dust particles. Viṣṇu Purāṇa 2.12.42
The bodies become invisible at the beginning and end because of loss of name and form. They become visible in the middle period because of attaining name and form. The composing elements however always remain. Thus the meaning is “If the elements in reality remain, then why do you moan due to grief (paridevanā)?” And accepting the idea of an eternal ātmā different from the body, then one should in addition not forget verses such as vāsāṁśi jirṇāni. [Note: You should not lament for the transformation of elements, since the soul is eternal.]
That which is non-existent in the beginning and end, also does not exist even in the middle, like the false images of horses or chariots seen in dreams. The person who has woken up does not lament because of separation from those illusions. In this way some philosophers speak, accepting the viewpoint of dṛṣṭi-sṛṣṭi. [Note: This interpretation of the verse argues that one should not lament because the manifestation of bodies is temporary and dream-like. All things of this world are created by a person through ignorance when he cognizes them, and continue as long as he cognizes them. This theory is accepted by advaitins such as Maṇḍana Miśra and Madhusūdana Sarasvati. The first argument was that one should not lament because the elements forming the bodies are eternal.] It is actually foolish, because in accepting this position one has to accept the fault of the non-vedic theory of asat kārya vāda. [Note: Nyāya and Vaiśeṣika philosophies, saying that effect is non-existent in the cause (asat kārya vāda), maintain that God is the operative cause of the world and prakṛti is the material cause. Sāṅkhya philosophy, pariṇāma-satkāryavāda, saying that the effect exists in the cause, maintains that prakṛti evolves on its own, as the material cause without the necessity of God. The Vedas however state that God is the material (through his śaktis) and the operative cause. Just as the Nyāyikas say that any created object has previous non-existence, the dṛṣti-sṛṣṭi-vādīs say that whatever one sees was previously nonexistent. At the moment of seeing it, it is created.]
Thus even accepting these two theories, [Note: The two opinions are: that the elements are eternal and continually evolve and disintegrate on their own (sāṅkhya) and that the middle period of manifestation is an illusion (dṛṣṭi-sṛṣṭi vāda).] there should be no grief at destruction of the body.
Bhūrijana Dāsa
Gauḍīya
Commentary
This verse is very interesting. It takes both sides: whether he believes in the soul, Arjuna should do his duty and not and not lament.
Study Notes — Gauranga Priya Dāsa
Gauranga Priya Dāsa
Study
Bhakti-śāstrī Notes, ISKCON Chowpatty (2009)
Theme
Death generates no loss, irrespective of the philosophy followed; therefore there is no cause of
lamentation
All created beings are unmanifest in their beginning
They are manifest in the interim state
They become unmanifest again when annihilated
Focus of Learning
(a) Unnecessary violence is not encouraged – Cycle of birth and death does not support unnecessary
slaughter, murder and war
(b) But violence is an inevitable factor – But at the same time, violence and war are inevitable factors
for law and order (e.g. Battle of Kurukshetra is an inevitable event by will of Supreme)
(c) Practical Application: Applying this philosophy to Arjuna’s case
No need to fear the death of relatives because fighting was his proper duty as a ksatriya
No need to fear sinful reactions because He did not deserve to break the law; He was simply carrying out the will of the Supreme
(a) History – This verse indicates that such philosophers existed even at the time when Krishna spoke
Bhagavad-gita
(b) Examples of philosophies in this category
Buddhists
Lokayatika’s & Vaibhasikas – They maintain that life symptoms take place at a certain mature condition of material combination
Modern material scientists and materialist philosophers – They think the body is a combination of physical elements and life symptoms develop at a certain stage by interaction of physical and chemical elements
Science of Anthropology
Many pseudo-religions fashionable currently and nihilistic non devotional Buddhists sects
(c) How does this verse help Arjuna to overcome lamentation and material compassion
No lamentation for loss of chemicals e.g. modern scientific warfare
Also if there is no rebirth, there is no fear of sinful reactions
(d) Significance of ‘Maha–Bahu’ – Sarcasm to Arjuna, such philosophy is not expected from an Aryan
because such philosophies leave aside Vedic wisdom
Classical Ācāryas
Śrī Śaṅkarācārya
Classical
Translation
2.28 It is not reasonable to grieve even for beings which are constituted by bodies and organs, since 'all beings remain unmanifest' etc. (Bharata, O descendant of Bharata;) bhutani, all beings, avyaktaduni, remain unmainfest in the beginning. Those beings, viz sons, friends, and others, constituted by bodies and organs, [Another reading is karya-karana-sanghata, aggregates formed by material elements acting as causes and effects.-Tr.] who before their origination have unmanifestedness (avyakta), invisibility, nonperception, as their beginning (adi) are avyaktaadini. Ca, and; after origination, before death, they become vyakta-madhyani, manifest in the middle. Again, they eva, certainly; become avyakta-nidhanani, unmanifest after death. Those which have unmanifestness (avyakta), invisibility, as their death (nidhana) are avyakta-nidhanani. The idea is that even after death they verily attain unmanifestedness. Accordingly has it been said: 'They emerged from invisibility, and have gone back to invisibility. They are not yours, nor are you theirs. What is this fruitless lamentation!' (Mbh. St. 2.13). Ka, what; paridevana, lamentation, or what prattle, can there be; tatra, with regard to them, i.e. with regard to beings which are objects of delusion, which are invisible, (become) visible, (and then) get destroyed!
Śrī Rāmānujācārya
Classical
Translation
2.28 Human beings etc., (i.e., bodies) exist as entities; their previous stages are unknown, their middle stages in the form of man etc., are known, and their (final) and future stages are unknown. As they thus exist in their own natural stages, there is no cause for grief.
After thus saying that there is no cause for grief even according to the view which identifies the body with the self, Sri Krsna proceeds to say that it is hard to find one who can be said to have truly perceived the Atman or spoken about It or heard about It or gained a true conception of It by hearing. For the Atman, which is actually different from the body, is of a wonderful nature.
Śrī Abhinavagupta
Classical
Translation
2.28 Avyaktadini etc. Whether beings are permanent or impermanent, this much is certain : The person, who laments over a given object - as far as that person is concerned, that object is at the beginning unmanifest and at the end also it is unmanifest. Its manifestation in between is therefore a deviation from its natural state, Rather, there may be need to lament over the deviation from natural state and nor over the natural state [itself]. Further, whatever has been approved as its root cause, that itself permanently exhibits, within itself, a variety of different and endless creation, sustenance and absorption as its own manifold nature, in a set pattern. Hence what is the necessity for lamenting over the same nature of this (its effect) ?
And enowed with the above mentioned nature-
Swami Sivananda
Classical
Translation
2.28 Beings are unmanifested in their beginning, manifested in their middle state, O Arjuna, and unmanifested again in their end. What is there to grieve about?
Commentary
2.28 अव्यक्तादीनि unmanifested in the beginning? भूतानि beings? व्यक्तमध्यानि manifested in their middle state? भारत O Bharata? अव्यक्तनिधनानि unmanifested again in the end? एव also? तत्र there? का what? परिदेवना grief.Commentary The physical body is a combination of the five elements. It is seen by the physical eyes only after the five elements have entered into such combination. After death? the body disintegrates and the five elements go back to their source it cannot be seen. Therefore? the body can be seen only in the middle state. The relationship as son? friend? teacher? father? mother? wife? brother and sister is formed through the body on account of attachment and Moha (delusion). Just as planks unite and separate in a river? just as pilgrims unite and separate in a public inn? so also fathers? mothers? sons and brothers unite and separate in this world. This world is a very big public inn. People unite and separate.There is no pot in the beginning and in the end. Even if you see the pot in the middle? you should think and feel that it is illusory and does not really exist. So also there is no body in the beginning and in the end. That which does not exist in the beginning and in the end must be illusory in the middle also. You must think and feel that the body does not really exist in the middle as well.He who thus understands the nature of the body and all human relationships based on it? will not grieve.
Swami Gambhīrānanda
Classical
Translation
2.28 O descendant of Bharata, all beings remain unmanifest in the beginning;; they become manifest in the middle. After death they certainly become unmanifest. What lamentation can there be with regard to them?
Shri Purohit Swami
Classical
Translation
2.28 The end and the beginning of beings are unknown. We see only the intervening formations. Then what cause is there for grief?
All beings are unmanifest in the beginning, manifest in the middle, unmanifest again at the end — what is there to lament about the visible interval?
Practical Applications
View your life as the brief manifest interval; live it well rather than mourning its brevity.
Let the impermanence of the manifest deepen your appreciation rather than your grief.
Use this perspective when meeting strangers — they too are brief manifestations of eternal souls.
Reflection Questions
What in my middle-section life would I cherish more if I really accepted its brevity?
Where am I clinging to the manifest as if it were the soul itself?
Analogy
A wave rises from the unseen ocean, lives briefly visible, and sinks again into the unseen. The wave's middle is its only manifest portion; its beginning and end are hidden. So with every being. To grieve the dissolution of one wave while the ocean continues is to misread what one is looking at.
Repeated three times in the verse — for seer, speaker, hearer. The soul is intrinsically āścarya — a wonder. The repetition is not redundancy but emphasis: amazement is the right register for this subject.
paśyati—sees
From √paś — direct vision. The first of three modes of knowing the soul: darśana. Even the seer is rare.
vadati—speaks
The second mode: vacana. To speak of the soul as the seer has seen it. Rarer still — for words must catch what already amazes the eye.
śṛṇoti—hears
The third mode: śravaṇa. The Gauḍīya line begins here — śravaṇa is the first of nine processes of bhakti. To even hear of the soul rightly is rare.
veda—knows
From √vid — to know. The verse closes by acknowledging (with negation: *na ca eva kaścit veda*) that even after hearing, hardly anyone *knows* the soul. Sravaṇa is necessary but not sufficient; without surrender (cf. verse 7) the hearing does not become vidyā.
Some look on the soul as amazing, some describe him as amazing, and some hear of him as amazing, while others, even after hearing about him, cannot understand him at all.
Purport
Since Gītopaniṣad is largely based on the principles of the Upaniṣads, it is not surprising to also find this passage in the Kaṭha Upaniṣad (1.2.7): śravaṇayāpi bahubhir yo na labhyaḥ śṛṇvanto ’pi bahavo yaṁ na vidyuḥ āścaryo vaktā kuśalo ’sya labdhā āścaryo ’sya jñātā kuśalānuśiṣṭaḥ The fact that the atomic soul is within the body of a gigantic animal, in the body of a gigantic banyan tree, and also in the microbic germs, millions and billions of which occupy only an inch of space, is certainly very amazing. Men with a poor fund of knowledge and men who are not austere cannot understand the wonders of the individual atomic spark of spirit, even though it is explained by the greatest authority of knowledge, who imparted lessons even to Brahmā, the first living being in the universe. Owing to a gross material conception of things, most men in this age cannot imagine how such a small particle can become both so great and so small. So men look at the soul proper as wonderful either by constitution or by description. Illusioned by the material energy, people are so engrossed in subject matters for sense gratification that they have very little time to understand the question of self-understanding, even though it is a fact that without this self-understanding all activities result in ultimate defeat in the struggle for existence. Perhaps they have no idea that one must think of the soul, and thus make a solution to the material miseries. Some people who are inclined to hear about the soul may be attending lectures, in good association, but sometimes, owing to ignorance, they are misguided by acceptance of the Supersoul and the atomic soul as one without distinction of magnitude. It is very difficult to find a man who perfectly understands the position of the Supersoul, the atomic soul, their respective functions and relationships and all other major and minor details. And it is still more difficult to find a man who has actually derived full benefit from knowledge of the soul, and who is able to describe the position of the soul in different aspects. But if, somehow or other, one is able to understand the subject matter of the soul, then one’s life is successful. The easiest process for understanding the subject matter of self, however, is to accept the statements of the Bhagavad-gītā spoken by the greatest authority, Lord Kṛṣṇa, without being deviated by other theories. But it also requires a great deal of penance and sacrifice, either in this life or in the previous ones, before one is able to accept Kṛṣṇa as the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Kṛṣṇa can, however, be known as such by the causeless mercy of the pure devotee and by no other way.
— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura
Gauḍīya
Translation
29. Some see the soul with amazement. Others speak of it in amazement. Others hear about it with amazement. Hearing about it, speaking about it or seeing it—still, no one knows it at all.
Commentary
“What an astonishing thing you are describing! And it is so astonishing that though I am being enlightened by You, my lack of discernment does not go away.”
“Yes, the ātmā is truly astonishing.” With this intention the Lord then speaks this verse.
The word enam in this verse stands for the soul and the body, the combination of both, which constitutes the whole world. (The meaning would be: Yes, people see this combination of soul and body, which constitutes all living beings, as amazing.) [Note: The sanskṛt for this rather cryptic statement is enam ātmānam deham ca tad ubhaya rūpam sarva lokam. The meaning as taken by Bhaktivinoda in his translation of the verse is: the soul is amazing since people understand this soul in completely different ways: this jīva tattva is seen as a material entity or body, devoid of conscious substance (deham); as a conscious entity which is not eternal (tad ubhaya-rupam); and as one soul only, as in Advaita philosophy (sarva-lokam). In Viśvanātha’s commentary he takes the meaning of āścarya as “astonishing” in the sense of “hard to understand,” modifying enam, the ātmā. Thus they misunderstand it as a material object, as a temporary spiritual element, or as one all- pervading soul.]
Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa
Gauḍīya
Translation
29. Some realize the soul with amazement. Others speak of it in amazement. Others hear about it with amazement. Hearing about, speaking about it or seeing it, still, no one knows it at all.
Commentary
“Though I have been taught many things by you, who are omniscient, I do not understand the nature of the ātmā, which will drive away lamentation. Why is this?”
Though the jīva’s very nature is said to be both knowledge and bliss, [Note: This is reference to such statements as vijṣānam ānandaṁ brahma: the Lord is knowledge and bliss. (Bṛhaḍ Āraṇyaka Upaniṣad 3..9.28. For the advaitin this is a problem for brahman is knowledge itself without any qualities. Since the word ānanda is used with brahman, it would seem to give quality to brahman. The advaitin then has to give a roundabout explanation using grammar to avoid quality in brahman. For the vaiṣṇava however there is not difficulty in accepting the two aspects of brahman.] there is no incompatibility to that difference in the svarūpa. Though the jīva is knowledge itself, it also takes the role of the knower. [Note: Being a knower is difficult for the advaitin to accept, since knowing means change, and Brahman is without change.] Though the jīva is very small, it is spread throughout a large body. Though having had a relation with many bodies, it is untouched by those transformations. Being filled with many such contradictory qualities, the jīva taught by Me is astonishing. That person (kāścit) who has attained the mercy of guru and has a pure heart realizes (paśyati) the true nature of this astonishing jīva with contrary qualities (enam), through performance of prescribed duties and observing truthfulness, austerities, chanting japa and such things.
The word aścaryavad can modify the subject or the object. The person sees the jīva as an astonishing object; or the person sees the jīva and is astonished. Similarly someone speaks of the jīva as astonishing, or speaks about the jīva with astonishment; and hears about the jīva as astonishing thing, or hears about the jīva with astonishment. Even having heard about the ātmā, a person who is not pure in heart (kaścid) does not understand about it. Thus the true nature of the jīva is difficult to understand.
śravaṇāyāpi bahubhir yo na labhyaḥ
śṛṇvanto’pi bahavo yaṁ na vidyuḥ
āścaryo vaktā kuśalo’sya labdhā
āścaryo jṣātā kuśalānuśiṣṭa
That ātmā is not the subject of hearing for many. If many persons hear about the ātmā, they still do not know it. One who speaks about the ātma is rare, and a skilful speaker is rare. One who attains the ātmā is rare. One who knows from a skilful teacher is rare. Kaṭha Upaniṣad 1.2.7
Bhūrijana Dāsa
Gauḍīya
Commentary
This is the "amazing" verse. This verse, line by line, could be translated in three different ways:
‑ The first line could be:
"some look on the soul as amazing" or "some people who are amazing look on the soul" or
"some look on the soul, which is amazing".
(So either the people who see the soul is amazing; their amazing power to look and see something spiritual is amazing or the soul himself is an amazing thing).
‑ The second line could be: "
"some describe the soul as amazing" or
"some people describe the amazing soul" or
"some people describe amazingly enough, the soul".
‑ The third line could be:
"some hear of the soul as amazing" or
"some hear about the amazing soul" or
"amazing people hear about the soul".
Study Notes — Gauranga Priya Dāsa
Gauranga Priya Dāsa
Study
Bhakti-śāstrī Notes, ISKCON Chowpatty (2009)
Theme
‘Amazing’ verse
THEME: Krishna says that the idea that there is no distinct soul is merely the creation of groping philosophers
whose insufficient minds are bewildered by the imperceptible and amazing soul
Some look on the soul as amazing
Some describe him as amazing
Some hear of him as amazing
Others, even after hearing about him, cannot understand him at all
Classical Ācāryas
Śrī Śaṅkarācārya
Classical
Translation
2.29 'This Self under discussion is inscrutable. Why should I blame you alone regarding a thing that is a source of delusion to all!' How is this Self inscrutable? [It may be argued that the Self is the object of egoism. The answer is: Although the individualized Self is the object of egoism, the absolute Self is not.] This is being answered in, 'Someone visualizes It as a wonder,' etc.
Kascit, someone; pasyati, visualizes; enam, It, the Self; ascaryavat, as a wonder, as though It were a wonder a wonder is something not seen before, something strange, something seen all on a sudden; what is comparable to that is ascarya-vat; ca, and; tatha, similarly; eva, indeed; kascit, someone; anyah, else; vadati, talks of It as a wonder. And someone else srnoti, hears of It as a wonder. And someone, indeed, na, does not; veda, realize It; api, even; srutva, after hearing, seeing and speaking about It.
Or, (the meaning is) he who sees the Self is like a wonder. He who speaks of It and the who hears of It is indeed rare among many thousands. Therefore, the idea is that the Self is difficult to understand.
Now, in the course of concluding the topic under discussion, [viz the needlessness of sorrow and delusion,from the point of view of the nature of things.] He says, 'O descendant of Bharata, this embodied Self', etc.
Śrī Rāmānujācārya
Classical
Translation
2.29 Among innumerable beings, someone, who by great austerity has got rid of sins and has increased his merits, realises this self possessing the above mentioned nature, which is wonderful and distinct in kind from all things other than Itself. Such a one speaks of It to another. Thus, someone hears of It. And even after hearing of It, no one knows It exactly that It really exists. The term 'ca' (and) implies that even amongst the seers, the speakers and hearers, one with authentic percepetion, authentic speech and authentic hearing, is a rarity.
Śrī Abhinavagupta
Classical
Translation
2.39 Ascaryavat etc. But, if this Self is, in this manner, changeless (or destructionless), why is This not observed just as such by all ? It is so because, as if by a rare chance, only some one observes [This]. Even after listening, not even one understands This i.e., realises This.
Swami Sivananda
Classical
Translation
2.29 One sees This (the Self) as a wonder; another speaks of It as a wonder; another hears of It as a wonder; yet having heard, none understands It at all.
Commentary
2.29 आश्चर्यवत् as a wonder? पश्यति sees? कश्चित् sone one? एनम् this (Self)? आश्चर्यवत् as a wonder? वदति speaks of? तथा so? एव also? च and? अन्यः another? आश्चर्यवत् as a wonder? च and? एनम् this? अन्यः another? श्रृणोति hears? श्रुत्वा having heard? अपि even? एनम् this? वेद knows? न not? च and? एव also? कश्चित् any one.Commentary The verse may also be interpreted in this manner. He that sees? hears and speaks of the Self is a wonderful man. Such a man is very rare. He is one among many thousands. Thus the Self is very hard to understand.
Swami Gambhīrānanda
Classical
Translation
2.29 Someone visualizes It as a wonder; and similarly indeed, someone else talks of It as a wonder; and someone else hears of It as a wonder. And some one else, indeed, does not realize It even after hearing about It.
Shri Purohit Swami
Classical
Translation
2.29 One hears of the Spirit with surprise, another thinks It marvellous, the third listens without comprehending. Thus, though many are told about It, scarcely is there one who knows It.
Some see the soul as wonder, some hear of it as wonder, some speak of it as wonder — yet even after hearing, none truly know it without realization.
Practical Applications
Treat hearing about the soul as the beginning of inquiry, not the end.
Notice the difference between knowing about the soul and realizing the soul.
Pray for realization, not just information.
Reflection Questions
How much of my 'knowledge' of the soul is mere hearing without realization?
What would it take to move from hearing to seeing?
Analogy
Some travelers entering a great gallery stop at the threshold and gasp; some try to describe what they have seen and find no words; some only listen to those descriptions and gasp again. And many, even after the tour, leave without seeing. The soul is the painting; the verse names every kind of viewer.
దేహీ నిత్యమవధ్యోఽయం దేహే సర్వస్య భారత ।
తస్మాత్సర్వాణి భూతాని న త్వం శోచితుమర్హసి ॥ ౩౦ ॥
dehī nityam avadhyo ’yaṁ
[dehee nityam avadhyo ’yam]
dehe sarvasya bhārata
[dehe sarvasya bhaarata]
tasmāt sarvāṇi bhūtāni
[tasmaat sarvaani bhootaani]
na tvaṁ śocitum arhasi
[na tvam shochitum arhasi]
Word-for-word
dehī—the owner of the material bodynityam—eternallyavadhyaḥ—cannot be killedayam—this souldehe—in the bodysarvasya—of everyonebhārata—O descendant of Bharatatasmāt—thereforesarvāṇi—allbhūtāni—living entities (that are born)na—nevertvam—youśocitum—to lamentarhasi—deserve .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
dehī nityam avadhyo ’yaṁ
dehī
the owner of the material body
nityam
eternally
avadhyaḥ
cannot be killed
ayam
this soul
dehe sarvasya bhārata
dehe
in the body
sarvasya
of everyone
bhārata
O descendant of Bharata
tasmāt sarvāṇi bhūtāni
tasmāt
therefore
sarvāṇi
all
bhūtāni
living entities (that are born)
na tvaṁ śocitum arhasi
na
never
tvam
you
śocitum
to lament
arhasi
deserve .
Important Words
dehī—the dweller in the body
Nominative of dehin. Repeated emphatically — the soul *as inhabitant*. The body is a dwelling; the inhabitant is the subject of every sentence about life.
nityam—eternally
Adverbial — *always*. Not 'sometimes indestructible' or 'usually indestructible'. The indestructibility is uninterrupted.
avadhyaḥ—unkillable
A + vadhya — not to be killed. The legal-moral term: *not to be put to death*. The soul has, as it were, permanent immunity from execution.
sarvasya—of everyone
Genitive — *of every body*. The teaching is now universalized. Not Bhīṣma alone, not the named kings alone, but the dweller in every body whatsoever.
bhūtāni—beings
Plural of bhūta — that which has come to be. With sarvāṇi (all), the verse universalizes: *all beings whatsoever*. The metaphysical foundation laid in verses 11-30 ends with this single comprehensive injunction — no being is an exception.
O descendant of Bharata, he who dwells in the body can never be slain. Therefore you need not grieve for any living being.
Purport
The Lord now concludes the chapter of instruction on the immutable spirit soul. In describing the immortal soul in various ways, Lord Kṛṣṇa establishes that the soul is immortal and the body is temporary. Therefore Arjuna as a kṣatriya should not abandon his duty out of fear that his grandfather and teacher – Bhīṣma and Droṇa – will die in the battle. On the authority of Śrī Kṛṣṇa, one has to believe that there is a soul different from the material body, not that there is no such thing as soul, or that living symptoms develop at a certain stage of material maturity resulting from the interaction of chemicals. Though the soul is immortal, violence is not encouraged, but at the time of war it is not discouraged when there is actual need for it. That need must be justified in terms of the sanction of the Lord, and not capriciously.
— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura
Gauḍīya
Translation
30. O Bhārata, the soul in the body of all entities can never be killed. Therefore you should not lament for any being.
Commentary
“Therefore speak clearly. What should I do and not do?”
“Do not lament, but rather fight.” In two verses, Kṛṣṇa explains this.
Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa
Gauḍīya
Translation
30. O Bhārata, the soul in the body of all entities can never be killed. Therefore you should not lament for any being.
Commentary
Having succinctly taught the nature of the ātmā which is difficult to understand, the Lord concludes the topic by saying that Arjuna should not grieve for the ātmā.
Since this jīva (dehī) situated in the destructible bodies of all living entities (dehe) is eternal and cannot be killed at any time, you should not lament for all living entities that have attained bodies including Bhīsma (sarva bhūtāni). You should not lament for the ātmās because they are eternal, and you should not lament for the bodies because they will inevitably be destroyed by their very nature.
Bhūrijana Dāsa
Gauḍīya
Commentary
This verse is the summary of all the Section B about Jnana or knowledge of the difference between the soul and the body.
Jnana is used to dispel the illusion that Arjuna had had that he is the body, he will be the killer...
[ C. KARMA‑KANDA / SAKAMA‑KARMA
FIGHT! FOR GAINS COME FROM DUTIFULLY FIGHTING AND LOSSES COME FROM NOT FIGHTING (2.31‑38)
If Arjuna dies in the battle he will be promoted to heaven, and if he wins the battle, he will rule the earth. Dishonor will overtake him if he leaves the battlefield. ]
(There is a subtle difference between Karma‑kanda and Sakama‑ karma. Karma‑kanda is basically used in the Vedas and vedic literature for sense gratification. Sakama karma‑yoga wherein one is attached to sense enjoyment, but he is using the vedic system and he assignes the goal that he wants to make spiritual advancement. Karma‑kanda is not yoga, it is just materially going up and then after one's karma runs out one comes down and he takes on a human body , up and down )
In Text 30 Krsna summarized His Jnana Section by saying:
"O descendant of Bharata, he who dwells in the body can never be slain. Therefore you need not grieve for any living being."
Now in text 31 Krsna is going to explain how to enjoy and why Arjuna should do his duties but for the purpose of enjoying:
Study Notes — Gauranga Priya Dāsa
Gauranga Priya Dāsa
Study
Bhakti-śāstrī Notes, ISKCON Chowpatty (2009)
Theme
Conclusion of Jnana section (2.11 – 2.30) – Factually soul is the indestructible living entity within the
body, therefore there is no need of lamentation
Focus of Learning
(a) Different types of people who misunderstand the soul and find it amazing
Those who find this fact too amazing that the same soul in magnitude and quality is the cause of varieties of species (Biggest to the smallest)
Those who are too engrossed in gross material conception and sense gratification
Subject of soul is too subtle to be understood by men with a poor fund of knowledge and who are not austere
Some who accept the soul but
Misguided as acceptance of the Supersoul and atomic soul to be equal in magnitude
(b) Easiest Process of Understanding the Soul
Accept Bhagavad-gita as given by the Supreme Personality of Godhead
It requires great penance and sacrifice to accept Krishna as the Supreme Personality of Godhead
Only possible way is – by the causeless mercy of a devotee
(a) Srila Prabhupada establishes that the loss of body is never a cause of lamentation
Whether you accept the existence of the soul or not
(b) If you do not accept soul
Then the body changes from unmanifest to manifest to unmanifest
Conservation of energy and matter is maintained – thus there is no reason to lament
Analogy: Skyscraper – (study purport – skyscraper manifests from earth and goes back into the earth)
(c) If you accept soul
Analogy: Then the body is like a dress
Or like a dream (e.g. flying in the sky or sitting on the chariot as a king)
Nobody laments for the change of dress or situations of a dream
(d) Vedic wisdom – encourages self-realization on the basis of non-existence of the material body
Classical Ācāryas
Śrī Śaṅkarācārya
Classical
Translation
2.30 Because of being partless and eternal, ayam, this dehi, embodied Self; nityam avadhyah, can never be killed, under any condition. That being so, although existing sarvasya dehe, in all bodies, in trees etc., this One cannot be killed on account of Its being allpervasive. Since the indewelling One cannot be killed although the body of everyone of the living beings be killed, tasmat, therefore; tvam, you; na arhasi, ought not; socitum, to grieve; for sarvani bhutani, all (these) beings, for Bhisma and others.
Here [i.e. in the earlier verse.] it has been said that, from the standpoint of the supreme Reality, there is no occasion for sorrow or delusion. (This is so) not merely from the standpoint of the supreme Reality, but
Śrī Rāmānujācārya
Classical
Translation
2.30 The self within the body of everyone such as gods etc., must be considered to be eternally imperishable, though the body can be killed. Therefore, all beings from gods to immovable beings, even though they possess different forms, are all uniform and eternal in their nature as described above. The ineality and the perishableness pertain only to the bodies. Therefore, it is not fit for you to feel grief for any of the beings beginning from gods etc., and not merely for Bhisma and such others.
Śrī Abhinavagupta
Classical
Translation
2.30 Dehi etc. On these grounds, the permanent destruction-lessness of the Self [is established].
Swami Sivananda
Classical
Translation
2.30 This, the Indweller in the body of everyone, is ever indestructible, O Arjuna; therefore, thou shouldst not grieve for any creature.
Commentary
2.30 देही indweller? नित्यम् always? अवध्यः indestructible? अयम् this? देहे in the body? सर्वस्य of all? भारत O Bharata? तस्मात् therefore? सर्वाणि (for) all? भूतानि creatures? न not? त्वम् thou? शोचितुम् to grieve? अर्हसि (thou) shouldst.Commentary The body of any creature may be destroyed but the Self cannot be killed. Therefore you should not grieve regarding any creature whatever? Bhishma or anybody else.
Swami Gambhīrānanda
Classical
Translation
2.30 O descendant of Bharata, this embodied Self existing in everyone's body can never be killed. Therefore you ought not to grieve for all (these) beings.
Shri Purohit Swami
Classical
Translation
2.30 Be not anxious about these armies. The Spirit in man is imperishable.
The dweller in every body is eternal and indestructible — therefore, in any specific situation, do not grieve for any creature.
Practical Applications
When you encounter suffering, tend to the body and console the mind, but never mourn the soul as if it were destroyed.
Speak about beings — including animals — as eternal dwellers in temporary bodies.
Do not let philosophical certainty become an excuse for emotional coldness; act with compassion while knowing the truth.
Reflection Questions
How can I hold both the truth of eternity and the duty of compassion at once?
Whom have I withdrawn from emotionally in the name of detachment?
Analogy
Strike a flint and see the sparks fly — each one distinct, each one fire, none of them the flint itself, and not one of them extinguished by the wind. The jīvas are like that: plural, individually real, each eternal, all of the same spiritual nature, atomic sparks of Kṛṣṇa's taṭasthā-śakti (cf. BG 15.7). To lament for any creature is to forget that no such spark ever truly dies.
స్వధర్మమపి చావేక్ష్య న వికమ్పితుమర్హసి ।
ధర్మ్యాద్ధి యుద్ధాచ్ఛ్రేయోఽన్యత్క్షత్రియస్య న విద్యతే ॥ ౩౧ ॥
sva-dharmam api cāvekṣya
[sva-dharmam api chaavekshya]
na vikampitum arhasi
[na vikampitum arhasi]
dharmyād dhi yuddhāc chreyo ’nyat
[dharmyaad dhi yuddhaach chreyo ’nyat]
kṣatriyasya na vidyate
[kshatriyasya na vidyate]
Word-for-word
sva - dharmam—one’s own religious principlesapi—alsoca—indeedavekṣya—consideringna—nevervikampitum—to hesitatearhasi—you deservedharmyāt—for religious principleshi—indeedyuddhāt—than fightingśreyaḥ—better engagementanyat—any otherkṣatriyasya—of the kṣatriyana—does notvidyate—exist .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
sva-dharmam api cāvekṣya
sva - dharmam
one’s own religious principles
api
also
ca
indeed
avekṣya
considering
na vikampitum arhasi
na
never
vikampitum
to hesitate
arhasi
you deserve
dharmyād dhi yuddhāc chreyo ’nyat
dharmyāt
for religious principles
hi
indeed
yuddhāt
than fighting
śreyaḥ
better engagement
kṣatriyasya na vidyate
anyat
any other
kṣatriyasya
of the kṣatriya
na
does not
vidyate
exist .
Important Words
sva - dharmam—one's own duty
Sva + dharma — one's own particular dharma, prescribed by varṇa-āśrama, by lineage, by present situation. The Gītā insists throughout: it is sva-dharma, not generic dharma, that obligates. 3.35 will echo: better one's own dharma poorly done than another's well done.
avekṣya—considering
Gerund of ava-√īkṣ — to look down upon, to examine. The instruction is to *look at* sva-dharma — not feel one's way, but look. Dharma is something to be inspected, not improvised.
vikampitum—to waver
Infinitive of vi-√kamp — to tremble all about. Kṛṣṇa names Arjuna's current state precisely: *vikampita* — shaking, oscillating. The verse forbids the very condition Arjuna is in.
dharmyāt—than what is dharmic
Ablative of dharmya — pertaining to dharma. The war itself is qualified as dharmya. Not all war qualifies; this one does. The Gītā does not glorify violence — it glorifies dharma when it has called for force.
kṣatriyasya—for the kṣatriya
Genitive. The teaching is role-specific. A brāhmaṇa's sva-dharma forbids fighting; the kṣatriya's commands it. The same act has different dharmic valence in different hands.
Considering your specific duty as a kṣatriya, you should know that there is no better engagement for you than fighting on religious principles; and so there is no need for hesitation.
Purport
Out of the four orders of social administration, the second order, for the matter of good administration, is called kṣatriya. Kṣat means hurt. One who gives protection from harm is called kṣatriya ( trāyate – to give protection). The kṣatriyas are trained for killing in the forest. A kṣatriya would go into the forest and challenge a tiger face to face and fight with the tiger with his sword. When the tiger was killed, it would be offered the royal order of cremation. This system has been followed even up to the present day by the kṣatriya kings of Jaipur state. The kṣatriyas are specially trained for challenging and killing because religious violence is sometimes a necessary factor. Therefore, kṣatriyas are never meant for accepting directly the order of sannyāsa, or renunciation. Nonviolence in politics may be a diplomacy, but it is never a factor or principle. In the religious law books it is stated: āhaveṣu mitho ’nyonyaṁ jighāṁsanto mahī-kṣitaḥ yuddhamānāḥ paraṁ śaktyā svargaṁ yānty aparāṅ-mukhāḥ yajñeṣu paśavo brahman hanyante satataṁ dvijaiḥ saṁskṛtāḥ kila mantraiś ca te ’pi svargam avāpnuvan “In the battlefield, a king or kṣatriya, while fighting another king envious of him, is eligible for achieving the heavenly planets after death, as the brāhmaṇas also attain the heavenly planets by sacrificing animals in the sacrificial fire.” Therefore, killing on the battlefield on religious principles and killing animals in the sacrificial fire are not at all considered to be acts of violence, because everyone is benefited by the religious principles involved. The animal sacrificed gets a human life immediately without undergoing the gradual evolutionary process from one form to another, and the kṣatriyas killed on the battlefield also attain the heavenly planets, as do the brāhmaṇas who attain them by offering sacrifice. There are two kinds of sva-dharmas, specific duties. As long as one is not liberated, one has to perform the duties of his particular body in accordance with religious principles in order to achieve liberation. When one is liberated, one’s sva-dharma – specific duty – becomes spiritual and is not in the material bodily concept. In the bodily conception of life there are specific duties for the brāhmaṇas and kṣatriyas respectively, and such duties are unavoidable. Sva-dharma is ordained by the Lord, and this will be clarified in the Fourth Chapter. On the bodily plane sva-dharma is called varṇāśrama-dharma, or man’s steppingstone for spiritual understanding. Human civilization begins from the stage of varṇāśrama-dharma, or specific duties in terms of the specific modes of nature of the body obtained. Discharging one’s specific duty in any field of action in accordance with the orders of higher authorities serves to elevate one to a higher status of life.
— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura
Gauḍīya
Translation
31. Considering your own duties, you should not be fearful. There is nothing better for the warrior than to fight for the right cause.
Commentary
Because the soul cannot be destroyed, you should not fear killing (stated in the previous verse). And considering from the point of view of your particular duties (since there is nothing better than fighting for dharma), you should not fear killing. That is the relation of the two verses.
Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa
Gauḍīya
Translation
31. Even considering your own duties, you should not be fearful. There is nothing better for the warrior than to fight for the right cause.
Commentary
Having taught to all people equally knowledge of the ātmā which is necessary in order to have knowledge of the paramātmā, the Lord will now speak to the saniṣṭhas (qualified for devotion mixed with prescribed duties) about actions undertaken without personal desires (niṣkāma karma) which will establish ātmā jṣāna, while simultaneously purifying the heart. [Note: This starts in verse 40 and ends with verse 51, after which ātmā jṣāna is again discussed.] In order to produce respect for this steadiness in ātmā jṣāna, the Lord first speaks in two verses about the material results produced from actions performed with personal desires (sakāma karma).
The duty of fighting is always prescribed for the kṣatriya just like fire sacrifice. The killing of enemies in battle is like the killing of animals in the sacrifice, and does not cause sin. In both cases, one causes harm, but it is done with the intention of elevating those entities to heavenly planets and bodies when they give up the present inferior bodies and planet. The smṛtis say:
āhaveṣu mitho’nyonyaṁ jighāṁsanto mahīkṣitaḥ
yudhyamānāḥ paraṁ śaktyā svargaṁ yānty aparāṅmukhāḥ
The kings, fighting each other in battle with the utmost energy, with the intent to kill the opponent, without turning away, reach svarga. Manu 7.90
yajṣeṣu paśavo brahman hanyante satataṁ dvijaiḥ
saṁskṛtāḥ kila mantraiś ca te’pi svargam avāpnuvan
The animals which are killed by the brāhmaṇas in sacrifices, being purified with mantras, reach svarga. Mahābhārata, 3.199.93
Thus, considering your own dharma, you should not deviate from that dharma (vikampitum). You have said that you see no benefit in this killing, as it will lead to living in hell continuously after death, because you will commit sin by the battle. But this is not so. That applies only to fighting out of ignorance. To fight from the principles of dharma (dharmyāt) is beneficial. Fighting indeed is the door to victory over the earth, so that you can institute kṣatriya dharma in the form of protecting the citizens and worshipping the brāhmaṇas and gurus. Parāśaraḥ has said:
kṣatriyo hi prajā rakṣan śastra-pāṇiḥ pradaṇḍayan
nirjitya para-sainyādi kṣitiṁ dharmeṇa pālayet
The kṣatriya, ready to punish with weapon in hand, protecting the citizens, and conquering the earth with its opposing armies, should govern with dharma. Parāśara-smṛti 1.58
Study Notes — Gauranga Priya Dāsa
Gauranga Priya Dāsa
Study
Bhakti-śāstrī Notes, ISKCON Chowpatty (2009)
Theme
COMMON THEME: Happiness comes from prescribed duty – By performing prescribed duty one gains
material enjoyment
Benefits of Fighting (which is the prescribed duty in this case) (2.31 – 2.32)
Refutes Arjuna’s arguments of “Loss of Enjoyment” as mentioned in Texts 1.31 – 1.35
Fighting gives ‘real enjoyment’ in all ways
“If you win” – You get an unrivaled kingdom on earth
“If you lose” – You go to the heavenly planets
Losses by avoiding the prescribed duty of fighting – (2.33 – 2.37)
Refutes Arjuna’s arguments of “Fear of Sinful Reactions” as mentioned in (1.36)
3 losses are described:
Sin and infamy – Not fighting and avoiding the prescribed duties will be the real sin and cause of infamy (2.33). e.g. Loss of fame which was gained by: (3 examples quoted)
▪ Fight with Lord Shiva – Lord Shiva gave him ‘Pasupata-astra’
▪ Credits from Dronacarya and
▪ Credits from Lord Indra – His adopted father
Dishonor – “For a respectable person dishonor is worse is death” (2.34)
Ridicule – “Your enemies will laugh at you, saying that you ran away” (2.35 – 2.36)
PRACTICAL APPLICATION OF SECTION III
Material happiness comes from proper execution
of one’s dharma. Neglect of dharma means material downfall
Focus of Learning
(a) Purport to this verse summarizes all the verses in the ‘Jnana’ section (2.11 – 2.30) in four points:
Identity of living entity – Living entity is an immutable spirit soul
Soul vs Body – Soul is immortal and body is temporary
Immortality does not encourage whimsical violence
Justified violence – Violence must be justified in terms of sanction of the Lord and not capriciously
(b) Practical application for Arjuna
As a ksatriya he should not abandon his prescribed duties out of fear that his grandfather and teacher will die in the battle
LINK BETWEEN TEXTS 2.37 & 2.38: Krishna’s arguments give here are meant to inspire Arjuna to fight.
They are a particular set of instructions that address material enjoyment (based upon identifying oneself
with one’s body) as the motivating force behind Arjuna’s performance of duty. Krishna ends this section in the
next verse and then takes the discussion (in Text 2.39) to the higher level of working in knowledge
(a) Ksatriya – This is the second of the four social orders. It is meant for good administration
(b) Literal meaning of Ksatriya (2.31 purport) – One who gives protection from harm
(‘ksat’ – hurt / ‘trayate’ – give protection)
(c) Duty of Ksatriya – Ref. Parasara Smriti explains the duty of ksatriya (2.32 purport)
To protect citizens from all difficulties
Apply violence for law and order
Conquer inimical kings
Rule the world according to religious principles
Ksatriyas are never meant for directly accepting the order of sannyasa
Non-violence in politics may be diplomacy, but it is never a factor or principle
(d) Training of a Ksatriya (2.31 purport)
Trained for challenging and killing because religious violence is a necessary factor
How they are trained – Would go to forest, challenge tiger face to face with a sword and offer tiger for royal order of cremation
(e) Ref. Religious law books on ‘violence’ (2.31 purport) – The following are not acts of violence:
Sacrificial animal killing by brahmanas – Animal immediately gets a human body without evolutionary cycle / Brahmana gets heavenly planets
Ksatriyas fighting on religious principles – Get heavenly planets if killed
(f) Result of avoidance of duty by Ksatriyas
Infamy (2.31 purport)
Sinful Reaction – Hellish planets
(g) Fighting benefits both ways (2.32 purport) – Win or Lose – (Refer to main theme above)
(h) Two types of ‘Sva-dharmas’ (Specific duties) – ‘Material’ and ‘spiritual’
Spiritual ‘sva-dharma’ – Attained after liberation
Material ‘sva-dharma’ (Varnashrama-dharma)
Definition – Duties which are performed in accordance with the religious principles, according to particular body, to gradually achieve liberation
Must for humanity
▪ Human civilization begins at this point
▪ As long as one is not liberated, these duties are very important to perform
Ordained by the Lord (Clarified further in Bg. Chapter 4)
▪ They are unavoidable (Man’s stepping stone for spiritual understanding)
Benefit – If done in accordance with higher authorities, it elevates one to higher states of life
PLEASE NOTE: The remaining points of these purports are covered under the Common Theme above
Classical Ācāryas
Śrī Śaṅkarācārya
Classical
Translation
2.31 Api, even; aveksya, considering; svadharmam, your own duty, the duty of a Ksatriya, viz battle considering even that ; na arhasi, you ought not; vikampitum, to waver, to deviate from the natural duty of the Ksatriya, i.e. from what is natural to yourself. And hi, since that battle is not devoid of righteousness, (but) is supremely righteous it being conducive to virtue and meant for protection of subjects through conest of the earth ; therefore, na vidyate, there is nothing; anyat, else; sreyah, better; ksatriyasya, for a ksatriya; than that dharmyat, righteous; yuddhat, battle.
Śrī Rāmānujācārya
Classical
Translation
2.31 Further, even though there is killing of life in this war which has begun, it is not fit for you to waver, considering your own duty, as in the Agnisomiya and other sacrifices involving slaughter. To a Ksatriya, there is no greater good than a righteous war, begun for a just cause. It will be declared in the Gita: 'Valour, non-defeat (by the enemies), fortitude, adroitness and also not fleeing from battle, generosity, lordliness - these are the duties of the Ksatriya born of his very nature.' (18.43).
In Agnisomiya etc., no injury is caused to the animal to be immolated; for, according to the Vedic Text, the victim, a he-goat, after abandoning an inferior body, will attain heaven etc., with a beautiful body. The Text pertaining to immolation declares: 'O animal, by this (immolation) you will never die, you are not destroyed. You will pass through happy paths to the realm of the gods, where the virtuous only reach and not the sinful. May the god Savitr give you a proper place.' (Yaj. 4.6.9.46). Likewise the attainment of more beautiful bodies by those who die here in this war has been declared in the Gita, 'As a man casts off worn-out garments and takes others that are new ৷৷.' (2.22). Hence, just as lancing and such other operations of a surgeon are for curing a patient, the immolation of the sacrificial animal in the Agnisomiya etc., is only for its good.
Śrī Abhinavagupta
Classical
Translation
2.31 Sva-Dharmam etc. Because one's duty cannot be avoided, wavering with regard to fighting the war is not proper [on the part of Arjuna].
Swami Sivananda
Classical
Translation
2.31 Further, having regard to thy duty, shouldst not waver, for there is nothing higher for a Kshatriya than a righteous war.
Commentary
2.31 स्वधर्मम् own duty? अपि also? च and? अवेक्ष्य looking at? न not? विकम्पितुम् to waver? अर्हसि (thou) oughtest? धर्म्यात् than righteous? हि indeed? युद्धात् than war? श्रेयः higher? अन्यत् other? क्षत्रियस्य of a Kshatriya? न not? विद्यते is.Commentary Lord Krishna now gives to Arjuna wordly reasons for fighting. Up to this time? He talked to Arjuna on the immortality of the Self and gave him philosophical reasons. Now He says to Arjuna? O Arjuna Fighting is a Kshatriyas own duty. You ought not to swerve from that duty. To a Kshatriyta (one born in the warrior or ruling class) nothing is more welcome than a righteous war. A warrior should fight.
Swami Gambhīrānanda
Classical
Translation
2.31 Even considering your own duty you should not waver, since there is nothing else better for a Ksatriya than a righteous battle.
Shri Purohit Swami
Classical
Translation
2.31 Thou must look at thy duty. Nothing can be more welcome to a soldier than a righteous war. Therefore to waver in this resolve is unworthy, O Arjuna!
Considering one's own dharma, one should not waver — for the kṣatriya there is nothing better than a righteous fight.
Practical Applications
Identify the unique dharma your nature is fitted for and stop apologizing for it.
Where dharma calls for hard action, do not soften it under pressure from those who do not understand it.
Distinguish between universal ethics and particular sva-dharma.
Reflection Questions
What is my sva-dharma in this stage of life — and am I performing it without apology?
Where have I confused another's dharma with my own?
Analogy
A doctor cannot refuse to operate because the scalpel will draw blood — refusing is the betrayal of his role. The kṣatriya cannot refuse the dharmic war for the same reason: the role is not optional, and once given, its execution *is* the right thing.
Stories
Rāma takes up the bow at Daṇḍakāraṇya
When the ṛṣis of the forest showed Rāma the bones of those slain by rākṣasas, He vowed to rid the earth of them. Sītā objected: a brāhmaṇa-protector forest-dweller should not seek war. Rāma replied: my dharma as kṣatriya is given; even in the forest, the bow follows the body of the kṣatriya, and where rākṣasas devour the innocent, the bow must be used.
Rāma's logic is exactly Kṛṣṇa's here — sva-dharma defines the right action, regardless of the role's apparent renunciation. The kṣatriya does not stop being a kṣatriya by entering the forest.
yadṛcchayā—by its own accordca—alsoupapannam—arrived atsvarga—of the heavenly planetsdvāram—doorapāvṛtam—wide opensukhinaḥ—very happykṣatriyāḥ—the members of the royal orderpārtha—O son of Pṛthālabhante—do achieveyuddham—warīdṛśam—like this .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
yadṛcchayā copapannaṁ
yadṛcchayā
by its own accord
ca
also
upapannam
arrived at
svarga-dvāram apāvṛtam
svarga
of the heavenly planets
dvāram
door
apāvṛtam
wide open
sukhinaḥ kṣatriyāḥ pārtha
sukhinaḥ
very happy
kṣatriyāḥ
the members of the royal order
pārtha
O son of Pṛthā
labhante yuddham īdṛśam
labhante
do achieve
yuddham
war
īdṛśam
like this .
Important Words
yadṛcchayā—of itself, by chance
Instrumental of yadṛcchā — *as it comes*, spontaneously, without contrivance. The dharmic war was not Arjuna's project; it arrived. Duties that arrive of themselves carry a special grace.
svarga - dvāram—door of heaven
The traditional kṣatriya promise: dying in dharmic battle opens svarga. Kṛṣṇa is not yet teaching liberation here — He is teaching at the level of dharma the warrior already accepts, on its own terms.
apāvṛtam—wide open
From apa-√vṛ — uncovered, unbarred. The door is not merely available; it is *swung open*. The metaphor is vivid: turning away from a flung-open door is an act of conscious refusal, not oversight.
sukhinaḥ—fortunate, happy
Plural of sukhin. Those for whom such an opportunity arrives are *blessed*. The verse reframes the obligation as a privilege.
īdṛśam—of this sort
Demonstrative — *like this*. Modifying yuddham. The pronoun carries the whole weight of qualification: this *kind* of battle — dharmic, unsought, heaven-opening. Not every battle qualifies.
O Pārtha, happy are the kṣatriyas to whom such fighting opportunities come unsought, opening for them the doors of the heavenly planets.
Purport
As supreme teacher of the world, Lord Kṛṣṇa condemns the attitude of Arjuna, who said, “I do not find any good in this fighting. It will cause perpetual habitation in hell.” Such statements by Arjuna were due to ignorance only. He wanted to become nonviolent in the discharge of his specific duty. For a kṣatriya to be on the battlefield and to become nonviolent is the philosophy of fools. In the Parāśara-smṛti, or religious codes made by Parāśara, the great sage and father of Vyāsadeva, it is stated: kṣatriyo hi prajā rakṣan śastra-pāṇiḥ pradaṇḍayan nirjitya para-sainyādi kṣitiṁ dharmeṇa pālayet “The kṣatriya’s duty is to protect the citizens from all kinds of difficulties, and for that reason he has to apply violence in suitable cases for law and order. Therefore he has to conquer the soldiers of inimical kings, and thus, with religious principles, he should rule over the world.” Considering all aspects, Arjuna had no reason to refrain from fighting. If he should conquer his enemies, he would enjoy the kingdom; and if he should die in the battle, he would be elevated to the heavenly planets, whose doors were wide open to him. Fighting would be for his benefit in either case.
— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura
Gauḍīya
Translation
32. Warriors are the happy who obtain such a battle which comes by chance and which opens the doors to heaven.
Commentary
Moreover, more than even the victors, those who die in a just battle attain happiness. By killing Bhīṣma and others, you make them happier. Even without doing karma-yoga, one can attain Svarga through the battle, without any obstructions (apāvṛtam).
Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa
Gauḍīya
Translation
32. Warriors are the happy who obtain such a battle which comes just without effort and which opens the doors to heaven.
Commentary
Moreover, since without your effort this war will bring great benefit, your fear is not justified. Ca is used here for emphasis only (yadṛcchayā ca—just without effort). Fortunate (sukhinaḥ) kṣatriyas obtain such wars— with great warriors such as Bhīṣma, which come to them without effort—because if they are victorious they attain fame and kingdom by honest effort, and if they die, they very quickly attain svarga. The Lord indicates this by saying that there is no obstacles to attain svarga (svarga dvāram apāvṛtam), whereas by performance of the jyotiṣṭoma sacrifice one attains svarga only after a long time. Thus the Lord indicates the superiority of fighting to sacrifices.
Bhūrijana Dāsa
Gauḍīya
Commentary
This is the goal of Karma‑kanda.
Study Notes — Gauranga Priya Dāsa
Gauranga Priya Dāsa
Study
Bhakti-śāstrī Notes, ISKCON Chowpatty (2009)
Theme
COMMON THEME: Happiness comes from prescribed duty – By performing prescribed duty one gains
material enjoyment
Benefits of Fighting (which is the prescribed duty in this case) (2.31 – 2.32)
Refutes Arjuna’s arguments of “Loss of Enjoyment” as mentioned in Texts 1.31 – 1.35
Fighting gives ‘real enjoyment’ in all ways
“If you win” – You get an unrivaled kingdom on earth
“If you lose” – You go to the heavenly planets
Losses by avoiding the prescribed duty of fighting – (2.33 – 2.37)
Refutes Arjuna’s arguments of “Fear of Sinful Reactions” as mentioned in (1.36)
3 losses are described:
Sin and infamy – Not fighting and avoiding the prescribed duties will be the real sin and cause of infamy (2.33). e.g. Loss of fame which was gained by: (3 examples quoted)
▪ Fight with Lord Shiva – Lord Shiva gave him ‘Pasupata-astra’
▪ Credits from Dronacarya and
▪ Credits from Lord Indra – His adopted father
Dishonor – “For a respectable person dishonor is worse is death” (2.34)
Ridicule – “Your enemies will laugh at you, saying that you ran away” (2.35 – 2.36)
PRACTICAL APPLICATION OF SECTION III
Material happiness comes from proper execution
of one’s dharma. Neglect of dharma means material downfall
Focus of Learning
(a) Purport to this verse summarizes all the verses in the ‘Jnana’ section (2.11 – 2.30) in four points:
Identity of living entity – Living entity is an immutable spirit soul
Soul vs Body – Soul is immortal and body is temporary
Immortality does not encourage whimsical violence
Justified violence – Violence must be justified in terms of sanction of the Lord and not capriciously
(b) Practical application for Arjuna
As a ksatriya he should not abandon his prescribed duties out of fear that his grandfather and teacher will die in the battle
LINK BETWEEN TEXTS 2.37 & 2.38: Krishna’s arguments give here are meant to inspire Arjuna to fight.
They are a particular set of instructions that address material enjoyment (based upon identifying oneself
with one’s body) as the motivating force behind Arjuna’s performance of duty. Krishna ends this section in the
next verse and then takes the discussion (in Text 2.39) to the higher level of working in knowledge
(a) Ksatriya – This is the second of the four social orders. It is meant for good administration
(b) Literal meaning of Ksatriya (2.31 purport) – One who gives protection from harm
(‘ksat’ – hurt / ‘trayate’ – give protection)
(c) Duty of Ksatriya – Ref. Parasara Smriti explains the duty of ksatriya (2.32 purport)
To protect citizens from all difficulties
Apply violence for law and order
Conquer inimical kings
Rule the world according to religious principles
Ksatriyas are never meant for directly accepting the order of sannyasa
Non-violence in politics may be diplomacy, but it is never a factor or principle
(d) Training of a Ksatriya (2.31 purport)
Trained for challenging and killing because religious violence is a necessary factor
How they are trained – Would go to forest, challenge tiger face to face with a sword and offer tiger for royal order of cremation
(e) Ref. Religious law books on ‘violence’ (2.31 purport) – The following are not acts of violence:
Sacrificial animal killing by brahmanas – Animal immediately gets a human body without evolutionary cycle / Brahmana gets heavenly planets
Ksatriyas fighting on religious principles – Get heavenly planets if killed
(f) Result of avoidance of duty by Ksatriyas
Infamy (2.31 purport)
Sinful Reaction – Hellish planets
(g) Fighting benefits both ways (2.32 purport) – Win or Lose – (Refer to main theme above)
(h) Two types of ‘Sva-dharmas’ (Specific duties) – ‘Material’ and ‘spiritual’
Spiritual ‘sva-dharma’ – Attained after liberation
Material ‘sva-dharma’ (Varnashrama-dharma)
Definition – Duties which are performed in accordance with the religious principles, according to particular body, to gradually achieve liberation
Must for humanity
▪ Human civilization begins at this point
▪ As long as one is not liberated, these duties are very important to perform
Ordained by the Lord (Clarified further in Bg. Chapter 4)
▪ They are unavoidable (Man’s stepping stone for spiritual understanding)
Benefit – If done in accordance with higher authorities, it elevates one to higher states of life
PLEASE NOTE: The remaining points of these purports are covered under the Common Theme above
Classical Ācāryas
Śrī Śaṅkarācārya
Classical
Translation
2.32 Why, again, does that battle become a duty? This is being answered (as follows) [A specific rule is more authoritative than a general rule. Non-violence is a general rule enjoined by the scriptures, but the duty of fighting is a specific rule for a Ksatriya.]: Partha, O son of Partha; are not those Ksatiryas sukhinah, happy [Happy in this world as also in the other.] who labhante, come across; a yuddham, battle; idrsam, of this kind; upapannam, which presents itself; yadrcchaya, unsought for; and which is an apavrtam, open; svarga-dvaram, gate to heaven? [Rites and duties like sacrifices etc. yield their results after the lapse of some time. But the Ksatriyas go to heaven immediatley after dying in battle, because, unlike the minds of others, their minds remaind fully engaged in their immediate duty.]
Śrī Rāmānujācārya
Classical
Translation
2.32 Only the fortunate Ksatriyas, i.e., the meritorious ones, gian such a war as this, which has come unsought, which is the means for the attainment of immeasurable bliss, and which gives an unobstructed pathway to heaven.
Śrī Abhinavagupta
Classical
Translation
2.32 Yadrcchaya etc. A war of this nature, because it is conducive to the heaven, should not be avoided even by other such Ksatriyas who are full of desires How much less [it is to be avoided] in the case of one to whom the science of knowledge of this nature has been taught ? This is what is intended to be conveyed [here] And the verse does not at all end with [determining how to attain] the heaven.
The very thing (i.e. sin), fearing which you withdraw from the battle, will befall you branching off hundredfold. This [the Lord] says-
Swami Sivananda
Classical
Translation
2.32 Happy are the Kshatriyas, O Arjuna! who are called upon to fight in such a battle that comes of itself as an open door to heaven.
Commentary
2.32 यदृच्छया of itself? च and? उपपन्नम् come? स्वर्गद्वारम् the gate of heaven? अपावृतम् opened? सुखिनः happy? क्षत्रियाः Kshatriyas? पार्थ O Partha? लभन्ते obtain? युद्धम् battle? ईदृशम् such.Commentary The scriptures declare that if a Kshatriya dies for a righteous cause on the battlefield? he at once goes to heaven.
Swami Gambhīrānanda
Classical
Translation
2.32 O son of Partha, happy are the Ksatriyas who come across this kind of a battle, which presents itself unsought for and which is an open gate to heaven.
Shri Purohit Swami
Classical
Translation
2.32 Blessed are the soldiers who find their opportunity. This opportunity has opened for thee the gates of heaven.
Fortunate are those to whom such an opportunity for dharma comes unsought — recognize providence when it knocks.
Practical Applications
When an unsought opportunity for service arrives, treat it as Krishna's hand and respond.
Stop strategizing for the perfect moment; perfect moments come unscheduled.
Cultivate the habit of saying yes to dharma when it presents itself.
Reflection Questions
What unsought opportunity is currently in front of me that I am hesitating over?
How often do I miss providence because I was looking elsewhere?
Analogy
A door once opened to a banquet hall closes if not entered. The dharmic war has opened such a door — yadṛcchayā, by good fortune, without contrivance. To turn away from an unsought duty that leads to the higher worlds is to refuse a garland Kṛṣṇa Himself has placed in one's hand.
Stories
Hanumān's leap, given to him unsought
The need to leap the ocean came to Hanumān not because he sought it — he had even forgotten his own power. The opportunity arrived; Jāmbavān recognized it; Hanumān rose to it.
When great service comes yadṛcchayā — by fortunate accident, by the Lord's quiet arrangement — refusing it is its own kind of fall. The verse names exactly this: the door has opened by no effort of yours; happy is the one who walks through.
atha—thereforecet—iftvam—youimam—thisdharmyam—as a religious dutysaṅgrāmam—fightingna—do notkariṣyasi—performtataḥ—thensva - dharmam—your religious dutykīrtim—reputationca—alsohitvā—losingpāpam—sinful reactionavāpsyasi—will gain .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
atha cet tvam imaṁ dharmyaṁ
atha
therefore
cet
if
tvam
you
imam
this
dharmyam
as a religious duty
saṅgrāmaṁ na kariṣyasi
saṅgrāmam
fighting
na
do not
kariṣyasi
perform
tataḥ sva-dharmaṁ kīrtiṁ ca
tataḥ
then
sva - dharmam
your religious duty
kīrtim
reputation
ca
also
hitvā pāpam avāpsyasi
hitvā
losing
pāpam
sinful reaction
avāpsyasi
will gain .
Important Words
dharmyam—dharmic
The battle is again qualified — Kṛṣṇa keeps marking that this is no ordinary war. If it were not dharmya, the argument would not hold. The instruction is specific to the case, not a blanket endorsement of violence.
saṅgrāmam—battle
From sam + √gram — coming together (in combat). The word is military and specific; Kṛṣṇa is not speaking metaphorically. The battle in front of Arjuna is the referent.
kīrtim—reputation
Renown — for the kṣatriya, kīrti is dharmic capital. Losing kīrti is not vanity but the collapse of one's social form. Cf. verse 2's akīrti.
hitvā—having abandoned
Gerund of √hā — to abandon. The verb suggests *active letting-go*, not mere lapse. Arjuna's refusal will be read by the world as an *abandonment*, not an oversight.
pāpam—sin
Refusal of dharma incurs pāpa. The verse closes the moral arithmetic: action — heaven; inaction — sin. There is no neutral middle in a situation that demands engagement.
If, however, you do not perform your religious duty of fighting, then you will certainly incur sins for neglecting your duties and thus lose your reputation as a fighter.
Purport
Arjuna was a famous fighter, and he attained fame by fighting many great demigods, including even Lord Śiva. After fighting and defeating Lord Śiva in the dress of a hunter, Arjuna pleased the lord and received as a reward a weapon called pāśupata-astra. Everyone knew that he was a great warrior. Even Droṇācārya gave him benedictions and awarded him the special weapon by which he could kill even his teacher. So he was credited with so many military certificates from many authorities, including his adoptive father Indra, the heavenly king. But if he abandoned the battle, not only would he neglect his specific duty as a kṣatriya, but he would lose all his fame and good name and thus prepare his royal road to hell. In other words, he would go to hell not by fighting but by withdrawing from battle.
— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura
Gauḍīya
Translation
33. If you do not take part in this righteous war, giving up your duty and fame, you will instead reap sin.
Commentary
In four verses he describes the fault in doing the opposite.
Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa
Gauḍīya
Translation
33. If you do not take part in this righteous war, giving up your duty and fame, you will instead reap sin.
Commentary
In this and the following verses the Lord shows the faults in not fighting. Giving up your duty of fighting (dharmyam saṁgrāmam) and also the glory attained by pleasing Śiva and killing the Nivāta kavacas and others, [Note: Arjuna went to Mount Kailāsa and pleased Śiva. Śiva bestowed on him his Pāśupata weapon. When Indra was attacked by the Nivātakavacas, he called Arjuna, who killed them all.] you will reap only sin, by neglect of your duty, as such conduct is forbidden by the smṛtis. na nivarteta saṅgrāmād: one should not turn away from battle. (Manu Smṛti 7.88)
Bhūrijana Dāsa
Gauḍīya
Commentary
Text 32 spoke of the gains Arjuna could obtain by fighting, and Text 33 describes the losses that he is goig to obtain if he doesn't fight. And the next four verses in addition tell Arjuna's losses if he doesn't do his duties and fight. Because Arjuna here is thinking: "O it is more noble, it is more big hearted to leave the battlefield." But Krsna says:
Study Notes — Gauranga Priya Dāsa
Gauranga Priya Dāsa
Study
Bhakti-śāstrī Notes, ISKCON Chowpatty (2009)
Theme
COMMON THEME: Happiness comes from prescribed duty – By performing prescribed duty one gains
material enjoyment
Benefits of Fighting (which is the prescribed duty in this case) (2.31 – 2.32)
Refutes Arjuna’s arguments of “Loss of Enjoyment” as mentioned in Texts 1.31 – 1.35
Fighting gives ‘real enjoyment’ in all ways
“If you win” – You get an unrivaled kingdom on earth
“If you lose” – You go to the heavenly planets
Losses by avoiding the prescribed duty of fighting – (2.33 – 2.37)
Refutes Arjuna’s arguments of “Fear of Sinful Reactions” as mentioned in (1.36)
3 losses are described:
Sin and infamy – Not fighting and avoiding the prescribed duties will be the real sin and cause of infamy (2.33). e.g. Loss of fame which was gained by: (3 examples quoted)
▪ Fight with Lord Shiva – Lord Shiva gave him ‘Pasupata-astra’
▪ Credits from Dronacarya and
▪ Credits from Lord Indra – His adopted father
Dishonor – “For a respectable person dishonor is worse is death” (2.34)
Ridicule – “Your enemies will laugh at you, saying that you ran away” (2.35 – 2.36)
PRACTICAL APPLICATION OF SECTION III
Material happiness comes from proper execution
of one’s dharma. Neglect of dharma means material downfall
Focus of Learning
(a) Purport to this verse summarizes all the verses in the ‘Jnana’ section (2.11 – 2.30) in four points:
Identity of living entity – Living entity is an immutable spirit soul
Soul vs Body – Soul is immortal and body is temporary
Immortality does not encourage whimsical violence
Justified violence – Violence must be justified in terms of sanction of the Lord and not capriciously
(b) Practical application for Arjuna
As a ksatriya he should not abandon his prescribed duties out of fear that his grandfather and teacher will die in the battle
LINK BETWEEN TEXTS 2.37 & 2.38: Krishna’s arguments give here are meant to inspire Arjuna to fight.
They are a particular set of instructions that address material enjoyment (based upon identifying oneself
with one’s body) as the motivating force behind Arjuna’s performance of duty. Krishna ends this section in the
next verse and then takes the discussion (in Text 2.39) to the higher level of working in knowledge
(a) Ksatriya – This is the second of the four social orders. It is meant for good administration
(b) Literal meaning of Ksatriya (2.31 purport) – One who gives protection from harm
(‘ksat’ – hurt / ‘trayate’ – give protection)
(c) Duty of Ksatriya – Ref. Parasara Smriti explains the duty of ksatriya (2.32 purport)
To protect citizens from all difficulties
Apply violence for law and order
Conquer inimical kings
Rule the world according to religious principles
Ksatriyas are never meant for directly accepting the order of sannyasa
Non-violence in politics may be diplomacy, but it is never a factor or principle
(d) Training of a Ksatriya (2.31 purport)
Trained for challenging and killing because religious violence is a necessary factor
How they are trained – Would go to forest, challenge tiger face to face with a sword and offer tiger for royal order of cremation
(e) Ref. Religious law books on ‘violence’ (2.31 purport) – The following are not acts of violence:
Sacrificial animal killing by brahmanas – Animal immediately gets a human body without evolutionary cycle / Brahmana gets heavenly planets
Ksatriyas fighting on religious principles – Get heavenly planets if killed
(f) Result of avoidance of duty by Ksatriyas
Infamy (2.31 purport)
Sinful Reaction – Hellish planets
(g) Fighting benefits both ways (2.32 purport) – Win or Lose – (Refer to main theme above)
(h) Two types of ‘Sva-dharmas’ (Specific duties) – ‘Material’ and ‘spiritual’
Spiritual ‘sva-dharma’ – Attained after liberation
Material ‘sva-dharma’ (Varnashrama-dharma)
Definition – Duties which are performed in accordance with the religious principles, according to particular body, to gradually achieve liberation
Must for humanity
▪ Human civilization begins at this point
▪ As long as one is not liberated, these duties are very important to perform
Ordained by the Lord (Clarified further in Bg. Chapter 4)
▪ They are unavoidable (Man’s stepping stone for spiritual understanding)
Benefit – If done in accordance with higher authorities, it elevates one to higher states of life
PLEASE NOTE: The remaining points of these purports are covered under the Common Theme above
Classical Ācāryas
Śrī Śaṅkarācārya
Classical
Translation
2.33 Atha, on the other hand; cet, if; tvam, you; na karisyasi, will not fight; even imam, this; dharmyam, righteous; samgramam, battle, which has presented itself as a duty, which is not opposed to righteousness, and which is enjoined (by the scriptures); tatah, then, because of not undertaking that; hitva, forsaking; sva-dharmam, your own duty; ca, and; kritim, fame, earned from encountering Mahadeva (Lord Siva) and others; avapsyasi, you will incur; only papam, sin.
Śrī Rāmānujācārya
Classical
Translation
2.33 If in delusion, you do not wage this war, which has started and which is the duty of a Ksatriya, then, owing to the non-performance of your immediate and incumbent duty, you will lose the immeasurable bliss which is the fruit of discharging your duty and the immeasurable fame which is the fruit of victory. In addition, you will incur extreme sin.
Śrī Abhinavagupta
Classical
Translation
2.33 See Comment under 2.37
Swami Sivananda
Classical
Translation
2.33 But if thou wilt not fight this righteous war, then having abandoned thine own duty and fame, thou shalt incur sin.
Commentary
2.33 अथ चेत् but if? त्वम् thou? इमम् this? धर्म्यम् righteous? संग्रामम् warfare? न not? करिष्यसि will do? ततः,then? स्वधर्मम् own duty? कीर्तिम् fame? च and? हित्वा having abandoned? पापम् sin? अवाप्स्यसि shall incur.Commentary The Lord reminds Arjuna of the fame he had already earned and which he would now lose if he refused to fight. Arjuna had acired great fame by fighting with Lord Siva. Arjuna proceeded on a pilgrimage to the Himalayas. He fought with Siva Who appeared in the guise of a mountaineer (Kirata) and got from Him the Pasupatastra? a celestial weapon.
Swami Gambhīrānanda
Classical
Translation
2.33 On the other hand, if you will not fight this righteous battle, then, forsaking your own duty and fame, you will incur sin.
Shri Purohit Swami
Classical
Translation
2.33 Refuse to fight in this righteous cause, and thou wilt be a traitor, lost to fame, incurring only sin.
If you abandon dharma out of fear of social judgement, you will incur sin and lose honor — there is no neutral retreat from duty.
Practical Applications
Refuse to act out of fear of public opinion when dharma is clear.
Distinguish between healthy reputation and idolatry of reputation.
Notice when 'maintaining peace' is actually moral cowardice.
Reflection Questions
Where am I about to abandon a dharma because of how it will look?
Whose opinion of me am I unduly weighing against Krishna's instruction?
Analogy
A soldier who refuses to defend his city when it is attacked loses both his honor and his standing — and his refusal itself constitutes a transgression. Inaction here is not zero; it is negative. Skipping the verse you were called to recite is its own kind of broken vow.
akīrtim—infamyca—alsoapi—over and abovebhūtāni—all peoplekathayiṣyanti—will speakte—of youavyayām—foreversambhāvitasya—for a respectable manca—alsoakīrtiḥ—ill famemaraṇāt—than deathatiricyate—becomes more .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
akīrtiṁ cāpi bhūtāni
akīrtim
infamy
ca
also
api
over and above
bhūtāni
all people
kathayiṣyanti te ’vyayām
kathayiṣyanti
will speak
te
of you
sambhāvitasya cākīrtir
avyayām
forever
sambhāvitasya
for a respectable man
ca
also
akīrtiḥ
ill fame
maraṇād atiricyate
maraṇāt
than death
atiricyate
becomes more .
Important Words
akīrtim—infamy
The same word as verse 2. Kṛṣṇa now describes its specific operation: it will be *talked about* — kathayiṣyanti. Infamy is a social act, performed by others, repeated.
avyayām—imperishable
A + vyaya — not subject to expenditure. The infamy will not wear out. The same adjective that names the soul's eternality here names the durability of disgrace. The grammar is biting.
sambhāvitasya—of the respected one
Past participle of sam-√bhū — well-considered, esteemed. Arjuna is sambhāvita — held in high regard. Infamy lands harder on the respected than on the obscure.
maraṇāt—than death
Ablative — *more than death*. For one of high station, akīrti is the worse of the two. The kṣatriya code holds this strongly; Kṛṣṇa argues here on the warrior's own terms.
atiricyate—exceeds
Passive of ati-√ric — to surpass. Infamy *surpasses* death in pain for the respectable. The verse uses the warrior's own value-system as a lever.
People will always speak of your infamy, and for a respectable person, dishonor is worse than death.
Purport
Both as friend and philosopher to Arjuna, Lord Kṛṣṇa now gives His final judgment regarding Arjuna’s refusal to fight. The Lord says, “Arjuna, if you leave the battlefield before the battle even begins, people will call you a coward. And if you think that people may call you bad names but that you will save your life by fleeing the battlefield, then My advice is that you’d do better to die in the battle. For a respectable man like you, ill fame is worse than death. So, you should not flee for fear of your life; better to die in the battle. That will save you from the ill fame of misusing My friendship and from losing your prestige in society.” So, the final judgment of the Lord was for Arjuna to die in the battle and not withdraw.
— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura
Gauḍīya
Translation
34. They will speak incessantly of your infamy. For one who has great position, dishonor is worse than death.
Commentary
Avayayam means “continually.” Sambhāvitasya means “of great position.”
Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa
Gauḍīya
Translation
34. They will speak incessantly of your infamy. For one who has great position, dishonor is worse than death.
Commentary
“Not only do you destroy your duty but you also completely destroy your fame. All the people will talk of your eternal infamy in fleeing at the commencement of the battle.”
“But from fear of death, I could tolerate the infamy. [Note: This argument of Arjuna would be hypothetical, since he does not have such fear. However, since the outcome of battle, and whether one lives of dies is uncertain, Manu recommends that one should try to avoid war as much as possible.]”
“No, death is preferable (atiricyate) to infamy for one who has attained such a high position (sambhāvitasya).”
Bhūrijana Dāsa
Gauḍīya
Commentary
Srila Prabhupada explains in his Purport:" Both as friend and philosopher to Arjuna, Lord Krsna now gives His final judgment regarding Arjuna's refusal to fight. The Lord says, ``Arjuna, if you leave the battlefield before the battle even begins, people will call you a coward. And if you think that people may call you bad names but that you will save your life by fleeing the battlefield, then My advice is that you better to die in the battle. For a respectable man like you, ill fame is worse than death. So, you should not flee for fear of your life; better to die in the battle. That will save you from the ill fame of misusing My friendship and from losing prestige in society.''
So, the final judgment of the Lord was for Arjuna to die in the battle and not withdraw."
For a respectable person the pain of infamy is worse than the pain of death.
Study Notes — Gauranga Priya Dāsa
Gauranga Priya Dāsa
Study
Bhakti-śāstrī Notes, ISKCON Chowpatty (2009)
Theme
COMMON THEME: Happiness comes from prescribed duty – By performing prescribed duty one gains
material enjoyment
Benefits of Fighting (which is the prescribed duty in this case) (2.31 – 2.32)
Refutes Arjuna’s arguments of “Loss of Enjoyment” as mentioned in Texts 1.31 – 1.35
Fighting gives ‘real enjoyment’ in all ways
“If you win” – You get an unrivaled kingdom on earth
“If you lose” – You go to the heavenly planets
Losses by avoiding the prescribed duty of fighting – (2.33 – 2.37)
Refutes Arjuna’s arguments of “Fear of Sinful Reactions” as mentioned in (1.36)
3 losses are described:
Sin and infamy – Not fighting and avoiding the prescribed duties will be the real sin and cause of infamy (2.33). e.g. Loss of fame which was gained by: (3 examples quoted)
▪ Fight with Lord Shiva – Lord Shiva gave him ‘Pasupata-astra’
▪ Credits from Dronacarya and
▪ Credits from Lord Indra – His adopted father
Dishonor – “For a respectable person dishonor is worse is death” (2.34)
Ridicule – “Your enemies will laugh at you, saying that you ran away” (2.35 – 2.36)
PRACTICAL APPLICATION OF SECTION III
Material happiness comes from proper execution
of one’s dharma. Neglect of dharma means material downfall
Focus of Learning
(a) Purport to this verse summarizes all the verses in the ‘Jnana’ section (2.11 – 2.30) in four points:
Identity of living entity – Living entity is an immutable spirit soul
Soul vs Body – Soul is immortal and body is temporary
Immortality does not encourage whimsical violence
Justified violence – Violence must be justified in terms of sanction of the Lord and not capriciously
(b) Practical application for Arjuna
As a ksatriya he should not abandon his prescribed duties out of fear that his grandfather and teacher will die in the battle
LINK BETWEEN TEXTS 2.37 & 2.38: Krishna’s arguments give here are meant to inspire Arjuna to fight.
They are a particular set of instructions that address material enjoyment (based upon identifying oneself
with one’s body) as the motivating force behind Arjuna’s performance of duty. Krishna ends this section in the
next verse and then takes the discussion (in Text 2.39) to the higher level of working in knowledge
(a) Ksatriya – This is the second of the four social orders. It is meant for good administration
(b) Literal meaning of Ksatriya (2.31 purport) – One who gives protection from harm
(‘ksat’ – hurt / ‘trayate’ – give protection)
(c) Duty of Ksatriya – Ref. Parasara Smriti explains the duty of ksatriya (2.32 purport)
To protect citizens from all difficulties
Apply violence for law and order
Conquer inimical kings
Rule the world according to religious principles
Ksatriyas are never meant for directly accepting the order of sannyasa
Non-violence in politics may be diplomacy, but it is never a factor or principle
(d) Training of a Ksatriya (2.31 purport)
Trained for challenging and killing because religious violence is a necessary factor
How they are trained – Would go to forest, challenge tiger face to face with a sword and offer tiger for royal order of cremation
(e) Ref. Religious law books on ‘violence’ (2.31 purport) – The following are not acts of violence:
Sacrificial animal killing by brahmanas – Animal immediately gets a human body without evolutionary cycle / Brahmana gets heavenly planets
Ksatriyas fighting on religious principles – Get heavenly planets if killed
(f) Result of avoidance of duty by Ksatriyas
Infamy (2.31 purport)
Sinful Reaction – Hellish planets
(g) Fighting benefits both ways (2.32 purport) – Win or Lose – (Refer to main theme above)
(h) Two types of ‘Sva-dharmas’ (Specific duties) – ‘Material’ and ‘spiritual’
Spiritual ‘sva-dharma’ – Attained after liberation
Material ‘sva-dharma’ (Varnashrama-dharma)
Definition – Duties which are performed in accordance with the religious principles, according to particular body, to gradually achieve liberation
Must for humanity
▪ Human civilization begins at this point
▪ As long as one is not liberated, these duties are very important to perform
Ordained by the Lord (Clarified further in Bg. Chapter 4)
▪ They are unavoidable (Man’s stepping stone for spiritual understanding)
Benefit – If done in accordance with higher authorities, it elevates one to higher states of life
PLEASE NOTE: The remaining points of these purports are covered under the Common Theme above
Classical Ācāryas
Śrī Śaṅkarācārya
Classical
Translation
2.34 Not only will there be the giving up of your duty and fame, but bhutani, people; ca api, also; kathayisyanti, will speak; te, of your; avyayam, unending, perpetual; akrtim, infamy. Ca, and; sambhavitasya, to an honoured person, to a person honoured with such epithets as 'virtuous', 'heroic', etc.; akirtih, infamy; atiricyate, is worse than; maranat, death. The meaning is that, to an honoured person death is perferable to infamy.
Śrī Rāmānujācārya
Classical
Translation
2.34 You will then incur not merely the loss of all happiness and honour but will be the object of disrespect by all people, the alifies and even the unalified, for all time. They will ridicule you saying, 'When the battle began, Arjuna ran away.' It it be asked, 'What if it be so?", the reply is: 'To one who is honoured by all for courage, prowess, valour, etc., this kind of dishonour arising from the reverse of these attributes, is worse than death? The meaning is that itself would be better for you than this kind of dishonour.
If it is said, 'How could dishonour accrue to me, who am a hero, but have withdrawn from the battle only out of love and compassion for my relatives?' the reply is as follows:
Śrī Abhinavagupta
Classical
Translation
2.34 See Comment under 2.37
Swami Sivananda
Classical
Translation
2.34 People, too, will recount thy everlasting dishonour; and to one who has been honoured, dishonour is worse than death.
Commentary
2.34 अकीर्तिम् dishonour? च and? अपि also? भूतानि beings? कथयिष्यन्ति will tell? ते thy? अव्ययाम् everlasting? संभावितस्य of the honoured? च and? अकीर्तिः dishonour? मरणात् than death? अतिरिच्यते exceeds.Commentary The world also will ever recount thy infamy which will survive thee for a long time. Death is really preferable to disgrace to one who has been honoured as a great hero and mighty warrior with noble alities.
Swami Gambhīrānanda
Classical
Translation
2.34 People also will speak of your unending infamy. And to an honoured person infamy is worse than death.
Shri Purohit Swami
Classical
Translation
2.34 Men will talk forever of thy disgrace; and to the noble, dishonour is worse than death.
His Holiness Prahladananada Swami· 2024-04-24· Slovenian
Personal Guidance
People will speak of your dishonor for ages — the loss of integrity is a wound that does not heal in this lifetime.
Practical Applications
Make decisions with the awareness that integrity outlasts moods.
Refuse to compromise your dharma for short-term gain that will create long-term shame.
Stand for what you believe even when you stand alone.
Reflection Questions
Which decision in my recent past would I be ashamed to recount in twenty years?
What act of integrity is being asked of me right now?
Analogy
An ink stain on a white cloth never washes out fully; the cloth carries it as long as it exists. So with akīrti for a man of standing — public memory keeps the stain. The verse names a specific weakness Arjuna has: his honor is real, and so its loss will be conspicuous.
bhayāt—out of fearraṇāt—from the battlefielduparatam—ceasedmaṁsyante—they will considertvām—youmahā - rathāḥ—the great generalsyeṣām—for whomca—alsotvam—youbahu - mataḥ—in great estimationbhūtvā—having beenyāsyasi—you will golāghavam—decreased in value .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
bhayād raṇād uparataṁ
bhayāt
out of fear
raṇāt
from the battlefield
uparatam
ceased
maṁsyante tvāṁ mahā-rathāḥ
maṁsyante
they will consider
tvām
you
mahā - rathāḥ
the great generals
yeṣāṁ ca tvaṁ bahu-mato
yeṣām
for whom
ca
also
tvam
you
bahu - mataḥ
in great estimation
bhūtvā yāsyasi lāghavam
bhūtvā
having been
yāsyasi
you will go
lāghavam
decreased in value .
Important Words
bhayāt—out of fear
Ablative — *from fear*. The interpretation that will be assigned to the retreat. Arjuna's actual motive may be compassion; the world will read it as fear. The kṣatriya cannot afford that reading.
raṇāt—from battle
Ablative. The site of the desertion. Withdrawal from raṇa has a specific kṣatriya meaning — desertion under arms.
uparatam—withdrawn
Past participle of upa-√ram — to cease, to desist. The word is one used for renunciation, but here it is twisted: this 'renunciation' will not be read as virtue.
mahā - rathāḥ—great chariot-warriors
Compound — *great chariots*. The technical kṣatriya rank: one capable of fighting ten thousand. The judges Kṛṣṇa names are the most qualified judges Arjuna could imagine; their misreading will be unappealable.
lāghavam—lightness, insignificance
From laghu — light. Arjuna will become *light* in their eyes — losing the gravity (garīyaḥ, cf. verse 6) he once held. The metaphor is precise: honor is weight; akīrti is loss of weight.
The great generals who have highly esteemed your name and fame will think that you have left the battlefield out of fear only, and thus they will consider you insignificant.
Purport
Lord Kṛṣṇa continued to give His verdict to Arjuna: “Do not think that the great generals like Duryodhana, Karṇa and other contemporaries will think that you have left the battlefield out of compassion for your brothers and grandfather. They will think that you have left out of fear for your life. And thus their high estimation of your personality will go to hell.”
— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura
Gauḍīya
Translation
35. The great warriors, by whom you were regarded highly, and will now be regarded with contempt, will think that you have abandoned the battlefield out of fear.
Commentary
Those who have high regard for you as a warrior, even though you are an enemy, will no longer give you respect if you give up the battle. The mahā-rathas like Duryodhana will think that you have fled in fear from the battlefield. They will not think of any other reason for the kṣatriya to leave the field than fear. Strong bonds of friendship will not be considered.
Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa
Gauḍīya
Translation
35. The great warriors, by whom you were regarded highly, and will now gain insignificance, will think that you have abandoned the battlefield out of fear.
Commentary
“But how can I gain infamy from neglecting to fight out of compassion and avoiding the sin of destruction of the family?”
“Mahārathas like Duryodhana will think that you have left the battle from fear of Karṇa and others, not out of compassion for friends. Warriors do not give up battle out of compassion, and do so only out of fear of the enemy. Previously those who respected you as a warrior and worthy enemy, having many good qualities (bahumataḥ), will now, at the time of battle, think that you have given up the battle because you are a coward. You will reap intolerable contempt from them.”
Bhūrijana Dāsa
Gauḍīya
Commentary
Krsna is saying: "Arjuna when you try to explain to the generals and the other opposing army men: O I am leaving the battlefield out of great compassion and I don't want to kill although I am a ksatryia. They will go to say : O such a great ksatryia Arjuna is, he is leaving the battlefield, and it is not because he is affraid or anything, it is because he is compassionate, he doesn't want to hurt anyone. No! no o going to beleive in you O Arjuna and your high reputation as a ksatryia will be finished! And that will be more painful to you than even the arrows of the enemy. This will be one of your great losses!"
Study Notes — Gauranga Priya Dāsa
Gauranga Priya Dāsa
Study
Bhakti-śāstrī Notes, ISKCON Chowpatty (2009)
Theme
COMMON THEME: Happiness comes from prescribed duty – By performing prescribed duty one gains
material enjoyment
Benefits of Fighting (which is the prescribed duty in this case) (2.31 – 2.32)
Refutes Arjuna’s arguments of “Loss of Enjoyment” as mentioned in Texts 1.31 – 1.35
Fighting gives ‘real enjoyment’ in all ways
“If you win” – You get an unrivaled kingdom on earth
“If you lose” – You go to the heavenly planets
Losses by avoiding the prescribed duty of fighting – (2.33 – 2.37)
Refutes Arjuna’s arguments of “Fear of Sinful Reactions” as mentioned in (1.36)
3 losses are described:
Sin and infamy – Not fighting and avoiding the prescribed duties will be the real sin and cause of infamy (2.33). e.g. Loss of fame which was gained by: (3 examples quoted)
▪ Fight with Lord Shiva – Lord Shiva gave him ‘Pasupata-astra’
▪ Credits from Dronacarya and
▪ Credits from Lord Indra – His adopted father
Dishonor – “For a respectable person dishonor is worse is death” (2.34)
Ridicule – “Your enemies will laugh at you, saying that you ran away” (2.35 – 2.36)
PRACTICAL APPLICATION OF SECTION III
Material happiness comes from proper execution
of one’s dharma. Neglect of dharma means material downfall
Focus of Learning
(a) Purport to this verse summarizes all the verses in the ‘Jnana’ section (2.11 – 2.30) in four points:
Identity of living entity – Living entity is an immutable spirit soul
Soul vs Body – Soul is immortal and body is temporary
Immortality does not encourage whimsical violence
Justified violence – Violence must be justified in terms of sanction of the Lord and not capriciously
(b) Practical application for Arjuna
As a ksatriya he should not abandon his prescribed duties out of fear that his grandfather and teacher will die in the battle
LINK BETWEEN TEXTS 2.37 & 2.38: Krishna’s arguments give here are meant to inspire Arjuna to fight.
They are a particular set of instructions that address material enjoyment (based upon identifying oneself
with one’s body) as the motivating force behind Arjuna’s performance of duty. Krishna ends this section in the
next verse and then takes the discussion (in Text 2.39) to the higher level of working in knowledge
(a) Ksatriya – This is the second of the four social orders. It is meant for good administration
(b) Literal meaning of Ksatriya (2.31 purport) – One who gives protection from harm
(‘ksat’ – hurt / ‘trayate’ – give protection)
(c) Duty of Ksatriya – Ref. Parasara Smriti explains the duty of ksatriya (2.32 purport)
To protect citizens from all difficulties
Apply violence for law and order
Conquer inimical kings
Rule the world according to religious principles
Ksatriyas are never meant for directly accepting the order of sannyasa
Non-violence in politics may be diplomacy, but it is never a factor or principle
(d) Training of a Ksatriya (2.31 purport)
Trained for challenging and killing because religious violence is a necessary factor
How they are trained – Would go to forest, challenge tiger face to face with a sword and offer tiger for royal order of cremation
(e) Ref. Religious law books on ‘violence’ (2.31 purport) – The following are not acts of violence:
Sacrificial animal killing by brahmanas – Animal immediately gets a human body without evolutionary cycle / Brahmana gets heavenly planets
Ksatriyas fighting on religious principles – Get heavenly planets if killed
(f) Result of avoidance of duty by Ksatriyas
Infamy (2.31 purport)
Sinful Reaction – Hellish planets
(g) Fighting benefits both ways (2.32 purport) – Win or Lose – (Refer to main theme above)
(h) Two types of ‘Sva-dharmas’ (Specific duties) – ‘Material’ and ‘spiritual’
Spiritual ‘sva-dharma’ – Attained after liberation
Material ‘sva-dharma’ (Varnashrama-dharma)
Definition – Duties which are performed in accordance with the religious principles, according to particular body, to gradually achieve liberation
Must for humanity
▪ Human civilization begins at this point
▪ As long as one is not liberated, these duties are very important to perform
Ordained by the Lord (Clarified further in Bg. Chapter 4)
▪ They are unavoidable (Man’s stepping stone for spiritual understanding)
Benefit – If done in accordance with higher authorities, it elevates one to higher states of life
PLEASE NOTE: The remaining points of these purports are covered under the Common Theme above
Classical Ācāryas
Śrī Śaṅkarācārya
Classical
Translation
2.35 Moreover, maharathah, the great chariot-riders, Duryodhana and others; mamsyante, will think; tvam, of you; as uparatam, having desisted; ranat, from the fight; not out of compassion, but bhayat, out of fear of Karna and others; ca, and ; yasyasi laghavam, you will again fall into disgrace before them, before Duryodhana and others; yesam, to whom; tvam, you; bahumato bhutva, had been estimable as endowed with many alities.
Śrī Rāmānujācārya
Classical
Translation
2.35 Great warriors like Karna, Duryodhana, etc., hitherto held you in high esteem as a heroic enemy. Now by refraining from battle when it has begun, you will appear to them as despicable and easily defeatable. These great warriors will think of you as withdrawing from battle out of fear. Because turning away from battle does not happen in the case of brave enemies through affection etc., for relatives. It can happen only through fear of enemies.
Moreover
Śrī Abhinavagupta
Classical
Translation
2.35 See Comment under 2.37
Swami Sivananda
Classical
Translation
2.35 The great car-warriors will think that thou hast withdrawn from the battle through fear; and thou wilt be lightly held by them who have thought much of thee.
Commentary
2.35 भयात् from fear? रणात् from the battle? उपरतम् withdrawn? मंस्यन्ते will think? त्वाम् thee? महारथाः the great carwarriors? येषाम् of whom? च and? त्वम् thou? बहुमतः much thought of? भूत्वा having been? यास्यसि will receive? लाघवम् lightness.Commentary Duryodhana and others will certainly think that you have fled from the battle from fear of Karna and others? but not through compassion and reverence for elders and teachers. Duryodhana and others who have shown great esteem to you on account of your chivalry? bravery and other noble alities? will think very lightly of you and treat you with contempt.
Swami Gambhīrānanda
Classical
Translation
2.35 The great chariot-riders will think of you as having desisted from the fight out of fear; and you will into disgrace before them to whom you had been estimable.
Shri Purohit Swami
Classical
Translation
2.35 Great generals will think that thou hast fled from the battlefield through cowardice; though once honoured thou wilt seem despicable.
His Holiness Prahladananada Swami· 2024-04-26· English
Personal Guidance
Those who once respected you will think you fled out of fear — public retreat from dharma confirms what your enemies hoped about you.
Practical Applications
Notice how avoiding a duty out of 'noble reasons' is read as cowardice by those who watch.
Do not give your detractors evidence to confirm their suspicions of you.
Stand by your post even when the explanation for leaving sounds spiritual.
Reflection Questions
Whose worst suspicion of me am I about to confirm by avoidance?
What spiritual-sounding excuse have I been preparing for desertion?
Analogy
A teacher who walks out of the exam hall mid-question is judged by the students who once admired him as a coward, not a renunciate. The retreat will be read by precisely those whose esteem mattered most. Arjuna's withdrawal will dismiss him in the eyes of the very mahā-rathas who once weighed him heavily.
avācya—unkindvādān—fabricated wordsca—alsobahūn—manyvadiṣyanti—will saytava—yourahitāḥ—enemiesnindantaḥ—while vilifyingtava—yoursāmarthyam—abilitytataḥ—than thatduḥkha - taram—more painfulnu—of coursekim—what is there .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
avācya-vādāṁś ca bahūn
avācya
unkind
vādān
fabricated words
ca
also
bahūn
many
vadiṣyanti tavāhitāḥ
vadiṣyanti
will say
tava
your
ahitāḥ
enemies
nindantas tava sāmarthyaṁ
nindantaḥ
while vilifying
tava
your
sāmarthyam
ability
tato duḥkha-taraṁ nu kim
tataḥ
than that
duḥkha - taram
more painful
nu
of course
kim
what is there .
Important Words
avācya - vādān—unspeakable words
Compound — *words that should not be spoken*. The enemies will speak what should not be spoken. The defeat is not just military but linguistic — slander unanchored by truth.
ahitāḥ—ill-wishers
A + hita — not wishers of good. Plural. The speakers are precisely those who wish you harm — they will not be fair, and their words will land in many ears.
nindantaḥ—blaming, reviling
Present participle of √nind. The action is continuous — *while reviling*. The verse marks duration: this will not be a one-time taunt but a sustained smear campaign.
sāmarthyam—ability, power
From sam-artha — equal-to-the-purpose, capable. Arjuna's sāmarthya — his renowned skill — will itself be mocked. The defeat reaches the very identity he is built on.
duḥkha - taram—more painful
Comparative of duḥkha. Kṛṣṇa asks: *what is more painful than this?* The rhetorical comparative drives home that the cost of retreat exceeds the cost of fighting.
Your enemies will describe you in many unkind words and scorn your ability. What could be more painful for you?
Purport
Lord Kṛṣṇa was astonished in the beginning at Arjuna’s uncalled-for plea for compassion, and He described his compassion as befitting the non-Āryans. Now in so many words, He has proved His statements against Arjuna’s so-called compassion.
— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura
Gauḍīya
Translation
36. They will speak many unspeakable words about you, criticizing your abilities. What could be more painful?
Commentary
They will speak of you in ill terms (avācya-vādān) such as “coward.”
Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa
Gauḍīya
Translation
36. They will speak many unspeakable words about you, criticizing your abilities. What could more painful?
Commentary
Moreover, your enemies (ahitāḥ), the sons of Dhṛtarāṣṭra, will criticize your previously recognized bravery and call you many displeasing words like “barren sesame seed.” (useless person) What extreme pain you will receive from hearing such displeasing words. Thus, these six verses have shown that avoiding the war will bring about infamy and loss of svarga.
Bhūrijana Dāsa
Gauḍīya
Commentary
Krsna continues: "The result of your so‑called compassion O Arjuna is going to be only infamy! Your compassion which is one of your main arguments, you don't want to hurt anyone, and you don't want to cause familly troubles, friends, worshipable superiors troubles, your compassion is going to be understood
simply to be weakness and the result will be simply infamy!" Not only that, his second reason, about do not be able to enjoy the kingdom, if the kingdom is won at the coast of the lives of the familly members ‑ Krsna is going to deal with that in the last verses in a great reversal of logic:
Study Notes — Gauranga Priya Dāsa
Gauranga Priya Dāsa
Study
Bhakti-śāstrī Notes, ISKCON Chowpatty (2009)
Theme
COMMON THEME: Happiness comes from prescribed duty – By performing prescribed duty one gains
material enjoyment
Benefits of Fighting (which is the prescribed duty in this case) (2.31 – 2.32)
Refutes Arjuna’s arguments of “Loss of Enjoyment” as mentioned in Texts 1.31 – 1.35
Fighting gives ‘real enjoyment’ in all ways
“If you win” – You get an unrivaled kingdom on earth
“If you lose” – You go to the heavenly planets
Losses by avoiding the prescribed duty of fighting – (2.33 – 2.37)
Refutes Arjuna’s arguments of “Fear of Sinful Reactions” as mentioned in (1.36)
3 losses are described:
Sin and infamy – Not fighting and avoiding the prescribed duties will be the real sin and cause of infamy (2.33). e.g. Loss of fame which was gained by: (3 examples quoted)
▪ Fight with Lord Shiva – Lord Shiva gave him ‘Pasupata-astra’
▪ Credits from Dronacarya and
▪ Credits from Lord Indra – His adopted father
Dishonor – “For a respectable person dishonor is worse is death” (2.34)
Ridicule – “Your enemies will laugh at you, saying that you ran away” (2.35 – 2.36)
PRACTICAL APPLICATION OF SECTION III
Material happiness comes from proper execution
of one’s dharma. Neglect of dharma means material downfall
Focus of Learning
(a) Purport to this verse summarizes all the verses in the ‘Jnana’ section (2.11 – 2.30) in four points:
Identity of living entity – Living entity is an immutable spirit soul
Soul vs Body – Soul is immortal and body is temporary
Immortality does not encourage whimsical violence
Justified violence – Violence must be justified in terms of sanction of the Lord and not capriciously
(b) Practical application for Arjuna
As a ksatriya he should not abandon his prescribed duties out of fear that his grandfather and teacher will die in the battle
LINK BETWEEN TEXTS 2.37 & 2.38: Krishna’s arguments give here are meant to inspire Arjuna to fight.
They are a particular set of instructions that address material enjoyment (based upon identifying oneself
with one’s body) as the motivating force behind Arjuna’s performance of duty. Krishna ends this section in the
next verse and then takes the discussion (in Text 2.39) to the higher level of working in knowledge
(a) Ksatriya – This is the second of the four social orders. It is meant for good administration
(b) Literal meaning of Ksatriya (2.31 purport) – One who gives protection from harm
(‘ksat’ – hurt / ‘trayate’ – give protection)
(c) Duty of Ksatriya – Ref. Parasara Smriti explains the duty of ksatriya (2.32 purport)
To protect citizens from all difficulties
Apply violence for law and order
Conquer inimical kings
Rule the world according to religious principles
Ksatriyas are never meant for directly accepting the order of sannyasa
Non-violence in politics may be diplomacy, but it is never a factor or principle
(d) Training of a Ksatriya (2.31 purport)
Trained for challenging and killing because religious violence is a necessary factor
How they are trained – Would go to forest, challenge tiger face to face with a sword and offer tiger for royal order of cremation
(e) Ref. Religious law books on ‘violence’ (2.31 purport) – The following are not acts of violence:
Sacrificial animal killing by brahmanas – Animal immediately gets a human body without evolutionary cycle / Brahmana gets heavenly planets
Ksatriyas fighting on religious principles – Get heavenly planets if killed
(f) Result of avoidance of duty by Ksatriyas
Infamy (2.31 purport)
Sinful Reaction – Hellish planets
(g) Fighting benefits both ways (2.32 purport) – Win or Lose – (Refer to main theme above)
(h) Two types of ‘Sva-dharmas’ (Specific duties) – ‘Material’ and ‘spiritual’
Spiritual ‘sva-dharma’ – Attained after liberation
Material ‘sva-dharma’ (Varnashrama-dharma)
Definition – Duties which are performed in accordance with the religious principles, according to particular body, to gradually achieve liberation
Must for humanity
▪ Human civilization begins at this point
▪ As long as one is not liberated, these duties are very important to perform
Ordained by the Lord (Clarified further in Bg. Chapter 4)
▪ They are unavoidable (Man’s stepping stone for spiritual understanding)
Benefit – If done in accordance with higher authorities, it elevates one to higher states of life
PLEASE NOTE: The remaining points of these purports are covered under the Common Theme above
Classical Ācāryas
Śrī Śaṅkarācārya
Classical
Translation
2.36 Ca, and besieds; tava, your; ahitah, enemies; vadisyanti, will speak; bahun, many, various kinds of; avacya-vadan, indecent words, unutterable words; nindantah, while denigrating, scorning; tava, your; samarthyam, might earned from battles against Nivatakavaca and others. Therefore, kim nu, what can be; duhkhataram, more painful; tatah, than that, than the sorrow arising from being scorned? That is to say, there is no greater pain than it.
Śrī Rāmānujācārya
Classical
Translation
2.36 Moreover, your enemies, the sons of Dhrtarastra, will make many remarks unutterably slanderous and disparaging to heroes, saying, 'How can this Partha stand in the presence of us, who are heroes, even for a moment? His prowess is elsewhere than in our presence.' Can there be anything more painful to you than this? You yourself will understand that death is preferable to subjection to disparagement of this kind.
Sri Krsna now says that for a hero, enemies being slain by oneself and oneself being slain by enemies are both conducive to supreme bliss.
Śrī Abhinavagupta
Classical
Translation
2.36 See Comment under 2.37
Swami Sivananda
Classical
Translation
2.36 Thy enemies also, cavilling at thy power, will speak many abusive words. What is more painful than this?
Commentary
2.36 अवाच्यवादान् words that are improper to be spoken? च and? बहून् many? वदिष्यन्ति will say? तव thy? अहिताः enemies? निन्दन्तः cavilling? तव thy? सामर्थ्यम् power? ततः than this? दुःखतरम् more painful? नु indeed? किम् what.Commentary There is really no pain more unbearable and tormenting that that of slander thus incurred.
Swami Gambhīrānanda
Classical
Translation
2.36 And your enemies will speak many indecent words while denigrating your might. What can be more painful than that?
Shri Purohit Swami
Classical
Translation
2.36 Thine enemies will spread scandal and mock at thy courage. Can anything be more humiliating?
Your enemies will speak unspeakable words about you — the avoidance of duty does not buy peace, it buys ridicule.
Practical Applications
Stop trying to buy off opposition by surrendering ground; it only invites more contempt.
Honor your duty more than your reputation; reputation often follows duty anyway.
Practice equanimity toward both praise and contempt.
Reflection Questions
What ridicule am I avoiding by sacrificing dharma?
How would my self-respect change if I stood firm despite the words?
Analogy
A king reduced before his enemies hears his strength insulted in their mouths — a wound the body could not give. The tongues of foes can cut what arrows cannot reach. For Arjuna, whose sāmarthya has been famous through the three worlds, this would be the heaviest blow.
hataḥ—being killedvā—eitherprāpsyasi—you gainsvargam—the heavenly kingdomjitvā—by conqueringvā—orbhokṣyase—you enjoymahīm—the worldtasmāt—thereforeuttiṣṭha—get upkaunteya—O son of Kuntīyuddhāya—to fightkṛta—determinedniścayaḥ—in certainty .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
hato vā prāpsyasi svargaṁ
hataḥ
being killed
vā
either
prāpsyasi
you gain
svargam
the heavenly kingdom
jitvā vā bhokṣyase mahīm
jitvā
by conquering
vā
or
bhokṣyase
you enjoy
mahīm
the world
tasmād uttiṣṭha kaunteya
tasmāt
therefore
uttiṣṭha
get up
kaunteya
O son of Kuntī
yuddhāya kṛta-niścayaḥ
yuddhāya
to fight
kṛta
determined
niścayaḥ
in certainty .
Important Words
hataḥ—killed
Past participle of √han. The first horn of the dilemma: *being killed*. Kṛṣṇa names it without flinching — and then shows it leads to svarga.
svargam—heaven
The kṣatriya's promised destination after death in dharmic battle. The verse does not yet teach mokṣa as goal; it works within karma-kāṇḍa's own promises.
jitvā—having conquered
Gerund of √ji — to win. The second horn: *having won*. Kṛṣṇa balances the two outcomes with parallel grammar (hataḥ vā… jitvā vā) — equally honorable, equally rewarded.
mahīm—the earth
Bhū, the earth. Victory yields rule of the earth. Kṛṣṇa pairs heaven (after death) with earth (in life) — the two are placed as equal-value gains so the choice is removed.
kṛta - niścayaḥ—with determination set
Compound — *with determination made*. Niścaya is the resolved mind. Once the analysis is done (both outcomes are good), determination should follow. The verse closes by demanding the resolved stand.
O son of Kuntī, either you will be killed on the battlefield and attain the heavenly planets, or you will conquer and enjoy the earthly kingdom. Therefore, get up with determination and fight.
Purport
Even though there was no certainty of victory for Arjuna’s side, he still had to fight; for, even being killed there, he could be elevated into the heavenly planets.
— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura
Gauḍīya
Translation
37. Being killed, you will attain heaven. Being defeated, you will enjoy the earth. Therefore, rise, O son of Kuntī, and fight with determination.
Commentary
“In this battle, my victory is not even certain. Therefore, why should you encourage this war?” He answers in this verse.
Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa
Gauḍīya
Translation
37. Being killed, you will attain heaven. Being victorious, you will enjoy the earth. Therefore, rise, O son of Kuntī, and fight with determination.
Commentary
“I am giving up the battle because it is uncertain that I will even be victorious.”
“Even being defeated and killed, you will attain svarga. Being victorious, you will enjoy the earth. In both cases, you gain.”
Bhūrijana Dāsa
Gauḍīya
Commentary
Arjuna was thinking : "How will I be able to enjoy, because if I win this battle, what will happen! Those people who I want to enjoy with will be dead. So winning will not bring any enjoyement and if I loose the battle than I will be dead and I will not be able to enjoy. If I win, I loose and if I loose, I loose!"
These were Arjuna's arguments, but Krsna is reversing his arguments in this Text: "If you loose you win and if you win, you win. Therefore get up with determination and fight!"
But yet, this "acting in prescribed duties" it is not the highest spiritual arguments that Krsna is giving, this is basically based on sense enjoyement. That's why this Section is named Karma‑kanda, using one's prescribed duties and the Vedas for the purpose of one's enjoyement.
Now Krsna ends this Section bringing to a newer level, in next text, which is above the Karma‑kanda level but bringing it to the point of Karma‑yoga which will be continued in Buddhi‑yoga very soon.
Study Notes — Gauranga Priya Dāsa
Gauranga Priya Dāsa
Study
Bhakti-śāstrī Notes, ISKCON Chowpatty (2009)
Theme
COMMON THEME: Happiness comes from prescribed duty – By performing prescribed duty one gains
material enjoyment
Benefits of Fighting (which is the prescribed duty in this case) (2.31 – 2.32)
Refutes Arjuna’s arguments of “Loss of Enjoyment” as mentioned in Texts 1.31 – 1.35
Fighting gives ‘real enjoyment’ in all ways
“If you win” – You get an unrivaled kingdom on earth
“If you lose” – You go to the heavenly planets
Losses by avoiding the prescribed duty of fighting – (2.33 – 2.37)
Refutes Arjuna’s arguments of “Fear of Sinful Reactions” as mentioned in (1.36)
3 losses are described:
Sin and infamy – Not fighting and avoiding the prescribed duties will be the real sin and cause of infamy (2.33). e.g. Loss of fame which was gained by: (3 examples quoted)
▪ Fight with Lord Shiva – Lord Shiva gave him ‘Pasupata-astra’
▪ Credits from Dronacarya and
▪ Credits from Lord Indra – His adopted father
Dishonor – “For a respectable person dishonor is worse is death” (2.34)
Ridicule – “Your enemies will laugh at you, saying that you ran away” (2.35 – 2.36)
PRACTICAL APPLICATION OF SECTION III
Material happiness comes from proper execution
of one’s dharma. Neglect of dharma means material downfall
Focus of Learning
(a) Purport to this verse summarizes all the verses in the ‘Jnana’ section (2.11 – 2.30) in four points:
Identity of living entity – Living entity is an immutable spirit soul
Soul vs Body – Soul is immortal and body is temporary
Immortality does not encourage whimsical violence
Justified violence – Violence must be justified in terms of sanction of the Lord and not capriciously
(b) Practical application for Arjuna
As a ksatriya he should not abandon his prescribed duties out of fear that his grandfather and teacher will die in the battle
LINK BETWEEN TEXTS 2.37 & 2.38: Krishna’s arguments give here are meant to inspire Arjuna to fight.
They are a particular set of instructions that address material enjoyment (based upon identifying oneself
with one’s body) as the motivating force behind Arjuna’s performance of duty. Krishna ends this section in the
next verse and then takes the discussion (in Text 2.39) to the higher level of working in knowledge
(a) Ksatriya – This is the second of the four social orders. It is meant for good administration
(b) Literal meaning of Ksatriya (2.31 purport) – One who gives protection from harm
(‘ksat’ – hurt / ‘trayate’ – give protection)
(c) Duty of Ksatriya – Ref. Parasara Smriti explains the duty of ksatriya (2.32 purport)
To protect citizens from all difficulties
Apply violence for law and order
Conquer inimical kings
Rule the world according to religious principles
Ksatriyas are never meant for directly accepting the order of sannyasa
Non-violence in politics may be diplomacy, but it is never a factor or principle
(d) Training of a Ksatriya (2.31 purport)
Trained for challenging and killing because religious violence is a necessary factor
How they are trained – Would go to forest, challenge tiger face to face with a sword and offer tiger for royal order of cremation
(e) Ref. Religious law books on ‘violence’ (2.31 purport) – The following are not acts of violence:
Sacrificial animal killing by brahmanas – Animal immediately gets a human body without evolutionary cycle / Brahmana gets heavenly planets
Ksatriyas fighting on religious principles – Get heavenly planets if killed
(f) Result of avoidance of duty by Ksatriyas
Infamy (2.31 purport)
Sinful Reaction – Hellish planets
(g) Fighting benefits both ways (2.32 purport) – Win or Lose – (Refer to main theme above)
(h) Two types of ‘Sva-dharmas’ (Specific duties) – ‘Material’ and ‘spiritual’
Spiritual ‘sva-dharma’ – Attained after liberation
Material ‘sva-dharma’ (Varnashrama-dharma)
Definition – Duties which are performed in accordance with the religious principles, according to particular body, to gradually achieve liberation
Must for humanity
▪ Human civilization begins at this point
▪ As long as one is not liberated, these duties are very important to perform
Ordained by the Lord (Clarified further in Bg. Chapter 4)
▪ They are unavoidable (Man’s stepping stone for spiritual understanding)
Benefit – If done in accordance with higher authorities, it elevates one to higher states of life
PLEASE NOTE: The remaining points of these purports are covered under the Common Theme above
Classical Ācāryas
Śrī Śaṅkarācārya
Classical
Translation
2.37 Again, by undertaking the fight with Karna and others, va, either; hatah, by being killed; prapsyasi, you will attain; svargam, heaven; or jitva, by winning over Karna and other heroes; bhoksyase, you will enjoy; mahim, the earth. The purport is that in either case you surely stand to gain. Since this is so, Kaunteya, O son of Kunti; tasmat, therefore; uttistha, rise up; krta-niscayah, with determination; yuddhaya, for fighting, i.e. with the determination, 'I shall either defeat the enemies or shall die.'
Śrī Rāmānujācārya
Classical
Translation
2.37 If you are slain in a righteous war by enemies, you shall thery attain supreme bliss. Or, slaying the enemies, you shall enjoy this kingdom without obstacles. As the duty called war, when done without attachment to the fruits, becomes the means for winning supreme bliss, you will attain that supreme bliss. Therefore, arise, assured that engagement in war (here the duty) is the means for attaining release, which is known as man's supreme goal. This alone is suitable for you, the son of Kunti. This is the purport.
Sri Krsna then explains to the aspirant for liberation how to conduct oneself in war.
Śrī Abhinavagupta
Classical
Translation
2.33-37 Atha ca etc., upto krta-niscavah. Accepting what the opponent has stated, this pentad of verses is narrated as an argument : 'If your goodself prefers to abide by the generally accepted practice, even then this [fighting] must be undertaken necessarily'.
Swami Sivananda
Classical
Translation
2.37 Slain, thou wilt obtain heaven; victorious, thou wilt enjoy the earth; therefore, stand up, O son of Kunti, resolved to fight.
Commentary
2.37 हतः slain? वा or? प्राप्स्यसि (thou) wilt obtain? स्वर्गम् heaven? जित्वा having conered? वा or? भोक्ष्यसे (thou) wilt enjoy? महीम् the earth? तस्मात् therefore? उत्तिष्ठ stand up? कौन्तेय O son of Kunti? युद्धाय for fight? कृतनिश्चयः resolved.Commentary In either case you will be benefited. Therefore? stand up with the firm resolution I will coner the enemy or die.
Swami Gambhīrānanda
Classical
Translation
2.37 Either by being killed you will attain heaven, or by winning you will enjoy the earth. Therefore, O Arjuna, rise up with determination for fighting.
Shri Purohit Swami
Classical
Translation
2.37 If killed, thou shalt attain Heaven; if victorious, enjoy the kingdom of earth. Therefore arise, O Son of Kunti, and fight!
Win or die — for the kṣatriya, both ends are auspicious if undertaken in dharma; arise and be resolved.
Practical Applications
Apply the 'win or die' principle to your spiritual practice — both success and the attempt are gain.
Stop engineering exits; commit fully to the dharma in front of you.
Read this verse before any major effort to brace your resolve.
Reflection Questions
Where am I refusing to commit because I am calculating the cost?
What would it look like to act with kṣatriya resolve in this moment?
Analogy
A merchant offered two routes that both end in profit — one short, one long — does not hesitate. Either way the books close in his favor. The dharmic war has this double-good structure: death yields heaven, victory yields earth. The only loss is in not setting out.
sukha—happinessduḥkhe—and distresssame—in equanimitykṛtvā—doing solābha - alābhau—both profit and lossjaya - ajayau—both victory and defeattataḥ—thereafteryuddhāya—for the sake of fightingyujyasva—engage (fight)na—neverevam—in this waypāpam—sinful reactionavāpsyasi—you will gain .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
sukha-duḥkhe same kṛtvā
sukha
happiness
duḥkhe
and distress
same
in equanimity
kṛtvā
doing so
lābhālābhau jayājayau
lābha - alābhau
both profit and loss
jaya - ajayau
both victory and defeat
tato yuddhāya yujyasva
tataḥ
thereafter
yuddhāya
for the sake of fighting
yujyasva
engage (fight)
naivaṁ pāpam avāpsyasi
na
never
evam
in this way
pāpam
sinful reaction
avāpsyasi
you will gain .
Important Words
sukha - duḥkhe—in pleasure and pain
Locative dual. The arena of equanimity. Not 'pleasure-less' or 'painless' — *while in* pleasure and pain. The verse locates the discipline inside experience, not above it.
same—equal
Locative — *as equal*. The same word that named the dhīra in 2.15 (sama-duḥkha-sukham). The chapter is building sama as a technical term.
lābha - alābhau—gain and loss
Dual compound. The second pair after sukha-duḥkha. The verse will list a third (jaya-ajaya) — three dualities, three pairs to be flattened.
jaya - ajayau—victory and defeat
Dual compound. The third pair — and the one most pointed for a warrior. The whole verse, by sliding from generic sukha-duḥkha to specific jaya-ajaya, is closing in on Arjuna's actual fear.
yujyasva—yoke yourself
Imperative of √yuj — to yoke. The same root as yoga. The verse contains the seed: yoga is yujyasva — yoking — and Kṛṣṇa here yokes Arjuna *for battle*. The Gītā's word for spiritual practice and the verb for entering combat are one.
Do thou fight for the sake of fighting, without considering happiness or distress, loss or gain, victory or defeat – and by so doing you shall never incur sin.
Purport
Lord Kṛṣṇa now directly says that Arjuna should fight for the sake of fighting because He desires the battle. There is no consideration of happiness or distress, profit or loss, victory or defeat in the activities of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That everything should be performed for the sake of Kṛṣṇa is transcendental consciousness; so there is no reaction to material activities. He who acts for his own sense gratification, either in goodness or in passion, is subject to the reaction, good or bad. But he who has completely surrendered himself in the activities of Kṛṣṇa consciousness is no longer obliged to anyone, nor is he a debtor to anyone, as one is in the ordinary course of activities. It is said: devarṣi-bhūtāpta-nṛṇāṁ pitṝṇāṁ na kiṅkaro nāyam ṛṇī ca rājan sarvātmanā yaḥ śaraṇaṁ śaraṇyaṁ gato mukundaṁ parihṛtya kartam “Anyone who has completely surrendered unto Kṛṣṇa, Mukunda, giving up all other duties, is no longer a debtor, nor is he obliged to anyone – not the demigods, nor the sages, nor the people in general, nor kinsmen, nor humanity, nor forefathers.” ( Bhāg. 11.5.41 ) That is the indirect hint given by Kṛṣṇa to Arjuna in this verse, and the matter will be more clearly explained in the following verses.
— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura
Gauḍīya
Translation
38. Being equal in happiness and distress, in gain or loss, in victory or defeat, engage in the battle. You will not incur any sin.
Commentary
In all ways, your fighting is an act of dharma. If you fear that it will produce sin, I have shown you that it will not be a cause of sin. Therefore fight. The Lord gives this instruction in this verse.
Being equal in happiness and distress, which are caused by gain and loss—such as gain and loss of a kingdom, which are in turn caused by victory and defeat in the war; understanding that both results are equal through a discerning mind—equipped with that knowledge, you will not incur sin at all. It will also be stated later:
lipyate na sa pāpena padma-patram ivāmbhasā
One is not touched by sin, as a lotus leaf is not touched by water. BG 5.10
Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa
Gauḍīya
Translation
38. Being equal in happiness and distress, in gain or loss, in victory or defeat, engage in the battle. You will not incur any sin.
Commentary
“You have explained by verse 33 and the verses following it, that I will attain sin by not fighting since I will be giving up my duty. But still, I should not fight because sin will arise from killing brāhmaṇas and gurus in a war to gain a kingdom.”
“It is not so: you will not incur sin by killing them, when you are fighting with the desire for liberation.” This is explained in this verse.
Being equal (sama) means to remain unchanging in this world in all circumstances.
Not being attached to happiness and its cause, victory, and not having dislike of unhappiness and its cause, not attaining a kingdom due to defeat—being of unchanging heart, engage in fighting: engage in the fighting only because it is your duty. As a fighter you will not incur sin in killing them because of your disposition of desiring liberation. One who fights with hankering for material results incurs sin, but one who desires true knowledge destroys infinite sins accumulated from the past.”
“How does one become inclined to fighting, charity or other actions without desire for results? It is difficult.”
“Understand that attachment to the infinite bliss of the ātmā is the inspiration, just as attachment to kingdom is the inspiration for the fool who throws himself off a cliff.”
Bhūrijana Dāsa
Gauḍīya
Commentary
That verse at the end of the Karma‑kanda Section speaks about sinful reactions. If one does his duty in the proper consciousness there will be no sinful reactions to suffer.
Arjuna was thinking that he had to suffer for so long sinful reactions if he fought in this battle but Krsna begins countering that here by saying that there will be no sinful reactions.
Srila Prabhupada explains: " Lord Krsna now directly says that Arjuna should fight for the sake of fighting because He desires the battle. There is no consideration of happiness or distress, profit or gain, victory or defeat in the activities of Krsna consciousness. That everything should be performed for the sake of Krsna is transcendental consciousness."
......... *** .........
So in the first Section were Arjuna's doubts. And in the next Section (B) ‑ Jnana, that Arjuna is not his body. Then it was the Section of Karma‑kanda‑ fight, do your karma to enjoy!
If one puts Jnana, the knowledge, with the Karma, meaning working or doing activity, together one actually gets what Krsna wants Arjuna to do which is: fight but in the mood of jnana or detachament (not thinking that one is the body) and that is called NISKAMA‑KARMA or BUDDHI‑YOGA.
So there is a detachment that one who is in knowledge has when he is doing his duties. He is not trying to enjoy this world because he doesn't think that he is his body. But that is not what Srila Prabhupada actually describes this verse's meaning in his Purport. He says something more wonderfull than just fighting with detachment based on Jnana. He explains fighting with material detachment but spiritual attachment to Krsna which is Bhakti.
Again, Lord Krsna directly says that Arjuna should fight for the sake of fighting. Krsna is telling Arjuna: "you should do your duty and fight!", but the real reason why Arjuna is going to do it is because Krsna is telling him to do it. When one is materially detached and his niskama‑karma is offered to Krsna with affection and devotion, than that niskama‑karma doesn't bring just liberation, or knowledge, but it brings Krsna's lotus feet and Bhakti. This is what will be described in more detail latter on. Here Srila Prabhupada is given us a hint ‑ a difference between Niskama‑karma, or detached work or work, Karma, based on Jnana and Bhakti.
[ D. BUDDHI‑YOGA (NISKAMA‑KARMA, acting dutyfully with detachment to set the correct example)
FIGHT! BUT WITHOUT ANY REACTION (2.39‑53)
1 . If Arjuna fights without being attached to the result of his fighting, fighting simply because it is Krsna's desire, with his mind focused on Krsna and in full resolve, his fighting will bring no sinful reaction. (39‑41, 47‑51)]
Study Notes — Gauranga Priya Dāsa
Gauranga Priya Dāsa
Study
Bhakti-śāstrī Notes, ISKCON Chowpatty (2009)
Theme
COMMON THEME: Happiness comes from prescribed duty – By performing prescribed duty one gains
material enjoyment
Benefits of Fighting (which is the prescribed duty in this case) (2.31 – 2.32)
Refutes Arjuna’s arguments of “Loss of Enjoyment” as mentioned in Texts 1.31 – 1.35
Fighting gives ‘real enjoyment’ in all ways
“If you win” – You get an unrivaled kingdom on earth
“If you lose” – You go to the heavenly planets
Losses by avoiding the prescribed duty of fighting – (2.33 – 2.37)
Refutes Arjuna’s arguments of “Fear of Sinful Reactions” as mentioned in (1.36)
3 losses are described:
Sin and infamy – Not fighting and avoiding the prescribed duties will be the real sin and cause of infamy (2.33). e.g. Loss of fame which was gained by: (3 examples quoted)
▪ Fight with Lord Shiva – Lord Shiva gave him ‘Pasupata-astra’
▪ Credits from Dronacarya and
▪ Credits from Lord Indra – His adopted father
Dishonor – “For a respectable person dishonor is worse is death” (2.34)
Ridicule – “Your enemies will laugh at you, saying that you ran away” (2.35 – 2.36)
PRACTICAL APPLICATION OF SECTION III
Material happiness comes from proper execution
of one’s dharma. Neglect of dharma means material downfall
Focus of Learning
(a) Purport to this verse summarizes all the verses in the ‘Jnana’ section (2.11 – 2.30) in four points:
Identity of living entity – Living entity is an immutable spirit soul
Soul vs Body – Soul is immortal and body is temporary
Immortality does not encourage whimsical violence
Justified violence – Violence must be justified in terms of sanction of the Lord and not capriciously
(b) Practical application for Arjuna
As a ksatriya he should not abandon his prescribed duties out of fear that his grandfather and teacher will die in the battle
LINK BETWEEN TEXTS 2.37 & 2.38: Krishna’s arguments give here are meant to inspire Arjuna to fight.
They are a particular set of instructions that address material enjoyment (based upon identifying oneself
with one’s body) as the motivating force behind Arjuna’s performance of duty. Krishna ends this section in the
next verse and then takes the discussion (in Text 2.39) to the higher level of working in knowledge
(a) Ksatriya – This is the second of the four social orders. It is meant for good administration
(b) Literal meaning of Ksatriya (2.31 purport) – One who gives protection from harm
(‘ksat’ – hurt / ‘trayate’ – give protection)
(c) Duty of Ksatriya – Ref. Parasara Smriti explains the duty of ksatriya (2.32 purport)
To protect citizens from all difficulties
Apply violence for law and order
Conquer inimical kings
Rule the world according to religious principles
Ksatriyas are never meant for directly accepting the order of sannyasa
Non-violence in politics may be diplomacy, but it is never a factor or principle
(d) Training of a Ksatriya (2.31 purport)
Trained for challenging and killing because religious violence is a necessary factor
How they are trained – Would go to forest, challenge tiger face to face with a sword and offer tiger for royal order of cremation
(e) Ref. Religious law books on ‘violence’ (2.31 purport) – The following are not acts of violence:
Sacrificial animal killing by brahmanas – Animal immediately gets a human body without evolutionary cycle / Brahmana gets heavenly planets
Ksatriyas fighting on religious principles – Get heavenly planets if killed
(f) Result of avoidance of duty by Ksatriyas
Infamy (2.31 purport)
Sinful Reaction – Hellish planets
(g) Fighting benefits both ways (2.32 purport) – Win or Lose – (Refer to main theme above)
(h) Two types of ‘Sva-dharmas’ (Specific duties) – ‘Material’ and ‘spiritual’
Spiritual ‘sva-dharma’ – Attained after liberation
Material ‘sva-dharma’ (Varnashrama-dharma)
Definition – Duties which are performed in accordance with the religious principles, according to particular body, to gradually achieve liberation
Must for humanity
▪ Human civilization begins at this point
▪ As long as one is not liberated, these duties are very important to perform
Ordained by the Lord (Clarified further in Bg. Chapter 4)
▪ They are unavoidable (Man’s stepping stone for spiritual understanding)
Benefit – If done in accordance with higher authorities, it elevates one to higher states of life
PLEASE NOTE: The remaining points of these purports are covered under the Common Theme above
Classical Ācāryas
Śrī Śaṅkarācārya
Classical
Translation
2.38 As regards that, listen to this advice for you then you are engaged in battle considering it to be your duty: Krtva, treating; sukha-duhkhe, happiness and sorrow; same, with eanimity, i.e. without having likes and dislikes; so also treating labha-alabhau, gain and loss; jaya-ajayau, conest and defeat, as the same; tatah, then; yuddhaya yujyasva, engage in battle. Evam, thus by undertaking the fight; na avapsyasi, you will not incur; papam, sin. This advice is incidental. [The context here is that of the philosophy of the supreme Reality. If fighting is enjoined in that context, it will amount to accepting combination of Knowledge and actions. To avoid this contingency the Commentator says, 'incidental'. That is to say, although the context is of the supreme Reality, the advice to fight is incidental. It is not an injunction to combine Knowledge with actions, since fighting is here the natural duty of Arjuna as a Ksatriya.].
The generally accepted argument for the removal of sorrow and delusion has been stated in the verses beginning with, 'Even considering your own duty' (31), etc., but this has not been presented by accepting that as the real intention (of the Lord).
The real context here (in 2.12 etc.), however, is of the realization of the supreme Reality. Now, in order to show the distinction between the (two) topics dealt with in this scripture, the Lord concludes that topic which has been presented above (in 2.20 etc.), by saying, 'This (wisdom) has been imparted,' etc. For, if the distinction between the topics of the scripute be shown here, then the instruction relating to the two kinds of adherences as stated later on in, 'through the Yoga of Knowledge for the men of realization; through the Yoga of Action for the yogis' (3.3) will proceed again smoothly, and the hearer also will easily comprehend it by keeping in view the distinction between the topics. Hence the Lord says:
Śrī Rāmānujācārya
Classical
Translation
2.38 Thus, knowing the self to be eternal, different from the body and untouched by all corporeal alities, remaining unaffected by pleasure and pain resulting from the weapon-strokes etc., inevitable in a war, as also by gain and loss of wealth, victory and defeat, and keeping yourself free from attachment to heaven and such other frutis, begin the battle considering it merely as your own duty. Thus, you will incur no sin. Here sin means transmigratory existence which is misery. The purport is that you will be liberarted from the bondage of transmigratory existence.
Thus, after teaching the knowledge of the real nature of the self, Sri Krsna begins to expound the Yoga of work, which, when preceded by it (i.e., knowledge of the self), constitutes the means for liberation.
Śrī Abhinavagupta
Classical
Translation
2.38 Sukha-duhkhe etc. For you, performing actions as your own duty, never there is any connection with sin.
Swami Sivananda
Classical
Translation
2.38 Having made pleasure and pain, gain and loss, victory and defeat the same, engage thou in battle for the sake of battle; thus thou shalt not incur sin.
Commentary
2.38 सुखदुःखे pleasure and pain? समे same? कृत्वा having made? लाभालाभौ gain and loss? जयाजयौ victory and defeat? ततः then? युद्धाय for battle? युज्यस्व engage thou? न not? एवम् thus? पापम् sin? अवाप्स्यसि shalt incur.Commentary This is the Yoga of eanimity or the doctrine of poise in action. If anyone does any action with the above mental attitude or balanced state of mind he will not reap the fruits of his action. Such an action will lead to the purification of his heart and freedom from birth and death. One has to develop such a balanced state of mind through continous struggle and vigilant efforts.
Swami Gambhīrānanda
Classical
Translation
2.38 Treating happiness and sorrow, gain and loss, and conest and defeat with eanimity, then engage in battle. Thus you will not incur sin.
Shri Purohit Swami
Classical
Translation
2.38 Look upon pleasure and pain, victory and defeat, with an equal eye. Make ready for the combat, and thou shalt commit no sin.
Treat happiness and distress, gain and loss, victory and defeat as equal — and engage in the fight; thus you incur no sin.
Practical Applications
Train yourself to evaluate experiences by their dharmic alignment, not their pleasantness.
Notice how often you abandon a path the moment it stops feeling good.
Make a decision today not based on its emotional outcome but on its dharma.
Reflection Questions
Which choice am I weighing by emotional comfort that should be weighed by dharma?
How does treating dualities as equal change what it means to act?
Analogy
A potter at his wheel works without preferring one pot over another, without grasping for the next, without comparing the day's count. The wheel turns; pots emerge; the work is done. This is the first picture of niṣkāma-karma the Gītā gives Arjuna — and it is given as a fighting instruction.
Stories
Yudhiṣṭhira's question on equanimity
Yudhiṣṭhira often asked Bhīṣma and other elders about how the wise act in the world. The repeated answer in the Mahābhārata's śānti-parvan is the same as this verse: the wise warrior, the wise minister, the wise sage treats lābha and alābha, jaya and ajaya, as one — and only thus avoids pāpa.
The Mahābhārata's wisdom literature is in this sense one long unpacking of sukha-duḥkhe same kṛtvā. Kṛṣṇa is giving Arjuna in one verse what the whole post-war śānti-parvan will give Yudhiṣṭhira in many.
One who is completely surrendered to the activities of Krishna consciousness is no longer obliged to anyone, nor is he a debtor to anyone, as in the ordinary course of activities
No obligation or debts to demigods, sages, people in general, kinsmen, humanity, forefathers
(d) Indirect hint given to Arjuna by this verse
By acting in Krishna consciousness, one is beyond all mundane obligations
eṣā—all thiste—unto youabhihitā—describedsāṅkhye—in analytical studybuddhiḥ—intelligenceyoge—in work without fruitive resulttu—butimām—thisśṛṇu—just hearbuddhyā—by intelligenceyuktaḥ—dovetailedyayā—by whichpārtha—O son of Pṛthākarma - bandham—bondage of reactionprahāsyasi—you can be released from .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
eṣā te ’bhihitā sāṅkhye
eṣā
all this
te
unto you
buddhir yoge tv imāṁ śṛṇu
buddhyā yukto yayā pārtha
karma-bandhaṁ prahāsyasi
abhihitā
described
sāṅkhye
in analytical study
buddhiḥ
intelligence
yoge
in work without fruitive result
tu
but
imām
this
śṛṇu
just hear
buddhyā
by intelligence
yuktaḥ
dovetailed
yayā
by which
pārtha
O son of Pṛthā
karma - bandham
bondage of reaction
prahāsyasi
you can be released from .
Important Words
sāṅkhye—in analytical knowledge
Locative of sāṅkhya — *counting*, analytical discrimination. The first half of the chapter (11-30) has been sāṅkhya in this Gītā-specific sense: distinguishing eternal from temporary.
buddhiḥ—intelligence
The faculty under discussion. The Gītā's term for the discriminating power that grasps doctrine and translates it into action. Verses 41 onward will name vyavasāyātmikā buddhiḥ as the right kind.
yoge—in yoga
Locative — *in yoga*. From √yuj — to yoke. The second half of the chapter (39-72) will unfold this. Yoga here means karma-yoga first, then sthita-prajña-yoga — action without attachment, leading to fixed wisdom.
karma - bandham—bondage of action
Compound — *the bondage which is action*. Karma binds, but the binding can be undone by buddhi-yukta action. The verse defines yoga by its result: liberation from karma-bandha while still acting.
prahāsyasi—you will cast off
Future of pra-√hā — to abandon decisively. The verse promises: you *will* cast it off. Not a vague hope but a definite future, conditional on adopting buddhi-yoga.
Thus far I have described this knowledge to you through analytical study. Now listen as I explain it in terms of working without fruitive results. O son of Pṛthā, when you act in such knowledge you can free yourself from the bondage of works.
Purport
According to the Nirukti, or the Vedic dictionary, saṅkhyā means that which describes things in detail, and sāṅkhya refers to that philosophy which describes the real nature of the soul. And yoga involves controlling the senses. Arjuna’s proposal not to fight was based on sense gratification. Forgetting his prime duty, he wanted to cease fighting, because he thought that by not killing his relatives and kinsmen he would be happier than by enjoying the kingdom after conquering his cousins and brothers, the sons of Dhṛtarāṣṭra. In both ways, the basic principles were for sense gratification. Happiness derived from conquering them and happiness derived by seeing kinsmen alive are both on the basis of personal sense gratification, even at a sacrifice of wisdom and duty. Kṛṣṇa, therefore, wanted to explain to Arjuna that by killing the body of his grandfather he would not be killing the soul proper, and He explained that all individual persons, including the Lord Himself, are eternal individuals; they were individuals in the past, they are individuals in the present, and they will continue to remain individuals in the future, because all of us are individual souls eternally. We simply change our bodily dress in different manners, but actually we keep our individuality even after liberation from the bondage of material dress. An analytical study of the soul and the body has been very graphically explained by Lord Kṛṣṇa. And this descriptive knowledge of the soul and the body from different angles of vision has been described here as Sāṅkhya, in terms of the Nirukti dictionary. This Sāṅkhya has nothing to do with the Sāṅkhya philosophy of the atheist Kapila. Long before the imposter Kapila’s Sāṅkhya, the Sāṅkhya philosophy was expounded in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam by the true Lord Kapila, the incarnation of Lord Kṛṣṇa, who explained it to His mother, Devahūti. It is clearly explained by Him that the puruṣa, or the Supreme Lord, is active and that He creates by looking over the prakṛti. This is accepted in the Vedas and in the Gītā. The description in the Vedas indicates that the Lord glanced over the prakṛti, or nature, and impregnated it with atomic individual souls. All these individuals are working in the material world for sense gratification, and under the spell of material energy they are thinking of being enjoyers. This mentality is dragged to the last point of liberation when the living entity wants to become one with the Lord. This is the last snare of māyā, or sense gratificatory illusion, and it is only after many, many births of such sense gratificatory activities that a great soul surrenders unto Vāsudeva, Lord Kṛṣṇa, thereby fulfilling the search after the ultimate truth. Arjuna has already accepted Kṛṣṇa as his spiritual master by surrendering himself unto Him: śiṣyas te ’haṁ śādhi māṁ tvāṁ prapannam. Consequently, Kṛṣṇa will now tell him about the working process in buddhi-yoga, or karma-yoga, or in other words, the practice of devotional service only for the sense gratification of the Lord. This buddhi-yoga is clearly explained in Chapter Ten, verse ten, as being direct communion with the Lord, who is sitting as Paramātmā in everyone’s heart. But such communion does not take place without devotional service. One who is therefore situated in devotional or transcendental loving service to the Lord, or, in other words, in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, attains to this stage of buddhi-yoga by the special grace of the Lord. The Lord says, therefore, that only to those who are always engaged in devotional service out of transcendental love does He award the pure knowledge of devotion in love. In that way the devotee can reach Him easily in the ever-blissful kingdom of God. Thus the buddhi-yoga mentioned in this verse is the devotional service of the Lord, and the word Sāṅkhya mentioned herein has nothing to do with the atheistic sāṅkhya-yoga enunciated by the imposter Kapila. One should not, therefore, misunderstand that the sāṅkhya-yoga mentioned herein has any connection with the atheistic Sāṅkhya. Nor did that philosophy have any influence during that time; nor would Lord Kṛṣṇa care to mention such godless philosophical speculations. Real Sāṅkhya philosophy is described by Lord Kapila in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, but even that Sāṅkhya has nothing to do with the current topics. Here, Sāṅkhya means analytical description of the body and the soul. Lord Kṛṣṇa made an analytical description of the soul just to bring Arjuna to the point of buddhi-yoga, or bhakti-yoga. Therefore, Lord Kṛṣṇa’s Sāṅkhya and Lord Kapila’s Sāṅkhya, as described in the Bhāgavatam, are one and the same. They are all bhakti-yoga. Lord Kṛṣṇa said, therefore, that only the less intelligent class of men make a distinction between sāṅkhya-yoga and bhakti-yoga ( sāṅkhya-yogau pṛthag bālāḥ pravadanti na paṇḍitāḥ ). Of course, atheistic sāṅkhya-yoga has nothing to do with bhakti-yoga, yet the unintelligent claim that the atheistic sāṅkhya-yoga is referred to in the Bhagavad-gītā. One should therefore understand that buddhi-yoga means to work in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, in the full bliss and knowledge of devotional service. One who works for the satisfaction of the Lord only, however difficult such work may be, is working under the principles of buddhi-yoga and finds himself always in transcendental bliss. By such transcendental engagement, one achieves all transcendental understanding automatically, by the grace of the Lord, and thus his liberation is complete in itself, without his making extraneous endeavors to acquire knowledge. There is much difference between work in Kṛṣṇa consciousness and work for fruitive results, especially in the matter of sense gratification for achieving results in terms of family or material happiness. Buddhi-yoga is therefore the transcendental quality of the work that we perform.
— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura
Gauḍīya
Translation
39. I have taught you understanding necessary for the process of jṣāna. Now hear about understanding necessary for the process of bhakti. By engaging your intelligence in this yoga, O son of Pṛthā, you will become free from the bondage of karma.
Commentary
In this verse, Kṛṣṇa concludes the topic of jṣāna-yoga which he has just taught. Sāṅkhya means “that by which true knowledge of things (vastu-tattvam) is perfectly (samak) revealed (khyāyate).” In other words, sāṅkhya means a perfect process of knowing. The intelligence (eṣā) to be implemented in that process has been explained. Now hear about the intelligence necessary to implement bhakti-yoga (yoge) which will now be explained. Endowed with this understanding concerning the subject of bhakti-yoga, you will give up saṁsāra [Note: Saṁsāra refers to repeated birth and death in this world.] (karma-bandham).
Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa
Gauḍīya
Translation
39. I have spoken to you knowledge of ātmā jṣāna. Now hear about knowledge of niskāma karma yoga. By engaging your intelligence in this yoga, O son of Pṛthā, you will become free from the bondage of karma.
Commentary
Having concluded His instructions on jṣāna yoga, the Lord now begins to speak about niṣkāma karma yoga, the process for attaining jṣāna yoga. Saṁkhya means upaniṣad, that by which truth is completely explained (samyak khyāyate), that by which the true nature of ātmā is presented. The understanding (eṣa buddhiḥ) necessary for performance of sankhya (sāṅkhye) alone has been spoken to you, starting with ne tv evāhaṁ (verse 12) and ending with tasmāt sarvāṇi bhūtāni (verse 30). If that understanding does not arise because of impurities in your heart, hear about the understanding necessary to execute karma yoga (yoge), which will now be spoken, and which includes with it knowledge or jṣāna, according to statements of the śrutis:
tam etaṁ vedānuvacanena brāhmaṇā vividiṣanti yajṣena dānena tapasā nāśakena:
Brāhmaṇas seek to know the Lord by study of the Vedas, by sacrifice, by charity, by austerity, and by fasting. Bṛhad Āraṇyaka Uāniṣad 4.4.22
This niṣkāma karma yoga is then praised in the last line by stating the results of practicing it. You, performing these actions, engaged in this understanding, will be freed from the bondage created by action. Executing these actions with great energy with a desire for the bliss of ātmā and by the order of the Lord, you will cross over saṁsāra by being fixed in ātmā jṣāna which will appear within you, which gains its power to liberate by being directed to ātmā and the Lord. In the Gītā it is explained that sakāma karma leads to gaining animals, sons or kingdom, whereas niṣkāma karma brings about jṣāna.
Bhūrijana Dāsa
Gauḍīya
Commentary
Here is a break in the flow of this chapter of the B.gita. Previously what was discussed, aside from Karma‑kanda, was Jnana or basically a inactive way of Sankhya or Jnana‑yoga where one renounces work and through his intelligence, through his descriminating powers,he realizes and contemplates on the fact that he is a soul and not his body. That what was previously described. Now Krsna is going to describe in the next section, Buddhi‑yoga, or a different way to realize trancendental knowledge, not through renunciation of activity but through work.
This descrimination of two ways to understand transcendental knowledge, one by renouncing work and the other by working in the proper consciousness, is one of the main considerations of the entire B.gita. There will be many tricky points that will become very clear if one understands these two issues. And Arjuna asks this question at the beginning of the 3rd Chapter, at the beginning of the 5th Chapter, at the beginning of the 6th Chapter, in the 18th Chapter, right at the beginning, Arjuna summarizes to clarify "what actually is renunciation and what is work? Which should I do? Should I become renounced, not performing any activity, or should I work? Inactivity or activity ‑ which is spiritual? " And which does Krsna recommend? This is a very important descrimination that Krsna answers again and again for Arjuna to push him towards "working in the consciousness of renunciation", not renouncing activity. This is the particular discrimination that this Text 39 is making.
Analytical study means renunciation of activity and that brings one to the platform of Jnana or acting in Jnana. So renunciation of activity in one hand and acting in renunciation on the other hand.
Krsna is a great speaker, He says:"Now listen, if you act O son of Prtha in such knowledge you will free yourself from the bondage of works". He is here awakening Arjuna's interest, because Arjuna is very much afraid of the sinful reactions. And Krsna says :"here listen very carefully, I will explain to you how you become free of sinful reactions!" And if someone tells us "I am going to tell you how to remove your fear from you right now!", naturally we will listen very closelly.
Srila Prabhupada explains in his Purport: "Arjuna has already accepted Krsna as his spiritual master by surrendering himself unto Him: sisyas te 'ham sadhi mam tvam prapannam. Consequently, Krsna will now tell him about the working process in buddhi‑yoga, or karma‑yoga, or in other words, the practice of devotional service only for the sense gratification of the Lord. This buddhi‑yoga is clearly explained in Chapter Ten, verse ten, as being direct communion with the Lord, who is sitting as Paramatma in everyone's heart. But such communion does not take place without devotional service. One who is therefore situated in devotional or transcendental loving service to the Lord, or, in other words, in Krsna consciousness, attains to this stage of buddhi‑yoga by the special grace of the Lord. The Lord says, therefore, that only to those who are always engaged in devotional service out of transcendental love does He award the pure knowledge of devotion in love. In that way the devotee can reach Him easily in the ever‑blissful kingdom of God."
This Buddhi‑yoga or Karma‑yoga has different stages and the topmost stage is when Krsna blesses the devotee with full Buddhi or intelligence or Samvit and Hladhini Saktis and in this way one is fully absorbed in Krsna without any effort ‑ that is called "love of God".
Study Notes — Gauranga Priya Dāsa
Gauranga Priya Dāsa
StudyKey verse
Bhakti-śāstrī Notes, ISKCON Chowpatty (2009)
Theme
Buddhi-yoga as the motivating principle – Sankhya-yoga (analytical study of body and soul) is
explained to bring one to the platform of Buddhi-yoga (working without fruitive results)
Benefits of acting in Buddhi-yoga – One can work but still remain free from bondage of works (No need to avoid work, if you desire to avoid reaction)
PRACTICAL APPLICATION OF TEXT 2.39
Here Jnana is used as a basis to perform duty and not used to renounce
duty (as against Arjuna’s desire to renounce duty based on jnana)
SUMMARISED THEME 2E
KRISHNA’S MOTIVATING STRATEGY TO CONVINCE
ARJUNA TO FIGHT (2.10 – 2.39)
A) Texts 2.10 – 2.11
Krishna decides to speak and motivate Arjuna to fight
B) Texts 2.11 – 2.30
Strategy used: Philosophy of ‘Jnana’
Principle involved – Knowledge of ‘immortality of soul’
This dispels Arjuna’s material compassion and lamentation based on the bodily conception of life
C) Texts 2.31 – 2.38
Strategy used: Philosophy of ‘Karma Kanda’
Principle involved – How to gain higher enjoyment and avoid misery by performing prescribed duty of fighting
This is a mundane principle and has no spiritual value
D) Texts 2.39 – 2.53
Strategy used: Philosophy of ‘Niskama-karma-yoga’/’Buddhi-yoga’
Principle involved – Detached work (Work based on ‘jnana’)
▪ Based on ‘knowledge of soul’ and ‘relation with Krishna’ (This knowledge was
explained in Section II)
▪ Detached from calculation of enjoyment and misery as was suggested in
Section III - Karma-kanda (2.31 – 2.38)
This principle involves practical application of the knowledge of the constitutional position of the soul
E) Srila Prabhupada takes it to an even higher level of motivation – “Pleasure of Krishna” (Ref. 2.38
purport). This equates Niskama-karma-yoga on the level of Bhakti-yoga
Focus of Learning
(a) Meaning of terms Saìkhyā & Sāìkhya and yoga:
Saìkhyā – That which describes things in detail
Sāìkhya – That philosophy which describes the real nature of the soul
Yoga – Yoga involves controlling the senses
(b) Basis of Arjuna’s decision – Arjuna’s decision was based on ‘sense gratification’ as opposed to the
‘concept of yoga’
Forgetting his prime duty to fight, he thought that by not killing his relatives he would be happier than by enjoying the kingdom after killing all the sons of Dhrtarastra
Happiness from conquering them and happiness by seeing kinsmen alive are both based on personal sense gratification
(c) How Krishna addressed this issue based on Sāìkhya philosophy
Krishna explained that by killing the body, he would not be killing the soul proper – all are eternal individuals (2.12)
Body is changed like change of dress (2.22)
This descriptive knowledge of soul and body from different angles of vision has been described here as Sāìkhya (according to Nirukti dictionary)
This is different from atheistic Sāìkhya (of imposter Kapila)
(d) ‘Krishna’s Sāìkhya in this text’ vs ‘Lord Kapila’s Sāìkhya’ vs ‘Athestic Kapila’s Sāìkhya’
Buddhi-yoga mentioned here refers to devotional service of the Lord
Athestic Sāìkhya philosophy had no influence during that time, nor would Lord Krishna care to mention such god-less philosophical speculations
Real Sāìkhya philosophy is described by Lord Kapila in the Srimad-Bhagavatam, but even that Sāìkhya has nothing to do with the current topics.
Sāìkhya-yoga to Buddhi-yoga – Here, Sāìkhya means analytical description of the body and the soul. Lord Krishna made an analytical description of the soul just to bring Arjuna to the point of buddhi-yoga, or bhakti-yoga
Krishna’s Sāìkhya vs Kapila’s Sāìkhya – Therefore, Lord Krishna's Sāìkhya and Lord Kapila's Sāìkhya, as described in the Bhagavatam, are one and the same. They are all bhakti-yoga
Conclusion – Lord Krishna said, therefore, that only the less intelligent class of men make a distinction between Sāìkhya-yoga and Bhakti-yoga – Ref. Bg. 5.4 (Sāìkhya-yogau prthag...)
(e) What was true Lord Kapila’s Sāìkhya which was explained to His mother Devahuti – Following
are the basic principles:
Purusha creates material world – It says that Purusha or the Supreme Lord is active and He creates by looking over the prakriti
Creates by glace – Vedic description indicates that Lord glanced over the prakriti or nature and impregnated it with the atomic individual souls
Spell of illusion in material world – Under the spell of material energy, all these individuals are working for sense gratification thinking of being enjoyers, this mentality is being dragged to the last snare of maya, when the living entity wants to become one with the Lord
Ultimate goal of living entity – After many, many births of sense gratification, a great soul surrenders unto Vasudeva (Bg. 7.19)
Classical Ācāryas
Śrī Śaṅkarācārya
Classical
Translation
2.39 Partha, O son of Prtha (Arjuna); esa, this; buddhih, wisdom, the Knowledge which directly removes the defect (viz ignorance) that is responsible for sorrow, delusion, etc. [Mundane existence consists of attraction and repulsion, agentship and enjoyership, etc. These are the defects, and they arise from ignorance about one's Self. Enlightenment is the independent and sole cause that removes this ignorance.] constituting mundane existence; abhihita, has been imparted; te, to you; sankhye, from the standpoint of Self-realization, with regard to the discriminating knowledge of the supreme Reality. Tu, but; srnu, listen; imam, to this wisdom which will be imparted presently; yoge, from the spandpoint of Yoga, from the standpoint of the means of attaining it (Knowledge) i.e., in the context of Karma-yoga, the performance of rites and duties with detachment after destroying the pairs of opposites, for the sake of adoring God, as also in the context of the practice of spiritual absorption.
As as inducement, He (the Lord) praises that wisdom: Yuktah, endowed; yaya, with which; buddhya, wisdom concerning Yoga; O Partha, prahasyasi, you will get rid of; karma-bandham, the bondage of action action is itself the bondage described as righteousness and unrighteousness; you will get rid of that bondage by the attainment of Knowledge through God's grace. This is the idea.
Śrī Rāmānujācārya
Classical
Translation
2.39 'Sankhya' means 'intellect,' and the truth about the Atman, which is determinable by the intellect, is 'Sankhyam'. Concerning the nature of the self which has to be known, whatever Buddhi has to be taught, has been taught to you in the passage beginning with, 'It is not that I did not exist' (II.12) and ending with the words, 'Therefore, you shall not grieve for any being' (II.30). The disposition of mind (Buddhi) which is reired for the performance of works preceded by knowledge of the self and which thus constitutes the means of attaining release, that is here called by the term Yoga. It will be clearly told later on, 'Work done with desire for fruits is far inferior to work done with evennes of mind' (II. 49). What Buddhi or attitude of mind is reired for making your act deserve the name of Yoga, listen to it now. Endowed with that knowledge, you will be able to cast away the bondage of Karma. 'Karma-bandha' means the bondage due to Karma i.e., the bondage of Samsara.
Now Sri Krsna explains the glory of works associated with the Buddhi to be described hereafter:
Śrī Abhinavagupta
Classical
Translation
2.39 Esa te etc. And this knowledge in th form of determination has been declared [to you] for your sankhya, i.e., perfect knowledge. Now, how the self-same determinate knowledge is also taught for the Yoga i.e., dexerity in action - in that manner only you must listen to by means of which determinate knowledge you shall avoid the binding nature of the actions. Truely, the actions do not themselves bind as they are insentient. Hence, it is the Self which binds Itself by means of the actions in the form of mental impressions.
Swami Sivananda
Classical
Translation
2.39 This, which has been taught to thee, is wisdon concerning Sankhya. Now listen to wisdom concerning Yoga, endowed with which, O Arjuna, thou shalt cast off the bonds of action.
Commentary
2.39 एषा this? ते to thee? अभिहिता (is) declared? सांख्ये in Sankhya? बुद्धिः wisdom? योगे in the Yoga? तु indeed? इमाम् this? श्रृणु hear? बुद्ध्या with wisdom? युक्तः endowed with? यया which? पार्थ O Partha? कर्मबन्धम् bondage of Karma? प्रहास्यसि (thou) shalt cast off.Commentary Lord Krishna taught Jnana (knowledge) to Arjuna till now. (Sankhya Yoga is the path of Vedanta or Jnana Yoga? which treats of the nature of the Atman or the Self and the methods to attain Selfrealisation. It is not the Sankhya philosophy of sage Kapila.) He is now giving to teach Arjuna the technie or secret of Karma Yoga endowed with which he (or anybody else) can break through the bonds of Karma. The Karma Yogi should perform work without expectation of fruits of his actions? without the idea of agency (or the notin I do this)? without attachment? after annihilating or going beyond all the pairs of opposites such as heat and cold? gain and loss? victoyr and defeat? etc. Dharma and Adharma? or merit and demerit will not touch that Karma Yogi who works without attachment and egoism. The Karma Yogi consecrates all his works and their fruits as offerings unto the Lord (Isvararpanam) and thus obtains the grace of the Lord (Isvaraprasada).
Swami Gambhīrānanda
Classical
Translation
2.39 O Partha, this wisdom has been imparted to you from the standpoint of Self-realization. But listen to this (wisdom) from the standpoint of Yoga, endowed with which wisdom you will get rid of the bondage of action.
Shri Purohit Swami
Classical
Translation
2.39 I have told thee the philosophy of Knowledge. Now listen and I will explain the philosophy of Action, by means of which, O Arjuna, thou shalt break through the bondage of all action.
Krishna now turns from sāṅkhya (analytical knowledge) to yoga (work in equanimity) — knowing alone is not enough; how you act must transform too.
Practical Applications
Treat philosophy and practice as two sides of one realization, never as alternatives.
Notice if your sādhana is heavy on theory but light on application — adjust accordingly.
Bring one Sāṅkhya truth into one piece of action this week.
Reflection Questions
Where is my knowledge running ahead of my practice?
What single yogic application would test my Sāṅkhya understanding?
Analogy
The same teacher has spoken so far in the language of analysis (sāṅkhya) — distinguishing soul from body. Now he turns the medallion and shows its other face: the language of yoking (yoga) — acting without attachment. Two doors into one room; both lead out of karma-bandha.
na—there is notiha—in this yogaabhikrama—in endeavoringnāśaḥ—lossasti—there ispratyavāyaḥ—diminutionna—nevervidyate—there issu - alpam—a littleapi—althoughasya—of thisdharmasya—occupationtrāyate—releasesmahataḥ—from very greatbhayāt—danger .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
nehābhikrama-nāśo ’sti
na
there is not
iha
in this yoga
abhikrama
in endeavoring
pratyavāyo na vidyate
nāśaḥ
loss
sv-alpam apy asya dharmasya
asti
there is
pratyavāyaḥ
diminution
na
never
vidyate
there is
su - alpam
a little
api
although
asya
of this
dharmasya
occupation
trāyate mahato bhayāt
trāyate
releases
mahataḥ
from very great
bhayāt
danger .
Important Words
abhikrama—attempt, beginning
From abhi-√kram — to step toward. The first move in the practice. Even the first step on this path does not perish (nāśaḥ na asti). Nothing is wasted, even the beginning.
nāśaḥ—loss, destruction
No loss. In material undertakings, partial completion equals partial loss; here, partial completion is partial keeping. The accounting is different from worldly investment.
pratyavāyaḥ—diminution, adverse effect
From prati + ava-√i — to go down against. In Vedic ritual, an incomplete sacrifice can produce a pratyavāya — a negative result. The Gītā assures: in this dharma, incompleteness produces no negative result.
su - alpam—even a little
Su (very) + alpa (small) — *even a very little*. The encouragement is for those who can offer only a little. The path's grace is calibrated for the small offering.
bhayāt—from fear
Ablative of bhaya. The 'great fear' (mahataḥ) protected against is, by long Gauḍīya tradition, the fear of repeated birth and death — saṁsāra-bhaya. Even a little of this dharma protects from the largest fear there is.
In this endeavor there is no loss or diminution, and a little advancement on this path can protect one from the most dangerous type of fear.
Purport
Activity in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, or acting for the benefit of Kṛṣṇa without expectation of sense gratification, is the highest transcendental quality of work. Even a small beginning of such activity finds no impediment, nor can that small beginning be lost at any stage. Any work begun on the material plane has to be completed, otherwise the whole attempt becomes a failure. But any work begun in Kṛṣṇa consciousness has a permanent effect, even though not finished. The performer of such work is therefore not at a loss even if his work in Kṛṣṇa consciousness is incomplete. One percent done in Kṛṣṇa consciousness bears permanent results, so that the next beginning is from the point of two percent, whereas in material activity without a hundred percent success there is no profit. Ajāmila performed his duty in some percentage of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, but the result he enjoyed at the end was a hundred percent, by the grace of the Lord. There is a nice verse in this connection in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (1.5.17) : tyaktvā sva-dharmaṁ caraṇāmbujaṁ harer bhajann apakvo ’tha patet tato yadi yatra kva vābhadram abhūd amuṣya kiṁ ko vārtha āpto ’bhajatāṁ sva-dharmataḥ “If someone gives up his occupational duties and works in Kṛṣṇa consciousness and then falls down on account of not completing his work, what loss is there on his part? And what can one gain if one performs his material activities perfectly?” Or, as the Christians say, “What profiteth a man if he gain the whole world yet suffer the loss of his eternal soul?” Material activities and their results end with the body. But work in Kṛṣṇa consciousness carries a person again to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, even after the loss of the body. At least one is sure to have a chance in the next life of being born again as a human being, either in the family of a great cultured brāhmaṇa or in a rich aristocratic family that will give one a further chance for elevation. That is the unique quality of work done in Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura
Gauḍīya
Translation
40. In this process, there is no loss by stopping without completion, and no sin incurred by doing so. One is delivered from birth and death even by practicing a little of this process.
Commentary
There are two types of yoga explained in this section of the chapter: activities of bhakti, including hearing chanting and other such activities; and prescribed duties offered to the Lord without personal desire (niṣkāma-karma-yoga), which is expressed later starting with the verse karmaṇy evādhikāras te (BG 2.47). Before that, however, bhakti is discussed. Because bhakti alone, and no other process, is beyond the three modes, a person transcends the modes only by performing bhakti-yoga. Thus the statement nistraiguṇyo bhava to Arjuna (BG 2.45) indicates that this section is about bhakti. The nirguṇa nature of bhakti is also well supported by the statements of the Eleventh Canto of Bhāgavatam. [Note: The twenty-fifth chapter of the Eleventh Canto explains in many verses how bhakti and things related to bhakti are beyond the guṇas. Many of these verses are quoted in Viśvanātha’s commentaries on verse 45 of this chapter and verse 28 of the eighteenth chapter.] Jṣāna and karma cannot be said to be nistraiguṇya because of the presence of sattva in jṣāna, and rajas in karma.
And the bhakti found in karma-yoga in the form of offering ones prescribed actions to the Lord is present there just makes karma lose its uselessness and bear material fruits. This process of karma-yoga does not have the designation of bhakti proper because predominance of bhakti is absent. If one considers karma offered to the Lord to be bhakti, then what would the designation karma refer to? If one says that it refers to prescribed karma not offered to the Lord, that cannot be, for Nārada says,
naiṣkarmyam apy acyuta-bhāva-varjitaṁ
na śobhate jṣānam alaṁ niraṣjanam
kutaḥ punaḥ śaśvad abhadram īśvare
na cārpitaṁ karma yad apy akāraṇam
Knowledge of self-realization, even though free from all material affinity, does not look well if devoid of a conception of the Infallible [God]. What, then, is the use of fruitive activities, which are naturally painful from the very beginning and transient by nature, if they are not utilized for the devotional service of the Lord? SB 1.5.12
This statement indicates that karma devoid of the Lord is completely useless.
Therefore, in this verse and in the verses till verse 45, bhakti, characterized only by hearing, chanting, and other devotional acts, practiced only to attain the sweetness of the Lord’s lotus feet, is being described. Niṣkāma-karma-yoga will also be described. Both of these are indicated by the word buddhi-yoga mentioned in verse 39. In the phrase dadāmi buddhi-yogam taṁ yena mām upayānti te (BG 10.10), the word buddhi-yoga indicates bhakti-yoga. In the phrase durena hy avaraṁ karma buddhi-yogād dhanaṣjaya (BG 2.49), the word buddhi-yoga indicates niṣkāma-karma-yoga.
Thus, this present verse is a glorification of the process of bhakti with hearing and chanting, which is beyond the modes of nature. In bhakti-yoga (iha) there is no destruction (nāśaḥ), and there is also no sin incurred (pratyavāya), if the practice has just begun (abhikrama) and then stopped. If karma-yoga, however, is begun and then stopped, there is both destruction of the fruits of karma-yoga and sinful reaction as well for the performer. [Note: The Mīmāṁsakas say that if the actions are not completed they bear no result. Further, sin is incurred by not completing the act.]
“But then, by non-performance of bhakti which he is supposed to do, the aspiring practitioner also should not get any results.”
“Whatever little bhakti was there by the initial practice (svalpam apy asya dharmasya), even that small amount, will certainly deliver him from the bondage of saṁsāra (mahato bhayat).”
This is understood from such verses as the following:
yan-nāma sakṛcchravaṇāt pukkaśo ’pi vimucyate saṁsārād
Merely by hearing the holy name of Your Lordship only once, even caṇḍālas men of the lowest class, are freed from all material contamination. SB 6.16.44
And it is also seen in the example of Ajāmila and others.
One can see that the following statement by the Lord has the same meaning:
hy aṅgopakrame dhvaṁso mad-dharmasyoddhavāṇv api
mayā vyavasitaḥ samyaṅ nirguṇatvād anāśiṣaḥ
My dear Uddhava, because I have personally established it, this process of devotional service unto Me is transcendental and free from any material motivation. Certainly a devotee never suffers even the slightest loss by adopting this process. SB 11.29.20
In the Bhāgavatam verse quoted above, Kṛṣṇa also shows the cause of indestructibility of bhakti. As it is beyond the guṇas, it never can be destroyed. The same reasoning should also be applied to the present Gītā verse. One cannot say however that niṣkāma-karma-yoga, even by being offered to the Lord, is beyond the modes of nature, for it is said:
mad-arpaṇaṁ niṣphalaṁ vā sattvicṁ nija-karma tat
Work performed as an offering to Me, without consideration of the fruit, is considered to be in the mode of goodness. SB 11.25.23
This verse indicates that niṣkāma-karma-yoga, even by the power of being offered to the Lord, is in the material mode of sattva (and therefore subject to destruction).
Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa
Gauḍīya
Translation
40. In this process, there is no loss by stopping without completion, and no sin incurred by imperfection in performance. One is protected from birth and death even by practicing a little of this process.
Commentary
The Lord praises this karma yoga, executed with the understanding that will be described. There is no destruction of the power to give results for one who begins (abhikrama) the practice of niskāma karma yoga (iha) described in previously quoted śruti tam etaṁ vedānuvacanena brāhmaṇā vividiṣanti yajṣena dānena tapasā nāśakena. This means that there is no lack of results even if the process is started but not completed. In this process, there are also no negative results (pratyavāyaḥ) for imperfection in chanting mantras or other components, because all negative effects are destroyed by the power of aiming for ātmā and by the name of bhagavān indicated in om tat sat.
Executing even a little of this dharma, niṣkāma karma yoga offered to the Lord, protects the practitioner (trayate) from saṁsāra (mahato bhayāt). The Lord will later say pārtha naiveha nāmutra: O son of Pṛthā, he does not meet destruction in this life or the next. One who has done the auspicious work of yoga does not meet an unfortunate end, O my son. (BG 6.40) Duties executed with desire (sakāma karma), executed to the conclusion with all ceremonies intact, yield results. If some of the elements such as the mantras are defective or absent, then contrary results appear (desired material results do not appear). But actions performed without desire (niṣkāma karma), to the best of ones ability (perhaps not completed, and with defective or missing elements), yield the result—in the form of steadiness in jṣāna. And because of having the goal of ātmā and utterance of the name of the Lord, no sin is incurred.
Bhūrijana Dāsa
Gauḍīya
Commentary
What is this endeavor? This is the spiritual path of yoga. And what is that greatest fear that this path saves one from? It protects one from taking a lower birth as an animal and then be entrapped in the wheel of "samsara" again.
"And there is no loss or diminution", that means that any advancement that one makes is eternal it is never lost, it becomes the property of the soul. And on the other hand, any material advancement one makes, must be lost as the body is lost. As the body is temporary, the material advancement is also temporary. Krsna is now encouraging Arjuna to listen carefully and hear this wonderfull knowledge of Buddhi‑yoga.
This next verse (41) it is very important specially for the devotees of ISKCON.
Study Notes — Gauranga Priya Dāsa
Gauranga Priya Dāsa
Study
Bhakti-śāstrī Notes, ISKCON Chowpatty (2009)
Theme
Characteristics of Buddhi-yoga
There is no loss or diminution in this endeavor
A little advancement on this path can protect one from the most dangerous type of fear
Focus of Learning
(a) “Highest Transcendental Quality of Work” – Activity in Krishna consciousness
For the benefit of Krishna
Without expectation of sense gratification
(b) “No loss or diminution on this path” – Buddhi-yoga has a permanent effect
Christian saying: “What profiteth a man if he gains the whole world, yet suffers the loss of his eternal soul?”
(c) Saves one from the greatest danger – “Gliding down to a lower species from human form of life”
Buddhi-yoga provides, at least, surety of human birth and higher elevation in next life
This is the “unique quality of work” in Krishna consciousness
(f) Krishna being accepted as spiritual master further enlightens Arjuna by telling him about
Buddhi-yoga (Karma-yoga)
Definition of Buddhi-yoga – This is the practice of devotional service only for the sense gratification of the Lord
Reference for Buddhi-yoga – This Buddhi-yoga is clearly explained in Bg. 10.10 as being ‘direct communion’ with the Lord, who is sitting as Paramatma in the heart
Such ‘communion’ does not take place without devotional service – therefore Lord says that only to those who are engaged in devotional service out of transcendental love, does He award the pure knowledge of devotion in love
(g) ‘Buddhi-yoga’ vs ‘Fruitive work’
Fruitive work is based
Works for fruitive results
Personal sense gratification is the criteria
Only interested in material happiness and family relations
Leads to further bondage
Buddhi-yoga is the transcendental quality of work that we perform; this fulfills the following criteria:
Works in ‘Krishna consciousness’ – Buddhi-yoga means to work in Krishna consciousness in ‘full bliss’ and ‘knowledge’
Lord’s satisfaction is the criteria – One who works for the Lord’s satisfaction only, however difficult such work maybe, he is working under the principles of yoga
All knowledge is revealed – By such transcendental engagement one achieves all transcendental understanding automatically by the grace of the Lord
Complete liberation is easily achieved – And thus his liberation is complete in itself without his making extraneous endeavors to acquire knowledge
Classical Ācāryas
Śrī Śaṅkarācārya
Classical
Translation
2.40 Moreover, iha, here, in the path to Liberation, viz the Yoga of Action (rites and duties); na, there is no; abhikrama-nasah, waste of an attempt, of a beginning, unlike as in agriculture etc. The meaning is that the result of any attempt in the case of Yoga is not uncertain. Besides, unlike as in medical care, na vidyate, nor is there, nor does there arises; any pratyavayah, harm. But, svalpam api, even a little; asya, of this; dharmasya, righteousness in the form of Yoga (of Action); when pracised, trayate, saves (one); mahato bhayat, from great fear, of mundance existence characterized by death, birth, etc.
Śrī Rāmānujācārya
Classical
Translation
2.40 Here, in Karma Yoga, there is no loss of 'Abhikrama' or of effort that has been put in; 'loss' means the loss of efficacy to bring about the fruits. In Karma Yoga if work is begun and left unfinished, and the continuity is broken in the middle, it does not remain fruitless, as in the case of works undertaken for their fruits. No evil result is acired if the continuity of work is broken. Even a little of this Dharma known as Karma Yoga or Niskama Karma (unselfish action without desire for any reward) gives protection from the great fear, i.e., the fear of transmigratory existence.
The same purport is explained later thus: 'Neither in this world nor the next, O Arjuna, there is annihilation for him' (6.40). But in works, Vedic and secular, when there is interruption in the middle, not only do they not yield fruits, but also there is accrual of evil.
Now, Sri Krsna distinguishes the Buddhi or mental disposition concerned with those acts which constitute a means for attaining release from those which are concerned with the acts meant for gaining the desired objects:
Śrī Abhinavagupta
Classical
Translation
2.40 Neha etc. Here in this determinate knowledge there arises no loss through transgression, an offence due to negligence; because negligence is [itself] absent there. And just as a burning oil in the boiler get cooled soon, due to a limited antity of sandal (put in it), in the same way due to this knowledge of Yoga-eventhough it is very little-the great danger in the form of the cycle of birth-and-death perishes completely.
And this knowledge is not introduced as a new thing. Then what ?
Swami Sivananda
Classical
Translation
2.40 In this there is no loss of effort, nor is there any harm (production of contrary results or transgression). Even a little of this knowledge (even a little practice of this Yoga) protects one from great fear.
Commentary
2.40 न not? इह in this? अभिक्रमनाशः loss of effort? अस्ति is? प्रत्यवायः production of contrary results? न not? विद्यते is? स्वल्पम् very little? अपि even? अस्य of this? धर्मस्य duty? त्रायते protects? महतः (from) great? भयात् fear.Commentary If a religious ceremony is left uncompleted? it is a wastage as the performer cannot realise the fruits. But it is not so in the case of Karma Yoga because every action causes immediate purification of the heart.In agriculture there is uncertainty. The farmer may till the land? plough and sow the seed but he may not get a crop if there is no rain. This is not so in Karma Yoga. There is no uncertainty at all. Further? there is no chance of any harm coming out of it. In the case of medical treatment great harm will result from the doctors injudicious treatment if he uses a wrong medicine. But it is not so in the case of Karma Yoga. Anything done? however little it may be? in this path of Yoga? the Yoga of action? saves one from great fear of being caught in the wheel of birth and death. Lord Krishna here extols Karma Yoga in order to create interest in Arjuna in this Yoga.
Swami Gambhīrānanda
Classical
Translation
2.40 Here there is no waste of an attempt; nor is there (any) harm. Even a little of this righteousness saves (one) from great fear.
Shri Purohit Swami
Classical
Translation
2.40 On this Path, endeavour is never wasted, nor can it ever be repressed. Even a very little of its practice protects one from great danger.
On this path no effort is lost, no obstacle hinders — even a little practice protects from great fear.
Practical Applications
Trust that even imperfect spiritual effort accrues; nothing is wasted.
When you feel your sādhana is small or interrupted, return to this verse for encouragement.
Begin again today after any lapse, knowing the previous effort still counts.
Reflection Questions
What 'small' practice have I been dismissing that may already be protecting me?
Where do I let perfectionism stop me from practicing at all?
Analogy
Other paths spent for nothing leave the traveler poorer; this path, even one step on it, is wealth never lost. A single coin saved in this bank is safe through any disaster of the larger market. There is no loss in this dharma, and no minus.
Stories
Ajāmila and the dying call
Ajāmila, fallen brāhmaṇa, lived a degraded life. At death he called out his son's name — Nārāyaṇa — with no devotional intent. The Viṣṇudūtas came; the Yamadūtas were repelled. The Bhāgavatam's sixth canto narrates the rescue.
The principle is exactly nehābhikrama-nāśo 'sti: a name uttered, even half-knowingly, did not perish but accumulated. Bhakti's smallest unit is preserved with interest. The verse's promise of trāyate mahato bhayāt — saved from great fear — is fulfilled in Ajāmila's reprieve from the Yamadūtas.
vyavasāya - ātmikā—resolute in Kṛṣṇa consciousnessbuddhiḥ—intelligenceekā—only oneiha—in this worldkuru - nandana—O beloved child of the Kurusbahu - śākhāḥ—having various brancheshi—indeedanantāḥ—unlimitedca—alsobuddhayaḥ—intelligenceavyavasāyinām—of those who are not in Kṛṣṇa consciousness .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
vyavasāyātmikā buddhir
vyavasāya - ātmikā
resolute in Kṛṣṇa consciousness
buddhiḥ
intelligence
ekeha kuru-nandana
ekā
only one
iha
in this world
kuru - nandana
O beloved child of the Kurus
bahu-śākhā hy anantāś ca
bahu - śākhāḥ
having various branches
hi
indeed
anantāḥ
unlimited
ca
also
buddhayo ’vyavasāyinām
buddhayaḥ
intelligence
avyavasāyinām
of those who are not in Kṛṣṇa consciousness .
Important Words
vyavasāya - ātmikā—resolute, one-pointed
Compound — *whose essence is resolution*. Vyavasāya is firm resolve. The buddhi shaped wholly by such resolve is the qualified instrument for yoga. The Gītā's first technical name for the practitioner's intelligence.
ekā—single
Feminine of eka. *One*. The buddhi is one-pointed. The verse names the structure of the discriminating intelligence: it has one aim.
bahu - śākhāḥ—many-branched
Compound — *with many branches*. The unresolved mind sprouts in every direction. The image is a tree of distraction, each branch a competing project.
anantāḥ—endless
Plural. The branches are not just many; they are *endless*. Once the buddhi begins to fork, it forks without limit. The verse warns: there is no rest in that mode.
avyavasāyinām—of the irresolute
Genitive plural. Their *intelligences* — note the plural — are described as forking. The Gauḍīya commentators read this as the karma-kāṇḍī's mind: pursuing many heavens, many rewards, never one Lord.
Those who are on this path are resolute in purpose, and their aim is one. O beloved child of the Kurus, the intelligence of those who are irresolute is many-branched.
Purport
A strong faith that by Kṛṣṇa consciousness one will be elevated to the highest perfection of life is called vyavasāyātmikā intelligence. The Caitanya-caritāmṛta ( Madhya 22.62) states: ‘śraddhā’-śabde – viśvāsa kahe sudṛḍha niścaya kṛṣṇe bhakti kaile sarva-karma kṛta haya Faith means unflinching trust in something sublime. When one is engaged in the duties of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, he need not act in relationship to the material world with obligations to family traditions, humanity or nationality. Fruitive activities are the engagements of one’s reactions from past good or bad deeds. When one is awake in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, he need no longer endeavor for good results in his activities. When one is situated in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, all activities are on the absolute plane, for they are no longer subject to dualities like good and bad. The highest perfection of Kṛṣṇa consciousness is renunciation of the material conception of life. This state is automatically achieved by progressive Kṛṣṇa consciousness. The resolute purpose of a person in Kṛṣṇa consciousness is based on knowledge. Vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti sa mahātmā su-durlabhaḥ: a person in Kṛṣṇa consciousness is the rare good soul who knows perfectly that Vāsudeva, or Kṛṣṇa, is the root of all manifested causes. As by watering the root of a tree one automatically distributes water to the leaves and branches, so by acting in Kṛṣṇa consciousness one can render the highest service to everyone – namely self, family, society, country, humanity, etc. If Kṛṣṇa is satisfied by one’s actions, then everyone will be satisfied. Service in Kṛṣṇa consciousness is, however, best practiced under the able guidance of a spiritual master who is a bona fide representative of Kṛṣṇa, who knows the nature of the student and who can guide him to act in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. As such, to be well versed in Kṛṣṇa consciousness one has to act firmly and obey the representative of Kṛṣṇa, and one should accept the instruction of the bona fide spiritual master as one’s mission in life. Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura instructs us, in his famous prayers for the spiritual master, as follows: yasya prasādād bhagavat-prasādo yasyāprasādān na gatiḥ kuto ’pi dhyāyan stuvaṁs tasya yaśas tri-sandhyaṁ vande guroḥ śrī-caraṇāravindam “By satisfaction of the spiritual master, the Supreme Personality of Godhead becomes satisfied. And by not satisfying the spiritual master, there is no chance of being promoted to the plane of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. I should, therefore, meditate and pray for his mercy three times a day, and offer my respectful obeisances unto him, my spiritual master.” The whole process, however, depends on perfect knowledge of the soul beyond the conception of the body – not theoretically but practically, when there is no longer a chance for sense gratification manifested in fruitive activities. One who is not firmly fixed in mind is diverted by various types of fruitive acts.
— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura
Gauḍīya
Translation
41. Resolute intelligence is only one in this process, O son of the Kurus. The intelligence of those who are irresolute has many branches of action and unlimited desires.
42. The unintelligent people, absorbed in discussing the Vedas, who propound the theory that matter is everything, attractively speak flowery words.
43. Filled with desire, anxious for heaven, they speak many words concerning rituals for attaining power and enjoyment, words for giving the fruits of their action in the form of higher birth.
Commentary
Moreover among all types of intelligence, that intelligence concentrated on bhakti-yoga is the best. Resolute intelligence fixed in bhakti-yoga is only one. The meaning of this is illustrated as follows.
“My sādhana is to serve the lotus feet of the Lord, to remember and glorify Him as instructed by my guru. That is also my goal (sādhya). It is my life sustaining medicine, for I cannot give up the sādhana and the sādhya. This is my most desirable object, my duty, and nothing else is my duty; nothing else is desired, even in dreams. There may be happiness or sorrow. Saṁsāra may be destroyed, or may not be destroyed. That is no loss for me. Let there only be resolute intelligence fixed in pure bhakti.”
It is said:
tato bhajeta māṁ bhaktyā śraddhālur dṛḍha-niścayaḥ
My devotee should remain happy and worship Me with great faith and conviction. SB 11.20.28
The intelligence of others however is not ekā. Those intellects have many branches, and thus the intellects are unlimited (anantāḥ) rather than one, because of the unlimited desires to fulfill in karma-yoga. For instance, in jṣāna-yoga, in order to purify the mind, one must first fix the intelligence on niṣkāma-karma. When the mind is purified, the intelligence then concentrates on giving up action (karma-sannyāsa). Next, the intelligence concentrates on jṣāna, knowledge. But the intelligence at that time must also concentrate on bhakti so that jṣāna does not become devoid of results. The intelligence then concentrates on giving up jṣāna, as the Lord says, jṣānaṁ ca mayi sannyaset one should surrender such knowledge in order to attain me. (SB 11.19.1) Thus the intelligences or minds, concentrating on different objects, are said to be infinite or many. And the types of differing sādhanas are also many, since karma, jṣāna and bhakti must all be performed.
This verse speaks of the persons with wavering intelligence, involved in sakāma-karma, who are very dull witted. They speak excellently (pra vadanti) [Note: Pra here stands for prakṛṣṭa, which means “attractively.”] pleasant words of the Vedas which are like a poisonous but attractive flowering plant. Since their consciousness has been deluded by those words, they are not endowed with fixed intelligence, (tayā apahṛta cetasām vyavasāyātmikā buddhiḥ samādhau na vidhīyate). The sentence is completed in verse 44. Because of the impossibility for them to accept, that fixed intelligence is not taught to them. Why do they speak in this way? They speak in this way because they are fools (avipaścitāh), because they interpret the words of the Vedas (veda-vāda-ratāḥ) such as the following:
akṣayyaṁ ha vai cāturmāsya-yājinaḥ sukṛtaṁ bhavati
One who has worshiped by means of the vows of cāturmāsya attains pious credits which never become depleted. Āpastamba Śrauta Sūtra, Kṛṣṇa Yajur Veda 8.1.1
apāma somam amṛtā abhūma
We drank soma and became immortal. Ṛg Veda 8.48.3
They say that there is no God other than this (na anyat asti).
43.
What type of words do they speak? They speak words about various rites giving many results [Note: He analyzes the word bahula as “giving much” from the root lā, meaning “to give” combined with bahu, many.] for attaining power and enjoyment, words which give good karma in terms of birth.
Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa
Gauḍīya
Translation
41. Resolute intelligence is only one in this process, O son of the Kurus. The intelligence of those who are irresolute has many branches of action and unlimited desires.
42. The unintelligent people, absorbed in the praises of svarga offered in the Vedas, who propound that there is nothing higher that svarga, attractively speak those superficially attractive words.
43. Filled with desire, thinking heaven as ultimate, the unintelligent speak many words concerning attainment of power and enjoyment, which gives fruits to their action, actions in varṇāśrama and high birth.
Commentary
In this verse the Lord distinguishes the intelligence directed towards niṣkāma karma from the intelligence directed towards kāmya karma.
O son of the Kurus, among all these actions authorized by the Vedas (iha), the consciousness purified by niṣkāma karma as a form of worship of the Lord, the intelligence firmly ascertaining (vyavasāyaṭmikā buddhiḥ) that one will realize the true nature of ātmā through the jṣāna contained within niṣkāma karma, like lotus arising from the root—that intelligence has only one object (ekā), in the sense that it is fixed only on carrying out all those actions for realization of ātmā.
The intellects of those who undertake kāmya karmas (avyavasāyinām) however have infinite objects (anantāḥ), having desires for unlimited objects such as sons, food, animals or svarga. And all of these goals have many branches (bahu sākhāḥ). Though a single goal may be prescribed in the scriptures for rituals like the full moon sacrifice, the scriptures also speak of many desires for intermediate fruits such as progeny and long life. In performing kāmya karma there is no regard for knowledge of ātmā different from the body, for it is impossible to have such conviction in the ātmā for one engaged in kāmya karma.
Bg 2.42, Bg 2.43, Bg 2.42-43
YaaiMaMaa& PauiZPaTaa& vac& Pa[vdNTYaivPaiêTa" )
vedvadrTaa" PaaQaR NaaNYadSTaqiTa vaidNa" )) 42 ))
k-aMaaTMaaNa" SvGaRPara JaNMak-MaRf-l/Pa[daMa( )
i§-YaaivXaezbhul/a& >aaeGaEṅYaRGaiTa& Pa[iTa )) 43 ))
yām imāṁ puṣpitāṁ vācaṁ
pravadanty avipaścitaḥ
veda-vāda-ratāḥ pārtha
nānyad astīti vādinaḥ
kāmātmānaḥ svarga-parā
janma-karma-phala-pradām
kriyā-viśeṣa-bahulāṁ
bhogaiśvarya-gatiṁ prati
yām imām—all these; puṣpitām—flowery; vācam—words; pravadanti—say; avipaścitaḥ—men with a poor fund of knowledge; veda-vāda-ratāḥ—supposed followers of the Vedas; pārtha—O son of Pṛthā; na—never; anyat—anything else; asti—there is; iti—thus; vādinaḥ—the advocates; kāma-ātmānaḥ—desirous of sense gratification; svarga—parāḥ—aiming to achieve heavenly planets; janma-karma-phala-pradām—resulting in good birth and other fruitive reactions; kriyā-viśeṣa—pompous ceremonies; bahulām—various; bhoga—in sense enjoyment; aiśvarya—and opulence; gatim—progress; prati—towards.
“But these persons should also develop fixed intelligence because the śrutis deal with both subjects equally.”
“No, this fixed intelligence will not arise, because they have faults in the heart.” This is explained in three verses.
Those with little knowledge (avipaścitaḥ) speak words (imām vacām) such as jyotiṣṭomena svargakāmo yajeta: a person desiring svarga should perform the jyotiṣṭoma sacrifice. (Apastambha Śrauta Sūtra, Black Yajur veda, 10.2.1) They think that these are the best words in the Vedas. Fixed intelligence does not arise in the minds of those people whose consciousness is stolen by these words. The thought is completed in verse 44.
What type of words are these? The words are like flowering creepers which are full of poison, appearing attractive, but with no beneficial purpose. Then why do they say these words? They are absorbed in the exaggerated praises offered in the Vedas, because they think that those statements must be true, being part of the Veda. Examples are as follows:
apāma somam amṛtā abhūma
We drank soma and became immortal. Rig Veda 8.48.3
akṣayyaṁ ha vai cāturmāsya-yājinaḥ sukṛtaṁ bhavati
One who has worshiped by means of the vows of cāturmāsya attains pious credits which never become depleted. Apastambha Śrauta Sūtra, Black Yajur Veda 8.1.1
They say that there is no supreme, eternal happiness in the form of liberation attained through spiritual knowledge of jīva and God; nothing other than reaching svarga through kāmya karma exists (na anyad asti). They speak in this way because they reason that the statements of Vedānta, which proposes liberation, are secondary because they do not proclaim the devatās, the performer and the various stages of action. [Note: The karma mīmāmsakas argue that action is superior to knowledge. The Vedas mainly give injunctions or vidhi for action.]
43.
This verse speaks of the faulty consciousness. Their hearts are possessed by desires for material happiness (kāmātmānaḥ). If that is the case, they have no desire for liberation at all. Rather they consider svarga alone, with availability of nectar and beautiful women, to be the best goal (svarga parā). Being so afflicted by desires, nothing else occurs in their minds. They speak (pravadanti of the previous verse) words in which the rituals like jyotiṣṭoma sacrifices (kriyā viśeṣa) are many (bahulām) directed towards the attainment (gatim) of enjoyment (bhoga), such as beautiful women and drinking nectar, and lordship (āiṣvarya) over the devatās. They speak words which continually (promise to) bestow (pradām) birth with appropriate body and senses (janma), which enables them to perform actions prescribed by varṇa and āśrama (karma), and attain fruits such as temporary food, animals and svarga (phalam). The phrases in this verse modify vācam in the previous verse.
Bhūrijana Dāsa
Gauḍīya
Commentary
"Ekeha", become "one", his intelligence is fixed, he is fixed in Krsna consciousness.
Why is this verse very dear to all the devotees in ISKCON?
The reason is, Srila Prabhupada explains that when he was reading this verse, way back on the 1950's, way before he left for USA, to begin this Krsna consciousness movement, and he was reading the commentary of Viswanatha C. Thakura on this verse, and this commentary struck him because it explains how important it is to have that "fixness" on the order of ons's spiritual master. And when Srila Prabhupada read that commentary he remembered the order that his spiritual master, Srila Bhaktisidhanta Sarasvati Thakura gave him, to preach Krsna consciousness in the english‑speaking countries in the West and that strucked him.
Next are some excerpts, translated in english, from the original commentary of Srila Viswanatha C. Thakura:
"The best kind of intelligence I can have, is intelligence used in the service of Krsna. That intelligence is defined as "fixed" when it is intent upon my spiritual master's instructions such as chanting the Name of Krsna, remember his activities, and performing service to His lotus feet instructions are my sadhana and my life both in the beginning stages of bhakti as well in bhakti's perfectional stage. I desire only to follow his instructions, I accept nothing el my life's work even in dreams. Whether I am happy or distressed, whether the material world remains or is destroyed, I d care. There is no loss for me. I simply must carry the orders of my spiritual master. Fixness upon his order is determined intelligence and devotional service and only by being fixed on his orders can such determined intelligence prosper."
[ 2 ‑ Arjuna should rise above the "good and bad" of the Vedic formulas by knowing that the purpose of the Vedas is to serve Krsna. (42‑46 , 52‑53) ]
Study Notes — Gauranga Priya Dāsa
Gauranga Priya Dāsa
Study
Bhakti-śāstrī Notes, ISKCON Chowpatty (2009)
Theme
Vyavasāyātmikā buddhiù, one-pointed intelligence, is required for success. Śrīla Prabhupāda once
told his disciples that in the 1950s, before he spread Kṛṣṇa consciousness throughout the world, he
read the commentary on this verse written by Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura. He said he was
struck by the commentary, which further fixed him in his resolve to follow Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta
Sarasvatī Ṭhākura’s order to preach Kṛṣṇa consciousness in English.
Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura writes:
Of all kinds of intelligence, the best is intelligence focused on bhakti-yoga. In bhakti-yoga, one’s in-
telligence becomes single- pointed, or fixed in determination. One thinks, “The instructions of my
spiritual master to worship the Personality of Godhead by chanting, remembering, serving His feet
and so on are my only sādhana, my only sādhya, my only livelihood. I am incapable of giving up
these instructions either in the stage of practice or in the stage of perfection. They alone are my
object of desire and my only responsibility. Besides them I can desire no other responsibility, not
even in my dreams. It is all the same to me whether I feel happy or unhappy, or whether my mate-
rial existence is eradicated or not.”
Classical Ācāryas
Śrī Śaṅkarācārya
Classical
Translation
2.41 Kuru-nandana, O scion of the Kuru dynasty; iha, is this path to Liberation; there is only eka, a single; vyavasayatmika, one-pointed; buddhih, conviction, which has been spoken of in the Yoga of Knowledge and which has the characteristics going to be spoken of in (Karma-) yoga. It is resolute by nature and annuls the numerous branches of the other opposite thoughts, since it originates from the right source of knowledge. [The right source of knowledge, viz the Vedic texts, which are above criticism.] Those again, which are the other buddhayah, thoughts; they are bahu-sakhah, possessed of numerous branches, i.e. possessed of numerous variations. Owing to the influence of their many branches the worldly state becomes endless, limitless, unceasing, ever-growing and extensive. [Endless, because it does not cease till the rixe of full enlightenment; limitless, because the worldly state, which is an effect, springs from an unreal source.] But even the worldly state ceases with the cessation of the infinite branches of thoughts, under the influence of discriminating wisdom arising from the valid source of knowledge. (And those thoughts are) hi, indeed; anantah, innumerable under every branch. Whose thoughts? Avyavasayinam, of the irresolute ones, i.e. of those who are devoid of discriminating wisdom arising from the right source of knowledg.
Śrī Rāmānujācārya
Classical
Translation
2.41 Here, i.e., in every ritual sanctioned by the scriptures, the Buddhi or disposition of mind marked by resolution, is single. The Buddhi marked by resolution is the Buddhi concerned with acts which must be performed by one desirous of release (and not any kind of work). The term 'Vyavasaya' menas unshakable conviction: this Buddhi (disposition of mind) comes out of prior determination about the true nature of the self. But the Buddhi concerning the performance of rituals of fulfill certain desires, is marked by irresolution; because here only this much knowledge of the self is sufficient - 'the self (as an entity) exists differently from the body.' Such a general understanding is sufficient to alify for performing acts giving fulfilment of certain desires. It does not reire any definite knowledge about the true nature of the self. For, even if there is no such knowledge, desires for heaven etc., can arise, the means for their attainment can be adopted, and the experience of those fruits can take place. For this reason there is no contradiction in the teaching of the scriptures. [The contradiction negated here is how can the same scriptural acts produce different results - fulfilment of desires and liberation. The difference in the disposition of the mind accouts of it.]
The Buddhi (mental disposition) marked by resolution has a single aim, because it relates to the attainment of a single fruit. For, as far as one desiring release is concerned, all acts are enjoined only for the accomplishment of that single fruit. Therefore, since the purpose of the scriptures here is one only (i.e., liberation), the Buddhi regarding all rituals taught in the scriptures too is only one, as far as liberation-seekers are concerned. For example, the set of six sacrifices, beginning with Agneya with all their subsidiary processes (though enjoined in different passages) forms the subject of a single injunction, as they are all for the attainment of a single fruit. Conseently the Buddhi concerning these is one only. The meaning of the verse under discussion must be construed in the same manner. But the Buddhi of the irresolute ones who are engaged in rituals for winning such fruits as heaven, sons, cattle, food etc., are endless, frutis being endless. In rituals like Darsapurnamasa (new moon and full moon sacrifice), even though attainment of a single fruit (heaven) is enjoined, there accrues to these the character of having many branches on account of the mention of many secondary fruits as evidenced by such passages as, 'He desires a long life.' Therefore the Buddhi of irresolute ones has many branches and are endless.
The purport is: In performing obligatory and occasional rituals, all fruits, primary and secondary, promised in the scriptures, should be abandoned, with the idea that release or salvation is the only purpose of all scripture-ordained rituals. These rituals should be performed without any thought of selfish gains. In addition, acts motivated by desires (Kamya-karmas) also should be performed according to one's own capacity, after abandoning all desire for fruits and with the conviction that they also, when performed in that way, form the means for attainment of release. They should be looked upon as eal to obligatory and occasional rites suited to one's own station and stage in life.
Sri Krsna condemns those who perform acts for the attainment of objects of desire:
Śrī Abhinavagupta
Classical
Translation
2.41 Vyavasayatmika etc. The knowledge in the form of determination is just one and natural in the case of everyone; but it suffers manifoldedness according to the objects to be determined.
Therefore -
Swami Sivananda
Classical
Translation
2.41 Here, O joy of the Kurus, there is but a single one-pointed determination; many-branched and endless are the thoughts of the irresolute.
Commentary
2.41 व्यवसायात्मिका onepointed? बुद्धिः determination? एका single? इह here? कुरुनन्दन O joy of the Kurus? बहुशाखाः manybranched? हि indeed? अनन्ताः endless? च and? बुद्धयः thoughts? अव्यवसायिनाम् of the irresoulte.Commentary Here? in this path to Bliss there is only one thought of a resolute nature there is singleminded determination. This single thought arises from the right source of knowledge. The student of Yoga collects all the dissipated rays of the mind. He gathers all of them through discrimination? dispassion and concentration. He is free from wavering or vacillation of the mind.The worldlyminded man who is suck in the mire of Samsara has no singleminded determination. He entertains countless thoughts. His mind is always unsteady and vacillating.If thoughts cease? Samsara also ceases. Mind generates endless thoughts and this world comes into being. Thoughts? and names and forms are inseparable. If the thoughts are controlled? the mind is controlled and the Yogi is liberated.
Swami Gambhīrānanda
Classical
Translation
2.41 O scion of the Kuru dynasty, in this there is a single, one-pointed conviction. The thoughts of the irresolute ones have many branches indeed, and are innumerable.
Shri Purohit Swami
Classical
Translation
2.41 By its means, the straying intellect becomes steadied in the contemplation of one object only; whereas the minds of the irresolute stray into bypaths innumerable.
Resolute intelligence is one-pointed; the irresolute scatter their intelligence in many directions and accomplish nothing.
Practical Applications
Pick one spiritual aim and pursue it without diluting it with simultaneous worldly ambitions.
When you feel scattered, name your single highest aim and let other goals serve it.
Refuse the modern habit of treating spirituality as one optional pursuit among many.
Reflection Questions
What is the one resolute aim of my life — am I living as if I have one?
Where am I 'many-branched' (bahu-śākhā) when I should be unified?
Analogy
An arrow flies straight only when one string and one target hold the archer's mind; if many strings and many targets enter the eye at once, the arrow finds none. The vyavasāyātmikā buddhi is single-stringed; the avyavasāyī's intelligence forks into a thousand small ambitions, none reaching home.
yām imām—all thesepuṣpitām—floweryvācam—wordspravadanti—sayavipaścitaḥ—men with a poor fund of knowledgeveda - vāda - ratāḥ—supposed followers of the Vedaspārtha—O son of Pṛthāna—neveranyat—anything elseasti—there isiti—thusvādinaḥ—the advocateskāma - ātmānaḥ—desirous of sense gratificationsvarga - parāḥ—aiming to achieve heavenly planetsjanma - karma - phala - pradām—resulting in good birth and other fruitive reactionskriyā - viśeṣa—pompous ceremoniesbahulām—variousbhoga—in sense enjoymentaiśvarya—and opulencegatim—progressprati—towards .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
yām imāṁ puṣpitāṁ vācaṁ
yām imām
all these
puṣpitām
flowery
vācam
words
pravadanty avipaścitaḥ
pravadanti
say
avipaścitaḥ
men with a poor fund of knowledge
veda-vāda-ratāḥ pārtha
veda - vāda - ratāḥ
supposed followers of the Vedas
pārtha
O son of Pṛthā
nānyad astīti vādinaḥ
na
never
anyat
anything else
asti
there is
iti
thus
vādinaḥ
the advocates
kāmātmānaḥ svarga-parā
kāma - ātmānaḥ
desirous of sense gratification
svarga - parāḥ
aiming to achieve heavenly planets
janma-karma-phala-pradām
janma - karma - phala - pradām
resulting in good birth and other fruitive reactions
kriyā-viśeṣa-bahulāṁ
kriyā - viśeṣa
pompous ceremonies
bahulām
various
bhogaiśvarya-gatiṁ prati
bhoga
in sense enjoyment
aiśvarya
and opulence
gatim
progress
prati
towards .
Important Words
puṣpitām—flowery
Past participle of √puṣp — to bloom. The Vedas' karma-kāṇḍa portions are *in bloom* — fragrant with promises of heaven, sons, wealth. The blossoms are real; mistaking them for the whole tree is the error.
avipaścitaḥ—those of little knowledge
A + vipaścit — un-discriminating, dull-witted. The technical insult: not 'wicked' but 'shallow'. They quote scripture without seeing what scripture is for.
veda - vāda - ratāḥ—delighting in the words of the Vedas
Compound — *attached to the Veda-words*. Not 'attached to the Vedas' but to the *words* — the verbal surface, the ritual injunctions, the promises of reward. Letter without spirit.
kāma - ātmānaḥ—whose very selves are desire
Compound — *kāma-souled*. Their innermost self has become kāma. Identity has collapsed into appetite. The diagnosis is precise and severe.
bhoga - aiśvarya - gatim—leading to enjoyment and opulence
Compound — *whose destination is enjoyment and lordship*. The result aimed at is named without disguise. There is no higher horizon in this mode of religion.
Men of small knowledge are very much attached to the flowery words of the Vedas, which recommend various fruitive activities for elevation to heavenly planets, resultant good birth, power, and so forth. Being desirous of sense gratification and opulent life, they say that there is nothing more than this.
Purport
People in general are not very intelligent, and due to their ignorance they are most attached to the fruitive activities recommended in the karma-kāṇḍa portions of the Vedas. They do not want anything more than sense gratificatory proposals for enjoying life in heaven, where wine and women are available and material opulence is very common. In the Vedas many sacrifices are recommended for elevation to the heavenly planets, especially the Jyotiṣṭoma sacrifices. In fact, it is stated that anyone desiring elevation to heavenly planets must perform these sacrifices, and men with a poor fund of knowledge think that this is the whole purpose of Vedic wisdom. It is very difficult for such inexperienced persons to be situated in the determined action of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. As fools are attached to the flowers of poisonous trees without knowing the results of such attractions, unenlightened men are similarly attracted by such heavenly opulence and the sense enjoyment thereof. In the karma-kāṇḍa section of the Vedas it is said, apāma somam amṛtā abhūma and akṣayyaṁ ha vai cāturmāsya-yājinaḥ sukṛtaṁ bhavati. In other words, those who perform the four-month penances become eligible to drink the soma-rasa beverages to become immortal and happy forever. Even on this earth some are very eager to have soma-rasa to become strong and fit to enjoy sense gratifications. Such persons have no faith in liberation from material bondage, and they are very much attached to the pompous ceremonies of Vedic sacrifices. They are generally sensual, and they do not want anything other than the heavenly pleasures of life. It is understood that there are gardens called Nandana-kānana in which there is good opportunity for association with angelic, beautiful women and having a profuse supply of soma-rasa wine. Such bodily happiness is certainly sensual; therefore there are those who are purely attached to such material, temporary happiness, as lords of the material world.
— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Bhūrijana Dāsa
Gauḍīya
Commentary
This was discussed on the Karma‑kanda Section previously.
Here the Vedas are mentioned for the first time.
Now Krsna is going to speak against this "Karma‑kanda" mentality of using the Vedas simply for fruitive purposes.
There are 100,000 lacks of verses in Vedic literature and out of these, 96,000 lacks refer to Karma‑kanda or fruitive activities. 4000 lacks are the Upanisads, or Jnana‑kanda pushes one towards transcendental knowledge. So 96% of the Vedas deal with Karma‑kanda and there is a reason for that.
Study Notes — Gauranga Priya Dāsa
Gauranga Priya Dāsa
StudyKey verse
Bhakti-śāstrī Notes, ISKCON Chowpatty (2009)
Theme
COMMON THEME: Buddhi-yoga vs Karma-kanda
PURPOSE OF COMPARISION: To sharpen Arjuna’s intelligence and avoid his attempt to renounce 1. Karma-kanda mentality is condemned as less intelligent path and is compared to “fools getting attached to the poisonous flowers of a tree” (2.42 – 2.43) 2. Material opulence and sense gratification are the two obstacles to Krishna consciousness (2.44) 3. Buddhi-yoga is transcendental to Vedic Karma-kanda rituals (2.45 – 2.46) 4. Sankirtana-yajna or Krishna consciousness fulfills the purpose of the Vedas
Focus of Learning
(a) Definitions of Faith
Strong faith that Krishna consciousness will elevate one to highest perfection of life – This is called as “Vyavasayatmika Intelligence” – Ref. CC: “Sraddha Sabde...”(study purport)
Faith means ‘unflinching trust in something sublime’
(b) Elaborations on ‘Firm faith’ – It implies that one engaged in Krishna consciousness has:
No obligations in material world
No longer endeavors for fruitive activities
Krishna conscious activities on absolute plane – no longer subject to dualities of good/bad
(c) In conclusion firm faith implies:
“Renunciation of material concept of life” – As highest perfection of Krishna consciousness
How to achieve such renunciation – Automatically by progressive Krishna consciousness
(d) Foundation of “Resolute Determination”
Knowledge of soul – Whole process ultimately depends on – perfect knowledge of soul beyond conception of body, not only theoretically but practically, with no chance of sense gratification manifested in fruitive activities
Knowledge of Vasudeva as the cause of all causes and as all in all (Ref. Bg. 7.19 – “bahunam janamanam...”)
Analogy: Watering the root satisfies all the parts
(e) Best practice of service to Krishna – Service to Guru (Supporting Ref. “yasya prasada…”) because:
He knows the nature of student
Can guide how to act in Krishna consciousness
One should act firmly and take instructions as mission in life
Classical Ācāryas
Śrī Śaṅkarācārya
Classical
Translation
2.42 Partha, O son of Prtha; those devoid of one-pointed conviction, who pravadanti, utter; imam, this; yam puspitam vacam, flowery talk, which is going to be stated, which is beautiful like a tree in bloom, pleasant to hear, and appears to be (meaningful) sentences [Sentences that can be called really meaningful are only those that reveal the self.-Tr.]; who are they? they are avipascitah, people who are undiscerning, of poor intellect, i.e. non-discriminating; veda-vada-ratah, who remain engrossed in the utterances of the Vedas, in the Vedic sentences which reveal many panegyrics, fruits of action and their means; and vadinah, who declare, are apt tosay; iti, that; na anyat, nothing else [God, Liberation, etc.]; asti, exists, apart from the rites and duties conducive to such results as attainment of heaven etc.
And they are kamatmanah, have their minds full of desires, i.e. they are swayed by desires, they are, by nature, full of desires; (and) svarga-parah, have heaven as the goal. Those who accept heaven (svarga) as the supreme (para) human goal, to whom heaven is the highest, are svarga-parah. They utter that speech ( this is supplied to construct the sentence ) which janma-karma-phala-pradam, promises birth as a result of rites and duties. The result (phala) of rites and duties (karma) is karma-phala. Birth (janma) itself is the karma-phala. That (speech) which promises this is janma-karma-phala-prada. (This speech) is kriya-visesa-bahulam, full of various special rites; bhoga-aisvarya-gatim-prati, for the attainment of enjoyment and affluence. Special (visesa) rites (kriya) are kriya-visesah. The speech that is full (bahula) of these, the speech by which that is full (bahula) of these, the speech by which these, viz objects such as heaven, animals and sons, are revealed plentifully, is kriya-visesa-bahula. Bhoga, enjoyment, and aisvarya, affluence, are bhoga-aisvarya. Their attainment (gatih) is bhoga-aisvarya-gatih. (They utter a speech) that is full of the specialized rites, prati, meant for that (attainment). The fools who utter that speech move in the cycle of transmigration. This is the idea.
Śrī Rāmānujācārya
Classical
Translation
2.42 - 2.44 The ignorant, whose knowledge is little, and who have as their sole aim the attainment of enjoyment and power, speak the flowery language i.e., having its flowers (show) only as fruits, which look apparently beautiful at first sight. They rejoice in the letter of the Vedas i.e., they are attached to heaven and such other results (promised in the Karma-kanda of the Vedas). They say that there is nothing else, owing to their intense attachment to these results. They say that there is no fruit superior to heaven etc. They are full of worldly desires and their minds are highly attached to secular desires. They hanker for heaven, i.e. think of the enjoyment of the felicities of heaven, after which one can again have rirth which offers again the opportunity to perform varied rites devoid of true knowledge and leads towards the attainment of enjoyments and power once again.
With regard to those who cling to pleasure and power and whose understanding is contaminated by that flowery speech relating to pleasure and lordly powers, the aforesaid mental disposition characterised by resolution, will not arise in their Samadhi. Samadhi here means the mind. The knowledge of the self will not arise in such minds. In the minds of these persons, there cannot arise the mental disposition that looks on all Vedic rituals as means for liberation based on the determined conviction about the real form of the self. Hence, in an aspirant for liberation, there should be no attachment to rituals out of the conviction that they are meant for the acisition of objects of desire only.
It may be estioned why the Vedas, which have more of love for Jivas than thousands of parents, and which are endeavouring to save the Jivas, should prescribe in this way rites whose fruits are infinitesimal and which produce only new births. It can also be asked if it is proper to abandon what is given in the Vedas. Sri Krsna replies to these estions.
Śrī Abhinavagupta
Classical
Translation
2.42 See Comment under 2.44
Swami Sivananda
Classical
Translation
2.42 Flowery speech is uttered by the unwise, taking pleasure in the eulogising words of the Vedas, O Arjuna, saying, "There is nothing else."
Commentary
2.42 याम which? इमाम् this? पुष्पिताम् flowery? वाचम् speech? प्रवदन्ति utter? अविपश्चितः the unwise? वेदवादरताः takign pleasure in the eulogising words of the Vedas? पार्थ O Partha? न not? अन्यत् other? अस्ति is? इति thus? वादिनः saying.Commentary Unwise people who are lacking in discrimination lay great stress upon the Karma Kanda or the ritualistic portion of the Vedas? which lays down specific rules for specific actions for,the attainment of specific fruits and ectol these actions and rewards unduly. They are highly enamoured of such Vedic passages which prescribe ways for the attainment of heavenly enjoyments. They say that there is nothing else beyond the sensual enjoyments in Svarga (heaven) which can be obtained by performing the rites of the Karma Kanda of the Vedas.There are two main divisions of the Vedas -- Karma Kanda (the section dealing with action) and Jnana Kanda (the section dealing with knowledge). The Karma Kanda comprises the Brahmanas and the Samhitas. This is the authority for the Purvamimamsa school founded by Jaimini. The followers of this school deal with rituals and prescribe many of them for attaining enjoyments and power here and happiness in heaven. They regard this as the ultimate object of human existence. Ordinary people are attracted by their panegyrics. The Jnana Kanda comprises the Aranyakas and the Upanishads which deal with the nature of Brahman or the Supreme Self.Life in heaven is also transitory. After the fruits of the good actions are exhausted? one has to come back to this earthplane. Liberatio or Moksha can only be attained by knowledge of the Self but not by performing a thousand and one sacrifices.Lord Krishna assigns a comparatively inferior position to the doctrine of the Mimamsakas of performing Vedic sacrifices for obtaining heaven? power and lordship in this world as they cannot give us final liberation.
Swami Gambhīrānanda
Classical
Translation
2.42-2.43 O son of Prtha, those undiscerning people who utter this flowery talk which promises birth as a result of rites and duties, and is full of various special rites meant for the attainment of enjoyment and affluence , they remain engrossed in the utterances of the Vedas and declare that nothing else exists; their minds are full of desires and they have heaven as the goal.
Shri Purohit Swami
Classical
Translation
2.42 Only the ignorant speak in figurative language. It is they who extol the letter of the scriptures, saying, There is nothing deeper than this.'
The flowery words of those promising heavenly enjoyment in exchange for ritual look attractive but lead away from real liberation.
Practical Applications
Be wary of any teaching whose primary promise is enjoyment — material or subtle.
Distinguish between offering Krishna out of love and trying to extract pleasure from Him.
Do not chase 'higher experiences' as the goal of spiritual life; chase Krishna.
Reflection Questions
Whose flowery promises have I been entertaining lately?
Where have I made spiritual life a more sophisticated form of enjoyment?
Analogy
A child given a garden picks every flower he can reach, leaving the tree itself untended. The flowery words of veda-vāda are these flowers — pretty, real, useful, but not the tree. Those who think there is *nothing more than this* have eaten the petals and missed the fruit.
bhoga—to material enjoymentaiśvarya—and opulenceprasaktānām—for those who are attachedtayā—by such thingsapahṛta - cetasām—bewildered in mindvyavasāya - ātmikā—fixed in determinationbuddhiḥ—devotional service to the Lordsamādhau—in the controlled mindna—nevervidhīyate—does take place .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
bhogaiśvarya-prasaktānāṁ
bhoga
to material enjoyment
aiśvarya
and opulence
prasaktānām
for those who are attached
tayāpahṛta-cetasām
tayā
by such things
apahṛta - cetasām
bewildered in mind
vyavasāyātmikā buddhiḥ
vyavasāya - ātmikā
fixed in determination
buddhiḥ
devotional service to the Lord
samādhau na vidhīyate
samādhau
in the controlled mind
na
never
vidhīyate
does take place .
Important Words
bhoga - aiśvarya - prasaktānām—of those attached to enjoyment and opulence
Genitive plural — *of those attached*. Prasaktānām (from pra-√sañj) is stronger than mere liking — *deeply attached*, *glued*. The buddhi cannot rise because the heart is glued down.
apahṛta - cetasām—whose minds are stolen away
Compound — *whose consciousness is carried off*. Apa-√hṛ — to steal. The flowery words of the Vedas (verse 42-43) have *stolen* the mind. The mind is not lost — it is taken.
vyavasāya - ātmikā—resolute
Repeated from 2.41. The same buddhi that the wise have is *not produced* (na vidhīyate) in the attached. The verse closes the circuit: attachment blocks the very intelligence yoga requires.
samādhau—in trance, in fixed contemplation
Locative of samādhi. The state of being fully placed-together, mind settled in one. The attached mind cannot enter samādhi because its center of gravity is elsewhere.
vidhīyate—is established
Present passive of vi-√dhā — to place, to determine. The verb is the very root of vidhi (Vedic injunction); the verse is grimly punning: in those bound by Vedic vidhi for results, the higher vidhi of samādhi does *not* get laid down (na vidhīyate).
In the minds of those who are too attached to sense enjoyment and material opulence, and who are bewildered by such things, the resolute determination for devotional service to the Supreme Lord does not take place.
Purport
Samādhi means “fixed mind.” The Vedic dictionary, the Nirukti, says, samyag ādhīyate ’sminn ātma-tattva-yāthātmyam: “When the mind is fixed for understanding the self, it is said to be in samādhi .” Samādhi is never possible for persons interested in material sense enjoyment and bewildered by such temporary things. They are more or less condemned by the process of material energy.
— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura
Gauḍīya
Translation
44. For those people, who are attached to enjoyment and power, whose consciousness has been deluded by that talk, the resolute intelligence, fixed on one point, does not take place.
Commentary
Those whose minds are attracted by the flowery words, who are attached to power and enjoyment, do not have the determined intelligence fixed firmly on one point (samādhau), fixed only on the Supreme Lord. The form of the verb na vidhīyate is reflexive passive (karma-kartari), meaning in this case “is not attained.” This commentary is Śrīdhara Svāmī’s version.
Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa
Gauḍīya
Translation
44. For those people, who are attached to enjoyment and power, whose consciousness has been deluded by that talk, the resolute intelligence does not take place in the mind.
Commentary
For those attached to the power and enjoyment mentioned in the previous verse, for those absorbed in those things because they do not manifest their temporary nature, whose discriminating knowledge (cetasām) is plundered by the attractive but deceptive words (tayā apahṛta), fixed intelligence does not take place in the mind (samādhau). According to the Nirukti, samādhi means the mind—that within which the true nature of ātmā is fully contemplated (samyak adhīyate).
Bhūrijana Dāsa
Gauḍīya
Commentary
Those who are attached to sense enjoyement and material opulence they follow the Karma‑kanda Section of the Vedas. And if one is attached to those things this means that he has a lack of knowledge and lack of knowledge is the definition of ‑ bewildered!
So, how to become fixed, "vyavasaya‑atmika buddhih"?
Study Notes — Gauranga Priya Dāsa
Gauranga Priya Dāsa
StudyKey verse
Bhakti-śāstrī Notes, ISKCON Chowpatty (2009)
Theme
COMMON THEME: Buddhi-yoga vs Karma-kanda
PURPOSE OF COMPARISION: To sharpen Arjuna’s intelligence and avoid his attempt to renounce 1. Karma-kanda mentality is condemned as less intelligent path and is compared to “fools getting attached to the poisonous flowers of a tree” (2.42 – 2.43) 2. Material opulence and sense gratification are the two obstacles to Krishna consciousness (2.44) 3. Buddhi-yoga is transcendental to Vedic Karma-kanda rituals (2.45 – 2.46) 4. Sankirtana-yajna or Krishna consciousness fulfills the purpose of the Vedas
Focus of Learning
(a) Definitions of Faith
Strong faith that Krishna consciousness will elevate one to highest perfection of life – This is called as “Vyavasayatmika Intelligence” – Ref. CC: “Sraddha Sabde...”(study purport)
Faith means ‘unflinching trust in something sublime’
(b) Elaborations on ‘Firm faith’ – It implies that one engaged in Krishna consciousness has:
No obligations in material world
No longer endeavors for fruitive activities
Krishna conscious activities on absolute plane – no longer subject to dualities of good/bad
(c) In conclusion firm faith implies:
“Renunciation of material concept of life” – As highest perfection of Krishna consciousness
How to achieve such renunciation – Automatically by progressive Krishna consciousness
(d) Foundation of “Resolute Determination”
Knowledge of soul – Whole process ultimately depends on – perfect knowledge of soul beyond conception of body, not only theoretically but practically, with no chance of sense gratification manifested in fruitive activities
Knowledge of Vasudeva as the cause of all causes and as all in all (Ref. Bg. 7.19 – “bahunam janamanam...”)
Analogy: Watering the root satisfies all the parts
(e) Best practice of service to Krishna – Service to Guru (Supporting Ref. “yasya prasada…”) because:
He knows the nature of student
Can guide how to act in Krishna consciousness
One should act firmly and take instructions as mission in life
Classical Ācāryas
Śrī Śaṅkarācārya
Classical
Translation
2.44 And vyavasayatmika, one-pointed; buddhih, conviction, with regard to Knowledge or Yoga; na vidhiyate, does not become established, i.e. does not arise; samadhau, in the minds the word samadhi being derived in the sese of that into which everthing is gathered together for the enjoyment of a person ; bhoga-aisvarya-prasaktanam, of those who delight in enjoyment and wealth, of those who have the hankering that only enjoyment as also wealth is to be sought for, of those who identify themselves with these; and apahrta-cetasam, of those whose intellects are carried away, whose discriminating judgement becomes covered; taya, by that speech which is full of various special rites.
Śrī Rāmānujācārya
Classical
Translation
2.42 - 2.44 The ignorant, whose knowledge is little, and who have as their sole aim the attainment of enjoyment and power, speak the flowery language i.e., having its flowers (show) only as fruits, which look apparently beautiful at first sight. They rejoice in the letter of the Vedas i.e., they are attached to heaven and such other results (promised in the Karma-kanda of the Vedas). They say that there is nothing else, owing to their intense attachment to these results. They say that there is no fruit superior to heaven etc. They are full of worldly desires and their minds are highly attached to secular desires. They hanker for heaven, i.e. think of the enjoyment of the felicities of heaven, after which one can again have rirth which offers again the opportunity to perform varied rites devoid of true knowledge and leads towards the attainment of enjoyments and power once again.
With regard to those who cling to pleasure and power and whose understanding is contaminated by that flowery speech relating to pleasure and lordly powers, the aforesaid mental disposition characterised by resolution, will not arise in their Samadhi. Samadhi here means the mind. The knowledge of the self will not arise in such minds. In the minds of these persons, there cannot arise the mental disposition that looks on all Vedic rituals as means for liberation based on the determined conviction about the real form of the self. Hence, in an aspirant for liberation, there should be no attachment to rituals out of the conviction that they are meant for the acisition of objects of desire only.
It may be estioned why the Vedas, which have more of love for Jivas than thousands of parents, and which are endeavouring to save the Jivas, should prescribe in this way rites whose fruits are infinitesimal and which produce only new births. It can also be asked if it is proper to abandon what is given in the Vedas. Sri Krsna replies to these estions.
Śrī Abhinavagupta
Classical
Translation
2.42-44 Yam imam etc., upto na vidhiyate. Those, who crave for objects of desire, speak, on their own accord, of this flowery Vedic speech which is pervaded by the fruits i.e., the heaven in the future; and who, hence, desire the action itself as the fruit of their birth - these are men without insight. further, having their mind carried away by the same Vedic sentence imagined by themselves, these persons, eventhough they are endowed with the determinate knowledge, are not fit for concentration, because they do not decide this (concentration) as a fruit [of their action]. This is the purport of the traid of these verses.
Swami Sivananda
Classical
Translation
2.44 For those who are attached to pleasure and power, whose minds are drawn away by such teaching, ï1thatï1 determinate reason is not formed which is steadily bent on meditation and Samadhi (superconscious state).
Commentary
2.44 भोगैश्वर्यप्रसक्तानाम् of the people deeply attached to pleasure and lordship? तया by that? अपहृतचेतसाम् whose minds are drawn away? व्यवसायात्मिका determinate? बुद्धिः reason? समाधौ in Samadhi? न not? विधीयते is fixed.Commentary Those who cling to pleasure and power cannot have steadiness of mind. They cannot concentrate or meditate. They are ever busy in planning projects for the acisition of wealth and power. Their minds are ever restless. They have no poised understanding.
Swami Gambhīrānanda
Classical
Translation
2.44 One-pointed conviction does not become established in the minds of those who delight in enjoyment and affluence, and whose intellects are carried away by that (speech).
Shri Purohit Swami
Classical
Translation
2.44 While their minds are absorbed with ideas of power and personal enjoyment, they cannot concentrate their discrimination on one point.
Those captivated by sense pleasure and material opulence cannot fix their intelligence in determined service to the Lord.
Practical Applications
Audit which of your daily attentions are quietly forming captivity rather than freedom.
Reduce one attachment that you know is keeping you from determined sādhana.
Understand that spiritual scattering is often the consequence of sense scattering.
Reflection Questions
What enjoyment is keeping my intelligence from being firmly fixed?
Where do I want both Krishna and the captivity at the same time?
Analogy
A mind held under by heavy water cannot rise. Attachment to bhoga and aiśvarya is this weight — it pins the buddhi below the level where samādhi could form. Until the weight is removed, no rising. The mind is not at fault; the bricks tied to it are.
trai - guṇya—pertaining to the three modes of material natureviṣayāḥ—on the subject mattervedāḥ—Vedic literaturesnistrai - guṇyaḥ—transcendental to the three modes of material naturebhava—bearjuna—O Arjunanirdvandvaḥ—without dualitynitya - sattva - sthaḥ—in a pure state of spiritual existenceniryoga - kṣemaḥ—free from ideas of gain and protectionātma - vān—established in the self .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
trai-guṇya-viṣayā vedā
trai - guṇya
pertaining to the three modes of material nature
viṣayāḥ
on the subject matter
vedāḥ
Vedic literatures
nistrai-guṇyo bhavārjuna
nistrai - guṇyaḥ
transcendental to the three modes of material nature
bhava
be
arjuna
O Arjuna
nirdvandvo nitya-sattva-stho
nirdvandvaḥ
without duality
nitya - sattva - sthaḥ
in a pure state of spiritual existence
niryoga-kṣema ātmavān
niryoga - kṣemaḥ
free from ideas of gain and protection
ātma - vān
established in the self .
Important Words
trai - guṇya—the three modes
Compound — *the threefoldness of guṇas*. Sattva, rajas, tamas. The Vedas' material portions operate within this triple. The verse asks Arjuna to step beyond the very framework of guṇa.
nistrai - guṇyaḥ—free from the three modes
Nir + trai-guṇya — without the three guṇas. The desired condition. Not above one guṇa but beyond all three. This is the Gītā's first invitation to transcend the entire material continuum.
nirdvandvaḥ—free from dualities
Nir + dvandva — without pairs. Hot-cold, gain-loss, pleasure-pain. The mode of life is one in which the binary pulls have lost their power. Echoes verse 14's titikṣasva.
niryoga - kṣemaḥ—free from concern for gain and preservation
Compound — *without yoga-kṣema*. Yoga (acquiring what is not possessed) and kṣema (preserving what is). The two great wheels of material anxiety. The verse asks: step off both.
ātma - vān—established in the self
Compound — *self-possessed*, *possessor of ātmā*. The destination: a person rooted in the ātmā, who therefore needs no yoga-kṣema and no guṇa-management. The verse names the goal in one word.
The Vedas deal mainly with the subject of the three modes of material nature. O Arjuna, become transcendental to these three modes. Be free from all dualities and from all anxieties for gain and safety, and be established in the self.
Purport
All material activities involve actions and reactions in the three modes of material nature. They are meant for fruitive results, which cause bondage in the material world. The Vedas deal mostly with fruitive activities to gradually elevate the general public from the field of sense gratification to a position on the transcendental plane. Arjuna, as a student and friend of Lord Kṛṣṇa, is advised to raise himself to the transcendental position of Vedānta philosophy where, in the beginning, there is brahma-jijñāsā, or questions on the supreme transcendence. All the living entities who are in the material world are struggling very hard for existence. For them the Lord, after creation of the material world, gave the Vedic wisdom advising how to live and get rid of the material entanglement. When the activities for sense gratification, namely the karma-kāṇḍa chapter, are finished, then the chance for spiritual realization is offered in the form of the Upaniṣads, which are part of different Vedas, as the Bhagavad-gītā is a part of the fifth Veda, namely the Mahābhārata. The Upaniṣads mark the beginning of transcendental life. As long as the material body exists, there are actions and reactions in the material modes. One has to learn tolerance in the face of dualities such as happiness and distress, or cold and warmth, and by tolerating such dualities become free from anxieties regarding gain and loss. This transcendental position is achieved in full Kṛṣṇa consciousness when one is fully dependent on the good will of Kṛṣṇa.
— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura
Gauḍīya
Translation
45. The subject of the Vedas is the three modes. Rise above the three modes, Arjuna, and be free of dualities, situated with the eternal devotees, devoid of desire for gain or preservation, and be engaged in the intelligence given by Me.
Commentary
Give up all sādhanas of dharma, artha, kāma and mokṣa, and just take shelter of bhakti-yoga. That is the intention of this verse.
The Vedas have the ability to reveal only karma and jṣāna and other topics composed of the three modes (traiguṇya viṣaya) for personal gratification. The suffix ya in traiguṇya viṣaya here denotes self-interest. This statement of course means that the majority of texts deal with material subjects. However the śrutis (Vedas) do say:
bhaktir evainam nayati
Bhakti alone leads to the Lord. Māṭhara Śruti [Note: This quotation is given in Prīti Sandarbha and attributed to the Māṭhara Śruti.]
yasya deve parā bhaktir yathā deve tathā gurau
One should have as much devotion in guru as one does in the Lord. Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad 6.23
As well, the paṣcarātra and smṛti scriptures, and other Upaniṣads like the Gītā Upaniṣad and Gopāla Tāpanī Upaniṣad make nirguṇa-bhakti the subject of discussion. If the Vedas did not speak of bhakti at all, then bhakti could not be substantiated.
Do not involve yourself with those statements of the Vedas dealing with jṣāna and karma affected by the three guṇas (nistraiguṇya bhava). But you should always follow the Vedic statements dealing with bhakti. By following those injunctions, you are free from fault:
śruti-smṛti-purāṇādi-pāṣcarātra-vidhiṁ vinā
aikāntikī harer bhaktir utpātāyaiva kalpyate
Without following the rules of śruti, smṛti, purāṇas and paṣcarātra, pure bhakti to the Lord creates disaster. Bhakti Rasāmṛta Sindhu, 1.2.101 quoted from Brahma-yāmala
By this, one can understand that the Vedas deal with both material and spiritual topics, topics involving the three guṇas and topics beyond the guṇas. But you should be devoid of the guṇas (nistraiguṇya bhava). By following the path of nirguṇa bhakti offered to Me, cross over the paths dealing with the three guṇas.
Then, such a person will be free of the dualities (nirdvandaḥ) within the guṇas, such as respect and disrespect, and will remain with the eternal living entities (nitya sattva), My devotees. If one were to say that nitya sattva sthaḥ means to be situated in sattva guṇa, that would be a contradiction to the statement nistraiguṇya bhava.
You will be free from the desire to acquire what you lack (yoga) and to protect what you have attained (kṣema), because of your taste for My bhakti-rasa. This is because I, out of affection for My devotee, carry the responsibility: yoga-kṣemaṁ vahāmy aham. (BG 9.22) You will be fixed in the intelligence given by Me (ātmavān).
Here there will be an examination of the meaning of nistraiguṇya and traiguṇya. It is said in the Eleventh Canto of Bhāgavatam:
mad-arpaṇaṁ niṣphalaṁ vā sattvicṁ nija-karma yat
rājasaṁ phala-saṅkalpaṁ hiṁsā-prāyādi tāmasam
Work performed as an offering to Me, (occasionally) without consideration of the fruit, is considered to be in the mode of goodness. Work performed with a desire to enjoy the results is in the mode of passion. And work impelled by violence and envy is in the mode of ignorance. SB 11.25.23
In this statement niṣphalam vā means “occasionally devoid of desires for the results of execution of duties.”
kaivalyaṁ sattvicṁ jṣānaṁ rajo vaikalpikaṁ ca yat
prākṛtaṁ tāmasaṁ jṣānaṁ man-niṣṭhaṁ nirguṇaṁ smṛtam
Absolute knowledge is in the mode of goodness, knowledge based on duality is in the mode of passion, and foolish, materialistic knowledge is in the mode of ignorance. Knowledge based upon Me, however, is understood to be transcendental. SB 11.25.24
vanaṁ tu sāttviko vāso grāmo rājasa ucyate
tāmasaṁ dyuta-sadanaṁ man-niketaṁ tu nirguṇam
Residence in the forest is in the mode of goodness, residence in a town is in the mode of passion, residence in a gambling house displays the quality of ignorance, and residence in a place where I reside is transcendental.
Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa
Gauḍīya
Translation
45. The subject of the Vedas is action in the three modes. Rise about the action of three modes, Arjuna, and be free of dualities, by observing the unchanging state of the soul. Be devoid of desire for gain or preservation, and engage in meditation on paramātmā.
Bhūrijana Dāsa
Gauḍīya
Commentary
Here is the first time that the three modes of nature are mentioned.
"Rise above the fruitive reasons that I have explained to you in the Vedas why you should fight. Rise above these dualities of fighting because you will gain heavenly pleasures, or refraining from not fighting because because that will bring infamy, and be established in the self!"
Study Notes — Gauranga Priya Dāsa
Gauranga Priya Dāsa
Study
Bhakti-śāstrī Notes, ISKCON Chowpatty (2009)
Theme
Rise above Vedic karma-kanda – Here Krishna tells Arjuna to rise above the “materialistic portions of
the Vedas”, by knowing their ultimate purpose of serving Krishna
Buddhi-yoga is transcendental to Karma-kandi rituals which deal with the three modes of material nature
Become transcendental to these three modes
Be free from all dualities and all anxieties for gain and safety
Be established in the self
Focus of Learning
(a) Literal meaning of ‘samadhi’ – Fixed mind
(b) Definition of ‘samadhi’ according to Nirukti (Vedic dictionary) – When the mind is fixed for
understanding the self, it is said to be in samadhi
(c) For whom ‘samadhi’ is never possible
For persons interested in material sense enjoyment
And bewildered by temporary mundane things
Their fate - They are more or less condemned by the process of the material energy
(a) Example of such sacrifices – Jyotistoma sacrifices
(b) Example of pleasures available – Nandana-kanana gardens which provide good opportunity for
association with angelic beautiful women and profuse supply of soma-rasa wine
(c) Analogy for such attractions – As fools are attached to the flowers of a poisonous tree,
unenlightened men are attached to the heavenly opulence and enjoyment
PRACTICAL APPLICATION OF TEXTS 2.42 – 2.46
Inability to distinguish minor secondary duties from essential duties
of pure devotional service creates a significant impediment to surrender
Classical Ācāryas
Śrī Śaṅkarācārya
Classical
Translation
2.45 To those who are thus devoid of discriminating wisdom, who indulge in pleasure, [Here Ast. adds 'yat phalam tad aha, what result accrues, that the Lord states:'-Tr.] O Arjuna, vedah, the Vedas; traigunya-visayah, have the three alities as their object, have the three gunas, [Traigunya means the collection of the three alities, viz sattva (purity), rajas (energy) and tamas (darkness); i.e. the collection of virtuous, vicious and mixed activities, as also their results. In this derivative sense traigunya means the worldly life.] i.e. the worldly life, as the object to be revealed. But you bhava, become; nistraigunyah, free from the three alities, i.e. be free from desires. [There is a seeming conflict between the advices to be free from the three alities and to be ever-poised in the ality of sattva. Hence, the Commentator takes the phrase nistraigunya to mean niskama, free from desires.] (Be) nirdvandvah, free from the pairs of duality by the word dvandva, duality, are meant the conflicting pairs [Of heat and cold, etc.] which are the causes of happiness and sorrow; you become free from them. [From heat, cold, etc. That is, forbear them.]
You become nitya-sattvasthah, ever-poised in the ality of sattva; (and) so also niryoga-ksemah, without (desire for) acisition and protection. Yoga means acisition of what one has not, and ksema means the protection of what one has. For one who as 'acisition and protection' foremost in his mind, it is difficult to seek Liberation. Hence, you be free from acisition and protection. And also be atmavan, self-collected, vigilant. This is the advice given to you while you are engaged in your own duty. [And not from the point of view of seeking Liberation.]
Śrī Rāmānujācārya
Classical
Translation
2.45 The word Traigunya means the three Gunas - Sattva, Rajas and Tamas. Here the term Traigunya denotes persons in whom Sattva, Rajas and Tamas are in abundance. The Vedas in prescribing desire-oriented rituals (Kamya-karmas) have such persons in view. Because of their great love, the Vedas teach what is good to those in whom Tamas, Rajas and Sattva preponderate. If the Vedas had not explained to these persons the means for the attainment of heaven etc., according to the Gunas, then those persons who are not interested in liberation owing to absence of Sattva and preponderance of Rajas and Tamas in them, would get completely lost amidst what should not be resorted to, without knowing the means for attaining the results they desire. Hence the Vedas are concerned with the Gunas. Be you free from the three Gunas. Try to acire Sattva in abundance; increase that alone. The purport is: do not nurse the preponderance of the three Gunas in their state of inter-mixture; do not cultivate such preponderance.
Be free from the pairs of opposites; be free from all the characteristics of worldly life. Abide in pure Sattva; be established in Sattva, in its state of purity without the admixture of the other two Gunas. If it is estioned how that is possible, the reply is as follows. Never care to acire things nor protect what has been acired. While abandoning the acisition of what is not reired for self-realisation, abandon also the conservation of such things already acired. You can thus be established in self-control and thery become an aspirant after the essentail nature of the self. 'Yoga' is acisition of what has not been acired; 'Ksema' is preservation of things already acired. Abandoning these is a must for an aspirant after the essential nature of the self. If you conduct yourself in this way, the preponderance of Rajas and Tamas will be annihilated, and pure Sattva will develop.
Besides, all that is taught in the Vedas is not fit to be utilised by all.
Śrī Abhinavagupta
Classical
Translation
2.45 Traigunya-etc. The Vedas bind very much [only] by means of the three Strands and they do not bind on their own accord. For, the rituals prescribed in the Vedas, create bondage if they are performed with an intention of pleasure, or of (avoiding) pain, or with an illlusion of attachment. Hence the traid of Strands in the form of desire (or in a pleasing form) must be abandoned.
If the present passage were intended to condemn the Vedas, then the act of fighting the battle in estion would be spoiled, because there is nothing other than the Vedas do not bind those, from whom the desire for fruit has completely gone.
Because the Vedas alone are useful for proper knowledge in the case of those persons [free from the Strands] hence [the Lord] says-
Swami Sivananda
Classical
Translation
2.45 The Vedas deal with the three attributes (of Nature); be thou above these three attributes. O Arjuna, free yourself from the pairs of opposites, and ever remain in the ality of Sattva (goodness), freed from (the thought of) acisition and preservation, and be established in the Self.
Commentary
2.45 त्रैगुण्यविषयाः deal with the three attributes? वेदाः the Vedas? निस्त्रैगुण्यः without these three attributes? भव be? अर्जुन O Arjuna निर्द्वन्द्वः free from the pairs of opposites? नित्यसत्त्वस्थः ever remaining in the Sattva (goodness)? निर्योगक्षेमः free from (the thought of) acisition and preservation? आत्मवान् established in the Self.Commentary Guna means attribute or ality. It is substance as well as ality. Nature (Prakriti) is made up of three Gunas? viz.? Sattva (purity? light or harmony)? Rajas (passion or motion) and Tamas (darkness or inertia). The pairs of opposites are heat and cold? pleasure and pain? gain and loss? victory and defeat? honour and dishonour? praise and censure. He who is anxious about new acuqisitions or about the preservation of his old possessions cannot have peace of mind. He is ever restless. He cannot concentrate or meditate on the Self. He cannot practise virtue. Therefore? Lord Krishna advises Arjuna that he should be free from the thought of acisition and preservation of things. (Cf.IX.20?21).
Swami Gambhīrānanda
Classical
Translation
2.45 O Arjuna, the Vedas [Meaning only the portion dealing with rites and duties (karma-kanda).] have the three alities as their object. You become free from worldliness, free from the pairs of duality, ever-poised in the ality of sattva, without (desire for) acisition and protection, and self-collected.
Shri Purohit Swami
Classical
Translation
2.45 The Vedic Scriptures tell of the three constituents of life - the Qualities. Rise above all of them, O Arjuna, above all the pairs of opposing sensations; be steady in truth, free from worldly anxieties and centered in the Self.
Rise above the three modes — be free from dualities, established in goodness, free from possessiveness, fixed in the Self.
Practical Applications
Notice when your mood, body, or environment is dominated by tamas, rajas, or sattva — and use that awareness to choose differently.
Practice nirdvandva (freedom from duality) in one ordinary situation today.
Stop measuring spiritual progress by externals; measure it by transcendence of the modes.
Reflection Questions
Which guṇa is currently dominating my consciousness, and how do I know?
What does it look like to stand above the modes rather than within them?
Analogy
A man at a harbor torn between many cargo ships is told: leave them all; the ocean itself awaits. The Vedas' three-guṇa cargo is real merchandise — but Kṛṣṇa is telling Arjuna to step past the docks. Become nis-trai-guṇya. Be ātmavān — possessed of the self.
yāvān—all thatarthaḥ—is meantuda - pāne—in a well of watersarvataḥ—in all respectssampluta - udake—in a great reservoir of watertāvān—similarlysarveṣu—in allvedeṣu—Vedic literaturesbrāhmaṇasya—of the man who knows the Supreme Brahmanvijānataḥ—who is in complete knowledge .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
yāvān artha uda-pāne
yāvān
all that
arthaḥ
is meant
uda - pāne
in a well of water
sarvataḥ samplutodake
sarvataḥ
in all respects
sampluta - udake
in a great reservoir of water
tāvān sarveṣu vedeṣu
tāvān
similarly
sarveṣu
in all
vedeṣu
Vedic literatures
brāhmaṇasya vijānataḥ
brāhmaṇasya
of the man who knows the Supreme Brahman
vijānataḥ
who is in complete knowledge .
Important Words
arthaḥ—purpose
Nominative of artha. *The purpose*. The verse uses a yāvān-tāvān construction (whatever scope of purpose the small well serves, all that and more the great reservoir serves). Artha here is functional benefit — the small well's purposes are wholly subsumed by the larger water.
uda - pāne—in a well
Locative of uda-pāna — a water-source, a well. Specifically, a small water-hole for drinking. The image is humble — daily, domestic — and is deliberately set against the cosmic image that follows.
sampluta - udake—in a great reservoir
Compound — *in a vast spread of water*. Plavate — to swim, flood. A body of water large enough to make the well's separate existence pointless.
vedeṣu—in the Vedas
Locative plural. All the Vedas. The Gītā is not abolishing the Vedas; it is showing the relation. The Vedas serve all their purposes for one who has reached the source they point to.
vijānataḥ—of the knower
Genitive of vijānat — *of one who knows*. Note: not 'one who reads' or 'one who recites' but 'one who knows'. The brāhmaṇa here is defined functionally — by knowing the Self the Vedas indicate.
All purposes served by a small well can at once be served by a great reservoir of water. Similarly, all the purposes of the Vedas can be served to one who knows the purpose behind them.
Purport
The rituals and sacrifices mentioned in the karma-kāṇḍa division of the Vedic literature are meant to encourage gradual development of self-realization. And the purpose of self-realization is clearly stated in the Fifteenth Chapter of the Bhagavad-gītā (15.15) : the purpose of studying the Vedas is to know Lord Kṛṣṇa, the primeval cause of everything. So, self-realization means understanding Kṛṣṇa and one’s eternal relationship with Him. The relationship of the living entities with Kṛṣṇa is also mentioned in the Fifteenth Chapter of Bhagavad-gītā (15.7) . The living entities are parts and parcels of Kṛṣṇa; therefore, revival of Kṛṣṇa consciousness by the individual living entity is the highest perfectional stage of Vedic knowledge. This is confirmed in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (3.33.7) as follows: aho bata śva-paco ’to garīyān yaj-jihvāgre vartate nāma tubhyam tepus tapas te juhuvuḥ sasnur āryā brahmānūcur nāma gṛṇanti ye te “O my Lord, a person who is chanting Your holy name, although born of a low family like that of a caṇḍāla [dog-eater], is situated on the highest platform of self-realization. Such a person must have performed all kinds of penances and sacrifices according to Vedic rituals and studied the Vedic literatures many, many times after taking his bath in all the holy places of pilgrimage. Such a person is considered to be the best of the Āryan family.” So one must be intelligent enough to understand the purpose of the Vedas, without being attached to the rituals only, and must not desire to be elevated to the heavenly kingdoms for a better quality of sense gratification. It is not possible for the common man in this age to follow all the rules and regulations of the Vedic rituals, nor is it possible to study all of the Vedānta and the Upaniṣads thoroughly. It requires much time, energy, knowledge and resources to execute the purposes of the Vedas. This is hardly possible in this age. The best purpose of Vedic culture is served, however, by chanting the holy name of the Lord, as recommended by Lord Caitanya, the deliverer of all fallen souls. When Lord Caitanya was asked by a great Vedic scholar, Prakāśānanda Sarasvatī, why He, the Lord, was chanting the holy name of the Lord like a sentimentalist instead of studying Vedānta philosophy, the Lord replied that His spiritual master had found Him to be a great fool and thus asked Him to chant the holy name of Lord Kṛṣṇa. He did so, and became ecstatic like a madman. In this Age of Kali, most of the population is foolish and not adequately educated to understand Vedānta philosophy; the best purpose of Vedānta philosophy is served by inoffensively chanting the holy name of the Lord. Vedānta is the last word in Vedic wisdom, and the author and knower of the Vedānta philosophy is Lord Kṛṣṇa; and the highest Vedāntist is the great soul who takes pleasure in chanting the holy name of the Lord. That is the ultimate purpose of all Vedic mysticism.
— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura
Gauḍīya
Translation
46. As the purposes of all wells are fulfilled by a large water body, so all the results of all types of worship mentioned in the Vedas are fulfilled just by knowing and worshiping the one Supreme God.
Commentary
The glory of bhakti-yoga, being niṣkāma and nirguṇa, is such that it goes without saying that it is without loss or sin, even if started and discontinued. That even a little performance of bhakti makes one successful is stated by Uddhava in the Eleventh Canto.
na hy aṅgopakrame dhvaṁso mad-dharmasyoddhavāṇv api
mayā vyavasitaḥ samyaṅ nirguṇatvād anāśiṣaḥ
My dear Uddhava, because I have personally established it, this process of devotional service unto Me is transcendental and free from any material motivation. Certainly a devotee never suffers even the slightest loss by adopting this process. SB 11.29.20
However, even bhakti with material desire (sakāma-bhakti) is known by the term vyavasāyātmikā buddhi (since there is worship of only one person). This is shown through an example.
The singular case is used to indicate a whole class of wells. “Whatever purposes the wells serve” is the meaning of yāvān artha udapāne. Some wells are used for cleaning the body after passing nature. Some others are used for brushing teeth. Others are used for washing clothing. Others are used for washing hair. Others are used for bathing. Others are used for drinking water. All the purposes of all the different wells are served by a large body of water like a lake. In that one lake, one can perform all the activities such as cleaning the body or brushing the teeth. Whereas by using different wells for different purposes, one becomes tired of wandering around, that is not the case in using the lake. The outstanding quality of the lake water however is its sweet taste, whereas that of the well is not tasty.
Thus, whatever purposes are served by worship of all the devatās mentioned in all the Vedas are achieved through worship of the one Supreme Lord, by the person in knowledge, one who knows the Vedas (brāhmaṇasya). He who knows the Veda (brahma), is called brāhmaṇa. One may know the Vedas, but one who knows the import of the Vedas, bhakti, is a special knower (viśeṣato jānataḥ = vijānataḥ).
It is said in the Second Canto of Bhāgavatam:
brahma-varcasa-kāmas tu yajeta brahmaṇaḥ patim
indram indriya-kāmas tu prajā-kāmaḥ prajāpatim
One who desires to be absorbed in the impersonal brahmajyoti effulgence should worship the master of the Vedas, one who desires powerful sex should worship the heavenly King, Indra, and one who desires good progeny should worship the great progenitors called the Prajāpatis. SB 2.3.3
But then it is said:
akāmaḥ sarva-kāmo vā mokṣa-kāma udāra-dhīḥ
tīvreṇa bhakti-yogena yajeta puruṣaṁ param
A person who has broader intelligence, whether he be full of all material desire, without any material desire, or desiring liberation, must by all means worship the supreme whole, the Personality of Godhead. SB 2.3.10
Just as the sunshine, unmixed with clouds or other obstructions, is intense, bhakti-yoga, unmixed with jṣāna, karma or other pollutants, is intense (tīvreṇa bhakti-yogena). One attains fulfillment of many desires by worshipping many devatās. This requires many types of mental concentration. But one can attain all those desires from the one Supreme Lord, from just one portion of ones concentration on the one Lord. One should understand that this concentration on one personality (and attaining many goals) arises from the excellent qualities possessed by the object of concentration, the Lord.
Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa
Gauḍīya
Translation
46. As a person uses only as much water as he needs to fulfill his particular goals in a large water body, one who studies the Vedas and desires knowledge of ātmā achieves his goal of knowledge of ātmā from all the Vedas, and nothing else..
Commentary
“How will this intelligence arise in one who must study all the Vedas? That study will take a long time, and there is thus possibility of diversion.”
In one large body of water whatever amount of water a person wanting to bathe or drink needs, that much alone is used by the him from that body of water (he does not use the whole lake). In all the Vedas, including the Upaniṣads, whatever serves the goal of attainment of knowledge of ātmā, that much alone from the Vedas is used by the person who studies the Vedas (brāhmaṇasya) and desires knowledge of ātmā (vijānataḥ). [Note: This is the meaning taken by Rāmānuja.]
That intelligence will appear quickly in the mind, by knowledge of the Upaniṣads in his particular branch of the Vedas. In this example, the words yāvān and tāvān should be supplied in both lines of the verse.
Bhūrijana Dāsa
Gauḍīya
Commentary
This Chapter is called "Contents of the Gita Summarized" because so many have been summarized in this Chapter and will be expanded throughout the entire B.gita.
Study Notes — Gauranga Priya Dāsa
Gauranga Priya Dāsa
Study
Bhakti-śāstrī Notes, ISKCON Chowpatty (2009)
Theme
“Sankirtana Yajna” fulfils all the purposes of the Vedas
Analogy: Small well and big reservoir of water – All the purposes served by a small well can at once be served by a great reservoir of water
Focus of Learning
(a) “Highest Perfectional Stage of Vedic Knowledge” is “Revival of Krishna Consciousness” – How?
Purpose of Rituals and sacrifices of Vedas – Gradual development of self-realisation
Purpose of self-realisation – To know Krishna and our relationship with Him (Ref Bg. 15.15)
Our relationship with Krishna – Eternal part and parcels (Ref Bg. 15.7)
Conclusion: Revival of this relationship is the highest perfection
(b) Supporting Verse for above point: Ref SB 3.33.7: “aho bata sva-paco…”
One born in dog-eater family – But if chants Holy Name he is considered:
On the highest platform of Self-realisation
The Best of Aryans
To have done all penances, sacrifice, Vedic studies, holy baths many, many times
(c) PRACTICAL APPLICATION: Best way to revive Krishna Consciousness: Chanting Lord’s Holy Names
Kali-yuga defects
Not qualified – Most population is foolish and not educated to understand Vedanta
Difficult to process – Vedic Studies and rules and regulations are difficult
Lack of resources – Lack of time and energy, resources and knowledge to execute the purpose of the Vedas
Best process – Chanting of Holy Names is the best way to serve the purpose of the Vedas (Study purport – Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu & Prakashananda Saraswati)
(a) What is material activities all about – All material activities involve action and reactions in the
three modes of material nature, and they create more bondage
(b) Why to rise above the Vedas – because they are contaminated by the three modes and mainly
deal with fruitive actions
(c) Why Vedas deal with the 3 modes – The purpose is “gradual elevation” to a position on the
transcendental plane from a field of sense gratification
(d) Working of science of Vedas / How Vedas work to elevate a living entity
Teaches how to live in material world and gradually elevate
When Karma-kanda section finished – Spiritual realization is offered as different Upanisads
Upanisads (As part of different Vedas) mark the beginning of human life
Vedanta is the transcendental position which starts with Brahma-jijnasa
(e) Provokes Arjuna to rise above Karma-kandi rituals and thus defeats the argument of “Destruction
of Family Traditions” of Chapter 1
Tolerate dualities, which continue as long as material body exists
Become free of anxiety of loss and gain
Be established in the ‘self’
This transcendental position is achieved in full Krishna consciousness, because one is fully dependent on the goodwill of Krishna
LINK BETWEEN TEXTS 2.46 & 2.47: After explaining different levels of action and motivation until Text
2.46. Now Krishna talks about specific level of action for Arjuna in Texts 2.47 – 2.49
Classical Ācāryas
Śrī Śaṅkarācārya
Classical
Translation
2.46 If there be no need for the infinite results of all the rites and duties mentioned in the Vedas, then why should they be performed as a dedication to God? Listen to the answer being given:
In the world, yavan, whatever; arthah, utility, use, like bathing, drinking, etc.; one has udapane, in a well, pond and other numerous limited reservoirs; all that, indeed, is achieved, i.e. all those needs are fulfilled to that very extent; sampluhtodake, when there is a flood; sarvatah, all arount. In a similar manner, whatever utility, result of action, there is sarvesu, in all; the vedesu, Vedas, i.e. in the rites and duties mentioned in the Vedas; all that utility is achieved, i.e. gets fulfilled; tavan, to that very extent; in that result of realization which comes brahmanasya, to a Brahmana, a sannyasin; vijanatah, who knows the Reality that is the supreme Goal that result being comparable to the flood all around. For there is the Upanisadic text, '৷৷.so all virtuous deeds performed by people get included in this one৷৷.who knows what he (Raikva) knows৷৷.' (Ch. 4.1.4). The Lord also will say, 'all actions in their totality culminate in Knowledge' (4.33). [The Commentators otation from the Ch. relates to meditation on the alified Brahman. Lest it be concluded that the present verse relates to knowledge of the alified Brahman only, he otes again from the Gita toshow that the conclusion holds good in the case of knowledge of the absolute Brahman as well.]
Therefore, before one attains the fitness for steadfastness in Knowledge, rites and duties, even though they have (limited) utility as that of a well, pond, etc., have to be undertaken by one who is fit for rites and duties.
Śrī Rāmānujācārya
Classical
Translation
2.46 Whatever use, a thirsty person has for a reservoir, which is flooded with water on all sides and which has been constructed for all kinds of purposes like irrigation, only to that extent of it, i.e., enough to drink will be of use to the thirsty person and not all the water. Likewise, whatever in all the Vedas from the means for release to a knowing Brahmana, i.e., one who is established in the study of the Vedas and who aspires for release only to that extent is it to be accepted by him and not anything else.
Sri Krsna now says that this much alone is to be accepted by an aspirant, established in Sattva:
Śrī Abhinavagupta
Classical
Translation
2.46 Yavan etc. He, according to whom the importance lies in his own duty alone or in the knowledge - for him the purpose is served even from a limited portion of the Vedic teaching
Therefore-
Swami Sivananda
Classical
Translation
2.46 To the Brahmana who has known the Self, all the Vedas are of as much use as is a reservoir of water in a place where there is a flood.
Commentary
2.46 यावान् as much? अर्थः use? उदपाने in a reservoir? सर्वतः everywhere? संप्लुतोदके being flooded? तावान्,so much (use)? सर्वेषु in all? वेदेषु in the Vedas? ब्राह्मणस्य of the Brahmana? विजानतः of the knowing.Commentary Only for a sage who has realised the Self? the Vedas are of no use? because he is in possession of the infinite knowledge of the Self. This does not? however? mean that the Vedas are useless. They are useful for the neophytes or the aspirants who have just started on the spiritual path.All the transient pleasures derivable from the proper performance of all actions enjoined in the Vedas are comprehended in the infinite bliss of Selfknowledge.
Swami Gambhīrānanda
Classical
Translation
2.46 A Brahmana with realization has that much utility in all the Vedas as a man has in a well when there is a flood all around.
Shri Purohit Swami
Classical
Translation
2.46 As a man can drink water from any side of a full tank, so the skilled theologian can wrest from any scripture that which will serve his purpose.
When a great reservoir of water is available, a small well becomes unnecessary — when one knows the Vedas' purpose, the rituals lose their hold.
Practical Applications
Make sure your sādhana flows from the great reservoir (Krishna) and not from anxious accumulation.
Honor rituals while remembering they are means, not ends.
Bring a wider perspective to disagreements about practice; the goal of all is the same.
Reflection Questions
Which rituals do I cling to that have lost their living purpose for me?
What is my reservoir — am I drawing from it or still digging little wells?
Analogy
A man with a small well steps to the side and discovers the river that fed it. Once at the river, the well becomes irrelevant — all the small purposes the well served are served better, and more, by the river. The Vedas' rituals are the small wells; the river is the realization of the Self.
కర్మణ్యేవాధికారస్తే మా ఫలేషు కదాచన ।
మా కర్మఫలహేతుర్భూర్మా తే సఙ్గోఽస్త్వకర్మణి ॥ ౪౭ ॥
karmaṇy evādhikāras te
[karmany evaadhikaaras te]
mā phaleṣu kadācana
[maa phaleshu kadaachana]
mā karma-phala-hetur bhūr
[maa karma-phala-hetur bhoor]
mā te saṅgo ’stv akarmaṇi
[maa te sango ’stv akarmani]
Word-for-word
karmaṇi—in prescribed dutieseva—certainlyadhikāraḥ—rightte—of youmā—neverphaleṣu—in the fruitskadācana—at any timemā—neverkarma - phala—in the result of the workhetuḥ—causebhūḥ—becomemā—neverte—of yousaṅgaḥ—attachmentastu—there should beakarmaṇi—in not doing prescribed duties .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
karmaṇy evādhikāras te
karmaṇi
in prescribed duties
eva
certainly
adhikāraḥ
right
te
of you
mā phaleṣu kadācana
mā
never
phaleṣu
in the fruits
kadācana
at any time
mā karma-phala-hetur bhūr
mā
never
karma - phala
in the result of the work
hetuḥ
cause
bhūḥ
become
mā te saṅgo ’stv akarmaṇi
mā
never
te
of you
saṅgaḥ
attachment
astu
there should be
akarmaṇi
in not doing prescribed duties .
Important Words
karmaṇi—in prescribed action
Locative case. Your right (adhikāra) lives *inside* the act — not over its outcome. Note also: karmaṇi, not karme — the form points to duty already prescribed for you (varṇa, āśrama, situation), not to any work you choose to invent.
adhikāraḥ—right, entitlement
A precise legal word. You hold a right to the doing; you do not hold a right to the result. The Gītā is not asking you to work less — it is correcting where you locate the claim.
phaleṣu—in the fruits
Plural. Not one fruit but many — material reward, recognition, even spiritual progress. Kṛṣṇa closes every escape route at once.
karma-phala-hetuḥ—the cause of the fruit of action
The deepest cut of the verse. Beyond not chasing results, you must stop seeing yourself as the cause of them. The doer is not the author; the doer is the instrument. False causation is the seed of ahaṅkāra (ego).
saṅgaḥ—attachment, clinging
The hinge word of the whole verse — and of the Gītā's karma-yoga teaching. Not the action that binds, but the saṅga to it. Loosen saṅga and the same act becomes liberating.
akarmaṇi—in inaction
The verse closes with a warning few people notice: do not be attached to *not acting* either. The clever soul, told to drop attachment to results, tries to drop the work itself. Kṛṣṇa cuts that escape too — both attachments are bondage.
You have a right to perform your prescribed duty, but you are not entitled to the fruits of action. Never consider yourself the cause of the results of your activities, and never be attached to not doing your duty.
Purport
There are three considerations here: prescribed duties, capricious work, and inaction. Prescribed duties are activities enjoined in terms of one’s acquired modes of material nature. Capricious work means actions without the sanction of authority, and inaction means not performing one’s prescribed duties. The Lord advised that Arjuna not be inactive, but that he perform his prescribed duty without being attached to the result. One who is attached to the result of his work is also the cause of the action. Thus he is the enjoyer or sufferer of the result of such actions. As far as prescribed duties are concerned, they can be fitted into three subdivisions, namely routine work, emergency work and desired activities. Routine work performed as an obligation in terms of the scriptural injunctions, without desire for results, is action in the mode of goodness. Work with results becomes the cause of bondage; therefore such work is not auspicious. Everyone has his proprietary right in regard to prescribed duties, but should act without attachment to the result; such disinterested obligatory duties doubtlessly lead one to the path of liberation. Arjuna was therefore advised by the Lord to fight as a matter of duty without attachment to the result. His nonparticipation in the battle is another side of attachment. Such attachment never leads one to the path of salvation. Any attachment, positive or negative, is cause for bondage. Inaction is sinful. Therefore, fighting as a matter of duty was the only auspicious path of salvation for Arjuna.
— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura
Gauḍīya
Translation
47. You have qualification for prescribed work, but not the results of the work. Do not be the cause of results of work. Do not be attached to not doing work, or doing sinful work.
Commentary
The Lord wanted to speak about the processes of jṣāna, bhakti and karma-yoga to Arjuna, who was his dear friend. Having spoken of jṣāna and bhakti-yoga, the Lord then considered that these two were not suitable for Arjuna. Thus He now speaks of niṣkāma-karma-yoga.
“You are qualified for works. But those who crave the results are very impure in consciousness. But you have an almost pure heart. I can say this about you since I know you.”
“But in doing actions, a result must come.”
“By doing an action with a desire for a certain result, a person becomes the cause of that result. But you should not act in that manner. I give you that blessing. And do not become attracted to non-performance of your duty, or in doing sin (akarmaṇi), rather you should hate doing that. I give you that blessing also.”
However, in the next chapter, Arjuna says, “My intelligence is bewildered by these equivocal words.” This apparent lack of connection between the previous and later statements should be understood to be intentional, having a purpose. “Just as I stand as your charioteer awaiting your order, you also await My order.” One should see that Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna actually had real agreement of mind.
Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa
Gauḍīya
Translation
47. You have qualification for prescribed work, but not for desiring the results of the work. Do not be the cause of results of work by desiring results. Do not be attached to non-performance of work.
Commentary
“If jṣāna is attained by performance of prescribed duties, then sense control and other practices must also be practiced, since they are included in jṣāna. But that takes a great effort.”
Karmaṇi (action) is in the singular number to indicate a class of actions. “You, whose dharma is to fight, but who now think that this is not your dharma, because of impure heart, have the privilege for actions such as fighting. But I am the enjoyer of those actions. You do not have jurisdiction over the results, which cause bondage. I am the enjoyer of the results.”
“Even if I do not desire the results, those actions are linked with their results.”
“You should not be the cause for those results. Actions performed with desire are linked to their results, because the scriptures mention that there is linkage with results particularly when there is desire for results. Because of fear that results cause bondage, do not develop fondness (saṅgaḥ) for avoidance of work. Rather, show repulsion to that. Actions performed without desire will produce within themselves steadiness in jṣāna, like sprouts coming from grains. Sense control and other items will accompany that jṣāna.”
Bhūrijana Dāsa
Gauḍīya
Commentary
"Do your duty O Arjuna, but not in the Karma‑kanda mood of trying to enjoy sense gratification!"
This important verse describes "karmany evadhikaras te", that means, "your adhikary Arjuna, your qualification, your eligibility is for Karma, is "eva", certainly, for working. Don't be attached of not doing your duty and thinking in terms of "renunciation" and try to become self‑realized in the forest through Sankhya or Yoga. Your qualification, your capacity, is for working, but don't work for fruitive reasons work in the consciousness that I am going now to describe."
Study Notes — Gauranga Priya Dāsa
Gauranga Priya Dāsa
Study
Bhakti-śāstrī Notes, ISKCON Chowpatty (2009)
Theme
Krishna recommends ‘Niskama-karma-yoga as non-reactive path’ – Prescribed action without
attachment does not bear any reaction (2.47)
Perform prescribed duties without attachment to the fruit. Why?
Because attachment to result implies: “you are also the cause”
If you become the cause – you are also entitled to enjoy or suffer the result
Never consider yourself the cause of the results of your activities
Nor be attached to not doing your duty
PRACTICAL APPLICATION OF TEXTS 2.47 – 2.49
Niskama-karma-yoga releases one from the bondage of fruitive action and
reaction while allowing one active sensory engagement. Thus, compared to total renunciation
of activity (karma-sannyasa), Niskama-karma-yoga incites less provocation of unrest and falldown
Focus of Learning
(d) Conclusion
Best way to fulfill the purpose of Vedanta philosophy – Inoffensive chanting of the holy names
Who is the highest Vedantist – one who takes pleasure in chanting Holy Names
Ultimate purpose of all Vedic Mysticism – to take pleasure in chanting Holy Names
Classical Ācāryas
Śrī Śaṅkarācārya
Classical
Translation
2.47 Te, your; adhikarah, right; is karmani eva, for action alone, not for steadfastness in Knowledge. Even there, when you are engaged in action, you have ma kadacana, never, i.e. under no condition whatever; a right phalesu, for the results of action may you not have a hankering for the results of action. Whenever you have a hankering for the fruits of action, you will become the agent of aciring the results of action. Ma, do not; thus bhuh, become; karma-phalahetuh, the agent of aciring the results of action. For when one engages in action by being impelled by thirst for the results of action, then he does become the cause for the production of the results of action. Ma, may you not; astu, have; sangah, an inclination; akarmani, for inaction, thinking, 'If the results of work be not desired, what is the need of work which involves pain?'
Śrī Rāmānujācārya
Classical
Translation
2.47 As for obligatory, occasional and desiderative acts taught in the Vedas and associated with some result or other, you, an aspirant established in Sattva, have the right only to perform them: You have no right to the fruits known to be derived from such acts. Acts done with a desire for fruit bring about bondage. But acts done without an eye on fruits form My worship and become a means for release. Do not become an agent of acts with the idea of being the reaper of their fruits. Even when you, who are established in pure Sattva and are desrious of release, perform acts, you should not look upon yourself as the agent. Likewise, it is necessary to contemplate yourself as not being the cause of even appeasing hunger and such other bodily necessities. Later on it will be said that both of these, agency of action and desire for fruits, should be considered as belonging to Gunas, or in the alternative to Me who am the Lord of all. Thinking thus, do work. With regard to inaction, i.e., abstaining from performance of duties, as when you said, 'I will not fight,' let there be no attachment to such inaction in you. The meaning is let your interest be only in the discharge of such obligatory duties like this war in the manner described above.
Sri Krsna makes this clear in the following verse:
Śrī Abhinavagupta
Classical
Translation
2.47 Karmani etc. You should be concerned in the action alone, but not in the fruits of actions. But, if an action has been performed, then will not its fruit just inevitably befall [to the performer] ? No. It is not so. For, in that case, if you are covered with the dirt of desire for fruits, then you become a cuase for the fruit of action. What is prayed for is known to be the fruit; and it does not befall him who does not desire it. Thus, what attachment a person entertains with regard to the negation of action, that alone is like a firm seizure, and is of the nature of false conception, and hence it must be abandoned.
Then what ?-
Swami Sivananda
Classical
Translation
2.47 Thy right is to work only, but never with its fruits; let not the fruits of action be thy motive, nor let thy attachment be to inaction.
Commentary
2.47 कर्मणि in work? एव only? अधिकारः right? ते thy? मा not? फलेषु in the fruits? कदाचन at any time? मा not? कर्मफलहेतुः भूः let not the fruits of action be thy motive? मा not? ते thy? सङ्गः attachment? अस्तु let (there) be? अकर्मणि in inaction.Commentary When you perform actions have no desire for the fruits thereof under any circumstances. If you thirst for the fruits of your actions? you will have to take birth again and again to enjoy them. Action done with expectation of fruits (rewards) brings bondage. If you do not thirst for them? you get purification of heart and you will get knowledge of the Self through purity of heart and through the knowledge of the Self you will be freed from the round of births and deaths.Neither let thy attachment be towards inaction thinking what is the use of doing actions when I cannot get any reward for themIn a broad sense Karma means action. It also means duty which one has to perform according to his caste or station of life. According to the followers of the Karma Kanda of the Vedas (the Mimamsakas) Karma means the rituals and sacrifices prescribed in the Vedas. It has a deep meaning also. It signifies the destiny or the storehouse of tendencies of a man which give rise to his future birth.
Swami Gambhīrānanda
Classical
Translation
2.47 Your right is for action alone, never for the results. Do not become the agent of the results of action. May you not have any inclination for inaction.
Shri Purohit Swami
Classical
Translation
2.47 But thou hast only the right to work, but none to the fruit thereof. Let not then the fruit of thy action be thy motive; nor yet be thou enamored of inaction.
You have a right to perform action, never to its fruits — never consider yourself the cause, and never be attached to inaction.
Practical Applications
Perform one significant task today with explicit detachment from its outcome.
Each evening, formally offer the day's actions and their results to Krishna.
Refuse the modern myth that you control outcomes — focus only on right action.
Reflection Questions
Which 'fruit' am I most secretly attached to in my work?
Where am I tempted into inaction because I cannot guarantee the result?
Analogy
Think of an archer drawing a bow. Her right is in the draw — the breath, the alignment, the steady release. The arrow's flight, once let go, belongs to wind and target and a thousand conditions she did not author. Claim the draw fully; surrender the flight. Kṛṣṇa is telling Arjuna, the supreme archer of his age, to do exactly this with every act of his life.
Stories
King Janaka
Even while ruling Mithilā — managing armies, taxes, marriages, and diplomacy — Janaka kept his mind fixed on the self. He acted with full kingly competence yet claimed none of it as his own.
Tradition records that when his palace burned, he is said to have remarked, "Nothing of mine is lost," because he had long since stopped writing the word 'mine' onto anything passing through his hands.
Kṛṣṇa singles out Janaka in 3.20 as one who attained perfection through action — proof that detachment is not retreat. It is doing the work, and not pocketing the result.
Hanumān at Laṅkā
Crossing the ocean, searching the city, comforting Sītā, burning Laṅkā — every act was undertaken with full force, and not one was claimed. When Rāma later asked how he had done such things, Hanumān replied that he was only a servant. The doing was total; the doership was returned to its rightful owner.
This is karmaṇy evādhikāras te in living form: maximum effort, minimum proprietorship.
Bharata Mahārāja
Emperor Bharata governed the earth with such skill that the planet still bears his name. He neither shirked the throne nor clung to it. When the time came, he handed the kingdom to his sons and walked into the forest to fix his heart on the Lord.
Duty performed in its season, fruit not pocketed, kingdom relinquished when its season ended — the entire arc of the verse compressed into one life.
yoga - sthaḥ—equipoisedkuru—performkarmāṇi—your dutiessaṅgam—attachmenttyaktvā—giving updhanam - jaya—O Arjunasiddhi - asiddhyoḥ—in success and failuresamaḥ—equipoisedbhūtvā—becomingsamatvam—equanimityyogaḥ—yogaucyate—is called .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
yoga-sthaḥ kuru karmāṇi
yoga - sthaḥ
equipoised
kuru
perform
karmāṇi
your duties
saṅgaṁ tyaktvā dhanañ-jaya
saṅgam
attachment
tyaktvā
giving up
dhanam - jaya
O Arjuna
siddhy-asiddhyoḥ samo bhūtvā
siddhi - asiddhyoḥ
in success and failure
samaḥ
equipoised
bhūtvā
becoming
samatvaṁ yoga ucyate
samatvam
equanimity
yogaḥ
yoga
ucyate
is called .
Important Words
yoga - sthaḥ—established in yoga
Compound — *standing in yoga*. Yoga is the prior state; karma is performed *from within it*. The verse refuses the order: first act, then attain yoga. Yoga is the platform of action, not its reward.
saṅgam—attachment
Same word as in verse 47's saṅgaḥ. The chapter's hinge word. To be in yoga is to act with saṅga renounced — saṅgaṁ tyaktvā.
tyaktvā—having abandoned
Gerund of √tyaj — to abandon. The form 'having abandoned' makes the renunciation prior to the action. First drop saṅga; then act.
siddhi - asiddhyoḥ—in success and failure
Locative dual. The arena of equanimity is again named — success and failure. Echoes verse 38's jaya-ajaya. The Gītā keeps returning the listener to the pair that most matters in action.
samatvam—evenness
From sama — equal. *Evenness itself*. The verse offers a definition of yoga: samatvaṁ yoga ucyate. Yoga *is* equanimity. The Sanskrit puts the predicate first — emphatic identification.
Perform your duty equipoised, O Arjuna, abandoning all attachment to success or failure. Such equanimity is called yoga.
Purport
Kṛṣṇa tells Arjuna that he should act in yoga. And what is that yoga ? Yoga means to concentrate the mind upon the Supreme by controlling the ever-disturbing senses. And who is the Supreme? The Supreme is the Lord. And because He Himself is telling Arjuna to fight, Arjuna has nothing to do with the results of the fight. Gain or victory are Kṛṣṇa’s concern; Arjuna is simply advised to act according to the dictation of Kṛṣṇa. The following of Kṛṣṇa’s dictation is real yoga, and this is practiced in the process called Kṛṣṇa consciousness. By Kṛṣṇa consciousness only can one give up the sense of proprietorship. One has to become the servant of Kṛṣṇa, or the servant of the servant of Kṛṣṇa. That is the right way to discharge duty in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, which alone can help one to act in yoga. Arjuna is a kṣatriya, and as such he is participating in the varṇāśrama-dharma institution. It is said in the Viṣṇu Purāṇa that in the varṇāśrama-dharma, the whole aim is to satisfy Viṣṇu. No one should satisfy himself, as is the rule in the material world, but one should satisfy Kṛṣṇa. So unless one satisfies Kṛṣṇa, one cannot correctly observe the principles of varṇāśrama-dharma. Indirectly, Arjuna was advised to act as Kṛṣṇa told him.
— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura
Gauḍīya
Translation
48. Being situated in this niṣkāma-karma-yoga, perform your duties, giving up attachment, and being equal to success and failure, O conqueror of wealth! Such equal mindedness is called yoga.
Commentary
With this verse, Kṛṣṇa starts teaching the method of niṣkāma-karma. Acting in this way, seeing victory and defeat as equal, O Arjuna, you should perform your duty of fighting. This performance of niṣkāma-karma-yoga transforms into jṣāna-yoga. Jṣāna-yoga should be understood from the previous and latter portions of the work.
Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa
Gauḍīya
Translation
48. Being situated in this yoga, perform your duties, giving up attachment, being equal in success and failure, O conqueror of wealth! Such equal mindedness is called yoga.
Commentary
In this verse the Lord explains His previous statement. Giving up desires for results and thoughts of being the doer (saṅgam tyaktvā), being situated in yoga, perform such duties as fighting. By desiring results, you become entangled in māyā. By thinking yourself the doer, you steal the quality of independence which belongs to the Lord. By this identity as doer, you end up in opposition to the Lord’s māyā. Therefore you should give up these two conceptions.
The Lord then explains the word yoga stha. Yoga means to be situated with equality both in attaining and not attaining results of action such as victory. Being without attachment or repulsion to the results, perform the action. Yoga in the phrase yoga sthah I take to mean “Being equal to all events (samatvam),” because it takes the form of intense concentration of mind.
Bhūrijana Dāsa
Gauḍīya
Commentary
When one is working or performing karma, and he is unattached to the fruits of his work, that is called Karma‑yoga. And when that detachment is perfected, which means detachment for oneself and offering the fruits to Krsna, then it will be called Bhakti‑yoga.
Karma is turned into Yoga (Karma‑yoga) when detachment is there, and detachment comes from Jnana or knowledge.
Krsna here is advocating the path of renunciation of the fruits of one's work, not the path of renunciation of work.
Study Notes — Gauranga Priya Dāsa
Gauranga Priya Dāsa
Study
Bhakti-śāstrī Notes, ISKCON Chowpatty (2009)
Theme
COMMON THEME: Specific level of activity for Arjuna as per his Varnasrama status
Krishna recommends Niskama-karma-yoga as non-reactive – Prescribed action without attachment does not bear any reaction (2.47)
Any attachment, positive or negative is a cause of bondage
Krishna tells Arjuna to act in ‘yoga’ and thus defines ‘yoga’ (2.48)
Criticizes fruitive work as abominable and glorifies devotional service by comparison (2.49)
Calls fruitive workers misers (krpana)
Calls buddhi-yoga as Supreme
This verse becomes the basis for Arjuna’s inquiry in Text 3.1
Classical Ācāryas
Śrī Śaṅkarācārya
Classical
Translation
2.48 If action is not to be undertaken by one who is under the impulsion of the fruits of action, how then are they to be undertaken? This is being stated: Yogasthah, by becoming established in Yoga; O Dhanajaya, kuru, undertake; karmani, actions, for the sake of God alone; even there, tyaktva, casting off; sangam, attachment, in the form, 'God will be pleased with me.' ['Undertake work for pleasing God, but not for propitiating Him to become favourable towards yourself.']
Undertake actions bhutva, remaining; samah, eipoised; siddhi-asidhyoh, in success and failure even in the success characterized by the attainment of Knowledge that arises from the purification of the mind when one performs actions without hankering for the results, and in the failure that arises from its opposite. [Ignorance, arising from the impurity of the mind.] What is that Yoga with regard to being established in which it is said, 'undertake'? This indeed is that: the samatvam, eanimity in success and failure; ucyate, is called; yogah, Yoga.
Śrī Rāmānujācārya
Classical
Translation
2.48 Abandoning the attachment to kingdom, relatives etc., and established in Yoga, engage in war and such other activities. Perform these with eanimity as regards success and failure resulting from victory etc., which are inherent in them. This eanimity with regard to success and failure is called here by the term Yoga, in the expression 'established in Yoga.' Yoga is eanimity of mind which takes the form of evenness in success and failure.
Sri Krsna explains why this is repeatedly said:
Śrī Abhinavagupta
Classical
Translation
2.48 Yogasthah etc. Being established in Yoga you must perform actions. Evenness [of mind] is the Yoga.
Swami Sivananda
Classical
Translation
2.48 Perform action, O Arjuna, being steadfast in Yoga, abandoning attachment and balanced in success and failure. Evenness of mind is called Yoga.
Commentary
2.48 योगस्थः steadfast in Yoga? कुरु perform? कर्माणि actions? सङ्गम् attachment? त्यक्त्वा having abandoned? धनञ्जय O Dhananjaya? सिद्ध्यसिद्ध्योः in success and failure? समः the smae? भूत्वा having become? समत्वम् evenness of mind? योगः Yoga? उच्यते is called.Commentary Dwelling in union with the Divine perform actions merely for Gods sake with a balanced mind in success and failure. Eilibrium is Yoga. The attainment of the knowledge of the Self through purity of heart obtained by doing actions without expectation of fruits is success (Siddhi). Failure is the nonattainment of knowledge by doing actions with expectation of fruit. (Cf.III.9IV.14IV.20).
Swami Gambhīrānanda
Classical
Translation
2.48 By being established in Yoga, O Dhananjaya (Arjuna), undertake actions, casting off attachment and remaining eipoised in success and failure. Eanimity is called Yoga.
Shri Purohit Swami
Classical
Translation
2.48 Perform all thy actions with mind concentrated on the Divine, renouncing attachment and looking upon success and failure with an equal eye. Spirituality implies equanimity.
Yoga is evenness of mind — perform action in steady equipoise, abandoning attachment, indifferent to success or failure.
Practical Applications
Define yoga not as posture but as samatva — evenness — in the midst of action.
Train one specific situation per week where you choose evenness over reactivity.
Carry samatvam into family, work, and even spiritual community where it is hardest.
Reflection Questions
Where do I lose samatva most easily — and what does that reveal?
How would my work feel if it were performed in this evenness?
Analogy
A potter at the wheel — already centered, indifferent to which pot comes well and which collapses, his work even and continuous. Yoga-sthaḥ kuru karmāṇi: do the action while already standing in yoga, not before reaching it and not after the result. The center is the work; the result is air.
Stories
Bhīṣma in the court of the Kauravas
Bound by the vow to serve the throne, Bhīṣma sat in Duryodhana's court while Draupadī was dishonored. His personal preference was Pāṇḍava; his vow was Kuru. He did his duty as commander-in-chief of the very side whose wickedness he saw, fighting brilliantly without claiming victory or fearing defeat, until the bed of arrows ended his service.
Few lives illustrate yoga-sthaḥ kuru karmāṇi more starkly: doing what dharma assigns, when dharma assigns it, without claiming the result. The Gauḍīya tradition holds him as a mahājana for exactly this samatva.
dūreṇa—discard it at a long distancehi—certainlyavaram—abominablekarma—activitybuddhi - yogāt—on the strength of Kṛṣṇa consciousnessdhanam - jaya—O conqueror of wealthbuddhau—in such consciousnessśaraṇam—full surrenderanviccha—try forkṛpaṇāḥ—misersphala - hetavaḥ—those desiring fruitive results .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
dūreṇa hy avaraṁ karma
dūreṇa
discard it at a long distance
buddhi-yogād dhanañ-jaya
hi
certainly
buddhau śaraṇam anviccha
kṛpaṇāḥ phala-hetavaḥ
avaram
abominable
karma
activity
buddhi - yogāt
on the strength of Kṛṣṇa consciousness
dhanam - jaya
O conqueror of wealth
buddhau
in such consciousness
śaraṇam
full surrender
anviccha
try for
kṛpaṇāḥ
misers
phala - hetavaḥ
those desiring fruitive results .
Important Words
dūreṇa—by a great distance
Instrumental of dūra — far. *By far*. Mere fruitive karma is inferior to buddhi-yoga *by a great distance*. The comparative is not faint — the gap between the two paths is vast.
avaram—inferior
Neuter of avara — lower, inferior. Fruitive action is *avara* compared to buddhi-yoga. The Gītā is not neutral on the question; it ranks.
buddhi - yogāt—than buddhi-yoga
Ablative — *than*. Buddhi-yoga is the yoking of intelligence to the higher purpose. The verse compares it directly with karma alone and finds karma wanting.
śaraṇam—shelter
From √śri — to take refuge. Take *shelter* in buddhi. The metaphor is suddenly devotional — the buddhi rightly used is itself a shelter. Cf. śaraṇāgati in later chapters.
kṛpaṇāḥ—misers
Plural of kṛpaṇa — miser. Used in śāstra (cf. Bṛhad. Ār. Up. 3.8.10) for one who dies without knowing the Self. Those who work for fruits are *misers of the soul* — frugal where they should be lavish.
O Dhanañjaya, keep all abominable activities far distant by devotional service, and in that consciousness surrender unto the Lord. Those who want to enjoy the fruits of their work are misers.
Purport
One who has actually come to understand one’s constitutional position as an eternal servitor of the Lord gives up all engagements save working in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. As already explained, buddhi-yoga means transcendental loving service to the Lord. Such devotional service is the right course of action for the living entity. Only misers desire to enjoy the fruit of their own work just to be further entangled in material bondage. Except for work in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, all activities are abominable because they continually bind the worker to the cycle of birth and death. One should therefore never desire to be the cause of work. Everything should be done in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, for the satisfaction of Kṛṣṇa. Misers do not know how to utilize the assets of riches which they acquire by good fortune or by hard labor. One should spend all energies working in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, and that will make one’s life successful. Like misers, unfortunate persons do not employ their human energy in the service of the Lord.
— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura
Gauḍīya
Translation
49. O conqueror of wealth, actions with desire are far inferior to niṣkāma-karma-yoga. Surrender to this buddhi-yoga or niṣkāma-karma-yoga. Those who seek results from their work are wretched (and receive bondage).
Commentary
Kṛṣṇa here criticizes karma done with material desires (sakāma-karma). The actions done with material desire (avaraṁ karma) are far inferior to niṣkāma-karma-yoga offered to the Supreme Lord (buddhi-yogāt). Take shelter of niṣkāma-karma-yoga (buddhau). In this verse buddhi-yoga refers to niṣkāma-karma-yoga rather than bhakti-yoga.
Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa
Gauḍīya
Translation
49. O conqueror of wealth, actions with desire are far inferior to niṣkāma karma yoga. Surrender to this buddhi yogam, niṣkāma karma yoga. Those who seek results from their work are wretched (and receive bondage).
Commentary
This verse speaks of the inferior nature of kāmya karma. Kāmya karma which causes problems such as birth and death is far inferior (dūreṇa avaram) to niṣkāma karma (buddhi yogād), which brings about the understanding (buddhi) of the true nature of ātmā. Because of this (hi), take shelter of understanding the ātmā (buddhau śaraṇam anviccha)—perform niṣkāma karma yoga. Those who desire results (pḥala hetavaḥ), who perform the inferior actions, are unfortunate and miserable (kṛpaṇaḥ), being under the control of the flow of birth and death caused by their kāmya karmas. You should not be such a kṛpaṇa.
The misers, greedy for some inexperienced morsel of happiness from their hard earned wealth, cannot give up their wealth, and are thus cheated of the great happiness of giving. Those persons who perform kāmya karmas, greedy for insignificant results from their great toil in performing actions, are cheated of the great happiness of realizing the ātmā. This is the indication of the word kṛpaṇa or miser.
Bhūrijana Dāsa
Gauḍīya
Commentary
What are the fruits of one who is trying to enjoy the fruits of his work actually? It is birth and death. That what one gets by being miser.
Study Notes — Gauranga Priya Dāsa
Gauranga Priya Dāsa
Study
Bhakti-śāstrī Notes, ISKCON Chowpatty (2009)
Theme
Reject all abominable actions and act in buddhi-yoga – Arjuna is recommended to keep all
abominable activities (fruitive actions) far distant by devotional service and surrender unto the Lord
Focus of Learning
(a) Krishna Consciousness is “Real Yoga” because it involves:
Following of Krishna’s dictations which is “Real Yoga”
Giving up one’s own sense of proprietorship
Right way to act in Krishna consciousness – Working as ‘servant of the servant’ of Krishna
Gain and victory are Krishna’s concern
(b) Fighting in ‘Krishna consciousness’ as recommended yoga practice for Arjuna
Ref. Vishnu Purana – Aim of Varnashrama is to satisfy Vishnu or Krishna
For Arjuna fighting as a religious duty under Krishna’s dictation is the correct observance of Varnashrama – thus it is “Real Yoga”
Conclusion – One can achieve this platform of yoga and detachment by following the Lord’s dictations in devotional service
(a) 3 Kinds of work are defined
Prescribed – Those enjoined in scriptures according to one’s acquired modes
Capricious – Actions without sanction of authorities
Inaction – Not performing one’s prescribed duty
(b) 3 Kinds of prescribed duties
Routine –
Action in the mode of goodness –If performed as an obligation to the scriptures without attachment for the results
Inauspicious work – Work with attachment to results becomes the cause of bondage
Emergency
Desired
(c) Conclusion – Only auspicious path is “disinterested/obligatory” duties which leads one to the path
of liberation. On the other hand:
Any attachment positive or negative is the cause of bondage
Inaction or capricious work – both are sinful
Classical Ācāryas
Śrī Śaṅkarācārya
Classical
Translation
2.49 Then again, O Dhananjaya, as against action performed with eanimity of mind for adoring God, karma, action undertaken by one longing for the results; is, hi, indeed; durena, ite, by far; avaram, inferior, very remote; buddhi-yogat, from the yoga of wisdom, from actions undertaken with eanimity of mind, because it (the former) is the cause of birth, death, etc. Since this is so, therefore, saranam anviccha, take resort to, seek shelter; buddhau, under wisdom, which relates to Yoga, or to the Conviction about Reality that arises from its (the former's) maturity and which is the cause of (achieving) fearlessness. The meaning is that you should resort to the knowledge of the supreme Goal, because those who under take inferior actions, phala-hetavah, who thirst for rewards, who are impelled by results; are krpanah, pitiable, according to the Sruti, 'He, O Gargi, who departs from this world without knowing this Immutable, is pitiable' (Br. 3.8.10). [See note under 2.7.-Tr.]
Śrī Rāmānujācārya
Classical
Translation
2.49 All other kinds of action are far inferior to those done with evenness of mind, which consists in the renunciation of the main result and with eanimity towards success or failure in respect of the secondary results. Between the two kinds of actions, the one with eanimity and the other with attachment, the former associated with eanimity removes all the sufferings of Samsara and leads to release which is the highest object of human existence. The latter type of actions, which is pursued with an eye on results, leads one to Samsara whose character is endless suffering. Thus when an act is being done, take refuge in Buddhi (evenness of mind). Refuge means abode. Live in that Buddhi, is the meaning. 'Miserable are they who act with a motive for results': it means, 'Those who act with attachment to the results, etc., are miserable, as they will continue in Samsara.'
Śrī Abhinavagupta
Classical
Translation
2.49 Durena etc. Due to the contact (one has) with determining faculty [one's] inferior action i.e., the action that bears bad fruits and is empty, remains far away [from him]. Therefore seek i.e., pray for a refuge in the determining faculty of that nature, on account of which that determining faculty is gained.
Swami Sivananda
Classical
Translation
2.49 Far lower than the Yoga of wisdon is action, O Arjuna. Seek thou refuge in wisdom; wretched are they whose motive is the fruit.
Commentary
2.49 दूरेण by far? हि indeed? अवरम् inferior? कर्म action or work? बुद्धियोगात् than the Yoga of wisdom? धनञ्जय O Dhananjaya? बुद्धौ in wisdom? शरणम् refuge? अन्विच्छ seek? कृपणाः wretched? फलहेतवः seekers after fruits.Commentary Action done with evenness of mind is Yoga of wisdom. The yogi who is established in the Yoga of widdom is not affected by success or failure. He does not seek fruits of his actions. He has poised reason. His reason is rooted in the Self. Action performed by one who expects fruits for his actions? is far inferior to the Yoga of wisdom wherein the seeker does not seek fruits because the former leads to bondage and is the cause of birth and death. (Cf.VIII.18).
Swami Gambhīrānanda
Classical
Translation
2.49 O Dhananjaya, indeed, action is ite inferior to the yoga of wisdom. Take resort to wisdom. Those who thirst for rewards are pitiable.
Shri Purohit Swami
Classical
Translation
2.49 Physical action is far inferior to an intellect concentrated on the Divine. Have recourse then to Pure Intelligence. It is only the petty-minded who work for reward.
Action driven by attachment is far inferior to action performed with the equipoise of yoga; misers cling to fruits, the wise to clarity.
Practical Applications
Notice the inner difference between fruit-driven and yoga-grounded action — they feel different.
Refuse to be a kṛpaṇa (miser) about results; be generous in releasing them to Krishna.
Pray that your work be transformed from karma to karma-yoga.
Reflection Questions
Where am I being a miser with the results of my actions?
What does the difference between attached and detached action look like for me concretely?
Analogy
A man who works to count the pennies on his own paycheck has reduced himself to an accountant of small change. The phala-hetu — one who lives to harvest fruits — is, in Kṛṣṇa's word, kṛpaṇa: miser. Buddhi-yoga lifts the worker out of the accounting and into the work itself.
buddhi - yuktaḥ—one who is engaged in devotional servicejahāti—can get rid ofiha—in this lifeubhe—bothsukṛta - duṣkṛte—good and bad resultstasmāt—thereforeyogāya—for the sake of devotional serviceyujyasva—be so engagedyogaḥ—Kṛṣṇa consciousnesskarmasu—in all activitieskauśalam—art .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
buddhi-yukto jahātīha
buddhi - yuktaḥ
one who is engaged in devotional service
jahāti
can get rid of
iha
in this life
ubhe sukṛta-duṣkṛte
ubhe
both
sukṛta - duṣkṛte
good and bad results
tasmād yogāya yujyasva
tasmāt
therefore
yogāya
for the sake of devotional service
yujyasva
be so engaged
yogaḥ karmasu kauśalam
yogaḥ
Kṛṣṇa consciousness
karmasu
in all activities
kauśalam
art .
Important Words
buddhi - yuktaḥ—yoked with intelligence
Compound — *one who has yoked himself with buddhi*. The buddhi-yogī. The act of yoking is done; the practitioner is now operating from the yoked state.
jahāti—abandons
Present of √hā. *Casts off*. The verb is present-tense and active: in this very life, the buddhi-yukta is already casting off the reactions.
sukṛta - duṣkṛte—good and bad reactions
Compound dual — *good-deeds-and-bad-deeds*. Both fall away. Not just the bad — the *good* too. The pious karma that would yield heaven is also relinquished, because yoga aims higher.
yujyasva—yoke yourself
The same imperative as in verse 38, redirected — there 'for battle', here 'for yoga'. The verb yujyasva and the goal yogāya share the root — yoga is, literally, the activity of yujyasva.
kauśalam—skill
From kuśala — skillful. *Yoga is kauśala in karma*. The definition is functional: yoga is what allows action to be performed without producing bondage. A second definition to set beside 2.48's samatvaṁ yoga ucyate.
A man engaged in devotional service rids himself of both good and bad reactions even in this life. Therefore strive for yoga, which is the art of all work.
Purport
Since time immemorial each living entity has accumulated the various reactions of his good and bad work. As such, he is continuously ignorant of his real constitutional position. One’s ignorance can be removed by the instruction of the Bhagavad-gītā, which teaches one to surrender unto Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa in all respects and become liberated from the chained victimization of action and reaction, birth after birth. Arjuna is therefore advised to act in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, the purifying process of resultant action.
— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura
Gauḍīya
Translation
50. He who is engaged in niṣkāma-karma-yoga gives up both pious and impious reactions. Therefore engage in this yoga. Among all types of action, this performance without attachment is a skill.
Commentary
Therefore be engaged in the yoga as described here (yogāya yujyasva). Among all actions done with or without desire (karmaṣu), action performed with indifference to results (yogaḥ) is a skill (kauśalam). [Note: Skill means here that action is performed but does not accrue reactions.]
Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa
Gauḍīya
Translation
50. He who is engaged in niṣkāma karma yoga destroys both pious and impious reactions. Therefore engage in this yoga. In all types of action, this performance without attachment is a skill.
Commentary
This verse speaks of the great power of the buddhi yoga (niṣkāma karma yoga) just mentioned. That person who performs his actions with intelligence directed in all activities (iha) towards renunciation of the main results in action and towards maintaining equal nature when either attaining or not attaining any related results (buddhi yuktaḥ) destroys (jahāti) both good and bad reactions (sukṛta duṣkṛte) accumulated from beginningless time in the past, which obstruct knowledge of the ātmā. Therefore, strive for (yujasva) this buddhi yoga which has been described, since this engagement in action (yoga), being joined with such intelligence is a skill (kauśalam), because it transforms actions which normally are a cause of bondage into causes of liberation by contact with intelligence, like mercury which has been purified of its poisonous effects.
Bhūrijana Dāsa
Gauḍīya
Commentary
The art of working means working but not getting the fruits of one's work. Detachment through knowledge, but working.
Study Notes — Gauranga Priya Dāsa
Gauranga Priya Dāsa
StudyKey verse
Bhakti-śāstrī Notes, ISKCON Chowpatty (2009)
Theme
Buddhi-yoga is an art of all work and rids one from all good and bad reactions
Focus of Learning
(a) Krishna consciousness is the “purifying process of resultant action”
(b) Arjuna is told that to avoid reaction, he need not renounce work but work in right consciousness
Since time immemorial the living entity has accumulated the various reactions of good and bad work
Thus he is continuously ignorant of his real constitutional position
How to remove ignorance – By instructions of Bhagavad-gita, which teaches one to
Surrender unto Lord Krishna in all respects
Become liberated from the chain of action and reaction, and thus bondage of birth and death
PRACTICAL APPLICATION OF TEXTS 2.50 – 2.53
Arjuna does not wish to fight because he desires to avoid sinful reactions and
subsequent misery. But Krishna explains that acting in devotional service (which for Arjuna
means ‘to fight’) will free him from all sin (2.50) and lead him to a place beyond all misery (2.51)
(a) Definition of Miser
They do not know how to engage their assets acquired by good fortune / hard labour
E.g. Human energy should be used for Krishna consciousness; But misers want to enjoy fruitive work
(b) What does “Abominable Activities” refer to
Fruitive acts
All acts which bind to birth and death
All actions except Krishna consciousness because they continuously bind us to the cycle of birth and death
(c) What is the “Right course of action” for living entities – Buddhi-yoga or transcendental loving
service to the Lord
Classical Ācāryas
Śrī Śaṅkarācārya
Classical
Translation
2.50 Listen to the result that one possessed of the wisdom of eanimity attains by performing one's own duties: Buddhi-yuktah, possessed of wisdom, possessed of the wisdom of eanimity; since one jahati, rejects; iha, here, in this world; ubhe, both; sukrta-duskrte, virtue and vice (righteousness and unrighteousness), through the purification of the mind and acisition of Knowledge; tasmat, therefore; yujyasva, devote yourself; yogaya, to (Karma-) yoga, the wisdom of eanimity. For Yoga is kausalam, skilfulness; karmasu, in action. Skilfulness means the attitude of the skilful, the wisdom of eanimity with regard to one's success and failure while engaged in actions (karma) called one's own duties (sva-dharma) with the mind dedicated to God.
That indeed is skilfulness which, through eanimity, makes actions that by their very nature bind give up their nature! Therefore, be you devoted to the wisdom of eanimity.
Śrī Rāmānujācārya
Classical
Translation
2.50 He, who is established in evenness of mind in the performance of actions, relinishes good and evil Karmas which have accumulated from time immemorial causing bondage endlessly. Therefore acire this aforesaid evenness of mind (Buddhi Yoga). Yoga is skill in action. That is, this evenness of mind when one is engaged in action, is possible through great skill, i.e., ability.
Śrī Abhinavagupta
Classical
Translation
2.50 Buddhiyuktah etc. Both indicates the mutual exclusion [of the good and bad actions]. Therefore [strive] for Yoga etc. : Working in that manner alone constitutes the supreme proficiency, by [working] in which manner the good action and the bad action perish. This is the idea here.
Swami Sivananda
Classical
Translation
2.50 Endowed with wisdom (evenness of mind), one casts off in this life both good and evil deeds; therefore, devote thyself to Yoga; Yoga is skill in action.
Commentary
2.50 बुद्धियुक्तः endowed with wisdom? जहाति casts off? इह in this life? उभे both? सुकृतदुष्कृते good and evil deeds? तस्मात् therefore? योगाय to Yoga? युज्यस्व devote thyself? योगः Yoga? कर्मसु in actions? कौशलम् skill.Commentary Work performed with motive towards fruits only can bind a man. It will bring the fruits and the performer of the action will have to take birth again in this mortal world to enjoy them. If work is performed with evennes of mind (the Yoga of wisdom? i.e.? united to pure Buddhi? intelligence or reason) with the mind resting in the Lord? it will not bind him it will not bring any fruit it is no work at all. Actions which are of a binding nature lose that nature when performed with eanimity of mind? or poised reason. The Yogi of poised reason attributes all actions to the Divine Actor within (Isvara or God).
Swami Gambhīrānanda
Classical
Translation
2.50 Possessed of wisdom, one rejects here both virtue and vice. Therefore devote yourself to (Karma-) yoga. Yoga is skilfulness in action.
Shri Purohit Swami
Classical
Translation
2.50 When a man attains to Pure Reason, he renounces in this world the results of good and evil alike. Cling thou to Right Action. Spirituality is the real art of living.
Yoga is skill in action — the yogi rises above good and bad reactions even in this very life.
Practical Applications
Treat skill in action (yogaḥ karmasu kauśalam) as your professional standard, not just your spiritual one.
Bring more care, more presence, and more dedication to ordinary work as a form of yoga.
Recognize that craftsmanship offered to Krishna becomes karma-yoga.
Reflection Questions
Where could I bring more skill (kauśalam) into my daily action as yoga?
What sloppiness in my work betrays a lack of yoga consciousness?
Analogy
A skilled craftsman performs the same act others perform — but for him it produces something different. The same hammer-stroke in different hands yields a horseshoe or a sculpture. Yoga is kauśala — the *skill* by which ordinary action stops producing bondage and starts producing freedom.
karma - jam—due to fruitive activitiesbuddhi - yuktāḥ—being engaged in devotional servicehi—certainlyphalam—resultstyaktvā—giving upmanīṣiṇaḥ—great sages or devoteesjanma - bandha—from the bondage of birth and deathvinirmuktāḥ—liberatedpadam—positiongacchanti—they reachanāmayam—without miseries .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
karma-jaṁ buddhi-yuktā hi
karma - jam
due to fruitive activities
buddhi - yuktāḥ
being engaged in devotional service
hi
certainly
phalaṁ tyaktvā manīṣiṇaḥ
phalam
results
tyaktvā
giving up
manīṣiṇaḥ
great sages or devotees
janma-bandha-vinirmuktāḥ
janma - bandha
from the bondage of birth and death
vinirmuktāḥ
liberated
padaṁ gacchanty anāmayam
padam
position
gacchanti
they reach
anāmayam
without miseries .
Important Words
karma - jam—born of action
Compound — *what is born of karma*. The fruits arise from karma; the sages renounce the karma-jam phalam. The grammar names the linkage being severed: the action's offspring.
manīṣiṇaḥ—thoughtful, wise
Plural — *the thinkers*. From manīṣā — discrimination, wisdom of the mind. Not 'feelers' but *thinkers*; the buddhi-path is for those who can hold a discrimination.
janma - bandha—bondage of birth
Compound — *the bond which is birth*. The chain of repeated births. To be liberated from janma-bandha is to step out of the samsāra-cakra. The verse's reward is no smaller than this.
vinirmuktāḥ—completely released
Past participle of vi-nir-√muc — to release entirely. The triple intensification of muc: vi + nir + mukta. *Entirely entirely entirely released*. The verb's force matches the magnitude of the release.
anāmayam—free of afflictions
A + āmaya — disease. Modifies padam (abode). The Gauḍīya line reads padam anāmayam as Vaikuṇṭha — the abode where no kuṇṭha (no impediment, no disease) ever enters. The chapter's promised destination is named in a single privative adjective.
By thus engaging in devotional service to the Lord, great sages or devotees free themselves from the results of work in the material world. In this way they become free from the cycle of birth and death and attain the state beyond all miseries [by going back to Godhead].
Purport
The liberated living entities belong to that place where there are no material miseries. The Bhāgavatam (10.14.58) says: samāṣritā ye pada-pallava-plavaṁ mahat-padaṁ puṇya-yaśo murāreḥ bhavāmbudhir vatsa-padaṁ paraṁ padaṁ padaṁ padaṁ yad vipadāṁ na teṣām “For one who has accepted the boat of the lotus feet of the Lord, who is the shelter of the cosmic manifestation and is famous as Mukunda, or the giver of mukti, the ocean of the material world is like the water contained in a calf’s footprint. Paraṁ padam, or the place where there are no material miseries, or Vaikuṇṭha, is his goal, not the place where there is danger in every step of life.” Owing to ignorance, one does not know that this material world is a miserable place where there are dangers at every step. Out of ignorance only, less intelligent persons try to adjust to the situation by fruitive activities, thinking that the resultant actions will make them happy. They do not know that no kind of material body anywhere within the universe can give life without miseries. The miseries of life, namely birth, death, old age and diseases, are present everywhere within the material world. But one who understands his real constitutional position as the eternal servitor of the Lord, and thus knows the position of the Personality of Godhead, engages himself in the transcendental loving service of the Lord. Consequently he becomes qualified to enter into the Vaikuṇṭha planets, where there is neither material, miserable life nor the influence of time and death. To know one’s constitutional position means to know also the sublime position of the Lord. One who wrongly thinks that the living entity’s position and the Lord’s position are on the same level is to be understood to be in darkness and therefore unable to engage himself in the devotional service of the Lord. He becomes a lord himself and thus paves the way for the repetition of birth and death. But one who, understanding that his position is to serve, transfers himself to the service of the Lord, at once becomes eligible for Vaikuṇṭha-loka. Service for the cause of the Lord is called karma-yoga or buddhi-yoga, or in plain words, devotional service to the Lord.
— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura
Gauḍīya
Translation
51. Being engaged in this niṣkāma-karma-yoga, having given up the results of work, the intelligent people, freed from the bondage of birth, attain the place of no suffering.
Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa
Gauḍīya
Translation
51. Being engaged in this niṣkāma karma yoga, having given up the results of work, the realizer of ātmā, freed from the bondage of birth, attain the place of no suffering.
Commentary
Being thus intelligent (buddhi yuktāḥ), performing actions while giving up attachment to the results of those actions, and then having realizing the ātmā contained within these actions (manīṣiṇaḥ), being free from the bondage of birth, persons attain the place free of suffering (anāmayam padam), Vaikuṇṭha. Therefore you, who asked what is best, should engage in your prescribed actions. Because knowledge of ātmā is the cause of knowledge of paramātmā (which is the direct cause of attaining Vaikuṇṭha), even knowledge of ātmā is here said to be the cause of attaining Vaikuṇṭha.
Bhūrijana Dāsa
Gauḍīya
Commentary
When one works in detachment then that brings knowledge of the soul, and then when one gets knowledge of the soul, one gets knowledge of the Lord. And when one gets knowledge of the Lord he gets knowledge of how to surrender to the Lord and with this knowledge one surrenders to Him and gradually he becomes situated in Prema‑bhakti. This is the progression called Yoga‑ladder which will be discussed in more detail in the 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th Chapters of the B.gita.
This is actually the freedom from fear and miseries that Arjuna is worrying about.
Study Notes — Gauranga Priya Dāsa
Gauranga Priya Dāsa
Study
Bhakti-śāstrī Notes, ISKCON Chowpatty (2009)
Theme
COMMON THEME: 5 Benefits of acting in Buddhi-yoga
1. Freedom from good and bad reactions (2.50)
2. Freedom from cycle of birth and death (2.51)
3. Indifferent to Vedic rituals (2.52)
4. Realisation of relationship with Krishna as eternal servitor (Samadhi) (2.53)
5. Goes back to Godhead (2.72)
Classical Ācāryas
Śrī Śaṅkarācārya
Classical
Translation
2.51 The words 'phalam tyaktva, by giving up the fruits' are connected with the remote word 'karmajam, produced by actions'.
Hi, because; [Because, when actions are performed with an attitude of eanimity, it leads to becoming freed from sin etc. Therefore, by stages, it becomes the cause of Liberation as well.] buddhi-yuktah, those who are devoted to wisdom, who are imbued with the wisdom of eanimity; (they) becoming manisinah, men of Enlightenment; tyaktva, by giving up; phalam, the fruit, the acisition of desirable and undesriable bodies; [Desirable: the bodies of gods and others; undesirable: the bodies of animals etc.] karmajam, produced by actions; gacchanti, reach; padam, the state, the supreme state of Visnu, called Liberation; anamayam, beyond evils, i.e. beyond all evils; by having become janma-bandha-vinirmuktah, freed from the bondage of birth birth (janma) itself is a bondage (bandha); becoming freed from that , even while living.
Or: Since it (buddhi) has been mentioned as the direct cause of the elimination of righteousness and unrighteousness, and so on, therefore what has been presented (in the three verses) beginning with, 'O Dhananjaya,৷৷.to the yoga of wisdom' (49), is enlightenment itself, which consists in the realization of the supreme Goal, which is comparable to a flood all around, and which arises from the purification of the mind as a result of Karma-yoga. [In the first portion of the Commentary buddhi has been taken to mean samattva buddhi (wisdom of eanimity); the alternative meaning of buddhi has been taken as 'enlightenment'. So, action is to be performed by taking the help of the 'wisdom about the supreme Reality' which has been chosen as one's Goal.]
Śrī Rāmānujācārya
Classical
Translation
2.51 Those who possess this evenness of mind while performing actions and relinish their fruits, are freed from the bondage of rirth, and go to the region beyond all ills. 'Hi' means that this dictum or teaching is well known in all the Upanisads.
Śrī Abhinavagupta
Classical
Translation
2.51 Karmajam etc. The persons who are endowed with the determining faculty with regard to the Yoga, renounce the birth-bondage, by renouncing the fruit of actions; and they attain the Brahman-existence.
Swami Sivananda
Classical
Translation
2.51 The wise, possessed of knowledge, having abandoned the fruits of their actions, and being freed from the fetters of birth, go to the place which is beyond all evil.
Commentary
2.51 कर्मजम् actionborn? बुद्धियुक्ताः possessed of knowledsge? हि indeed? फलम् the fruit? त्यक्त्वा having abandoned? मनीषिणः the wise? जन्मबन्धविनिर्मुक्ताः freed from the fetters of birth? पदम् the abode? गच्छन्ति go? अनामयम् beyond evil.Commentary Clinging to the fruits of actions is the cause of rirth. Man takes a body to enjoy them. If anyone performs actions for the sake of God in fulfilment of His purpose without desire for the fruits? he is released from the bonds of birth and attains to the blissful state or the immortal abode.Sages who possess evenness of mind abandon the fruits of their actions and thus escape from good and bad actions.Buddhi referred to in the three verses 49? 50 and 51 may be the wisdom of the Sankhyas? i.e.? the knowledge of the Self or AtmaJnana which dawns when the mind is purified by Karma Yoga.
Swami Gambhīrānanda
Classical
Translation
2.51 Because, those who are devoted to wisdom, (they) becoming men of Enlightenment by giving up the fruits produced by actions, reach the state beyond evils by having become freed from the bondage of birth.
Shri Purohit Swami
Classical
Translation
2.51 The sages guided by Pure Intellect renounce the fruit of action; and, freed from the chains of rebirth, they reach the highest bliss.
Wise sages who give up the fruits of action are freed from the bondage of birth and reach the state beyond all distress.
Practical Applications
Make giving up fruits a daily practice, not an occasional gesture.
Reflect on the mahājanas who lived this way; emulate their pattern.
When you reach a milestone, immediately offer it rather than savor it for self-credit.
Reflection Questions
What recent 'fruit' have I privately savored that I should formally offer?
Whose example of fruit-renunciation can I follow more closely?
Analogy
A bird that lays no eggs leaves no nestlings to fledge — leaves nothing behind it that must hatch. The buddhi-yukta sage, having renounced the fruits, leaves no karmic eggs to hatch in future births. The trail behind him is clean; he walks toward the padam anāmayam.
Stories
Śuka leaves home before naming-ceremony
Born already realized, Śuka left his father Vyāsa's house even before formal initiation. Without performing the karmic rounds of householder life — yet not by escape, but by previous renunciation — he walked free of janma-bandha and gained the padam anāmayam.
He later returned, in Parīkṣit's seven-day vigil on the Gaṅgā, only to give the Bhāgavatam. The verse's promise — phalaṁ tyaktvā… padam gacchanti anāmayam — is biography in Śuka's case.
yadā—whente—yourmoha—of illusionkalilam—dense forestbuddhiḥ—transcendental service with intelligencevyatitariṣyati—surpassestadā—at that timegantā asi—you shall gonirvedam—callousnessśrotavyasya—toward all that is to be heardśrutasya—all that is already heardca—also .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
yadā te moha-kalilaṁ
yadā
when
te
your
moha
of illusion
kalilam
dense forest
buddhir vyatitariṣyati
buddhiḥ
transcendental service with intelligence
vyatitariṣyati
surpasses
tadā gantāsi nirvedaṁ
tadā
at that time
gantā asi
you shall go
nirvedam
callousness
śrotavyasya śrutasya ca
śrotavyasya
toward all that is to be heard
śrutasya
all that is already heard
ca
also .
Important Words
moha - kalilam—dense forest of delusion
Compound — *the thicket of moha*. Kalila is a tangled grove. Moha is the chapter's recurring enemy. The image is precise: not merely confusion but the *tangle* one is lost inside.
buddhiḥ—intelligence
The faculty that does the crossing. Not vairāgya alone, not bhakti alone — buddhi, the discriminating intelligence trained by yoga, is what passes through the thicket.
vyatitariṣyati—will cross beyond
Future of vy-ati-√tṝ — to cross over completely. Triple compound: vi + ati + tarati. *Will cross all the way beyond*. The verse promises future tense; the journey is real but not yet finished.
nirvedam—indifference
From nir + √vid — to be without interest. Often misread as 'depression'; here it is *spiritual disenchantment*, the natural loss of appetite for sense-objects that follows crossing moha. A mark of progress, not melancholy.
śrotavyasya—of what is to be heard
Future passive participle of √śru — *that which is to be heard*. Paired in the verse with śrutasya (what has already been heard). Together, they cover the whole karma-kāṇḍa apparatus of revelation-collection. The veda-vāda's endless cycle loses its hold.
When your intelligence has passed out of the dense forest of delusion, you shall become indifferent to all that has been heard and all that is to be heard.
Purport
There are many good examples in the lives of the great devotees of the Lord of those who became indifferent to the rituals of the Vedas simply by devotional service to the Lord. When a person factually understands Kṛṣṇa and his relationship with Kṛṣṇa, he naturally becomes completely indifferent to the rituals of fruitive activities, even though an experienced brāhmaṇa. Śrī Mādhavendra Purī, a great devotee and ācārya in the line of the devotees, says: sandhyā-vandana bhadram astu bhavato bhoḥ snāna tubhyaṁ namo bho devāḥ pitaraś ca tarpaṇa-vidhau nāhaṁ kṣamaḥ kṣamyatām yatra kvāpi niṣadya yādava-kulottaṁsasya kaṁsa-dviṣaḥ smāraṁ smāram aghaṁ harāmi tad alaṁ manye kim anyena me “O my prayers three times a day, all glory to you. O bathing, I offer my obeisances unto you. O demigods! O forefathers! Please excuse me for my inability to offer you my respects. Now wherever I sit, I can remember the great descendant of the Yadu dynasty [Kṛṣṇa], the enemy of Kaṁsa, and thereby I can free myself from all sinful bondage. I think this is sufficient for me.” The Vedic rites and rituals are imperative for neophytes: comprehending all kinds of prayer three times a day, taking a bath early in the morning, offering respects to the forefathers, etc. But when one is fully in Kṛṣṇa consciousness and is engaged in His transcendental loving service, one becomes indifferent to all these regulative principles because he has already attained perfection. If one can reach the platform of understanding by service to the Supreme Lord Kṛṣṇa, he has no longer to execute different types of penances and sacrifices as recommended in revealed scriptures. And, similarly, if one has not understood that the purpose of the Vedas is to reach Kṛṣṇa and simply engages in the rituals, etc., then he is uselessly wasting time in such engagements. Persons in Kṛṣṇa consciousness transcend the limit of śabda-brahma, or the range of the Vedas and Upaniṣads.
— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura
Gauḍīya
Translation
52. When your intelligence has completely crossed the denseness of illusion, you will be indifferent to all that has been heard and all that will be heard.
Commentary
From the performance of niṣkāma-karma-yoga offered to the Supreme Lord, you will develop this neutrality (yoga). When your intelligence has surpassed particularly (vi) and completely (ati) the denseness of illusion, at that time you will become indifferent to all the subjects about which you will hear, and have already heard. This you will achieve by destruction of doubts and misconceptions, through hearing instructions of scripture from Me. You will think “At the present, I must practice my sādhanas continuously.”
Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa
Gauḍīya
Translation
52. When your intelligence has completely renounced the denseness of ignorance, you will be indifferent to all that has been heard and all that will be heard concerning fruits of action.
Commentary
“When will my intelligence become directed towards ātma as I perform niṣkāma karma?”
When your intelligence completely gives up (vyati tariṣyati) the antakaraṇa, [Note: Antaḥkaraṇa refers to the internal organ, composed of mind, material intelligence and false ego.] a dense forest of ignorance, the cause of craving insignificant results (moha kalilam), then you will become indifferent to topics relating to these insignificant material results about which you have heard in the past, and will hear in the future. As the śruti says:
parīkṣya lokān karma-citān brāhmaṇo nirvedaṁ āyāt
The brāhmaṇa (one who has knowledge), having examined the world attained by karma, becomes indifferent to it. Muṇḍaka Upaniṣad 1.2.12
There is no rule about time: the person will become acquainted with that intelligence directed to ātmā by being indifferent to the results of action (whenever that occurs).
Bhūrijana Dāsa
Gauḍīya
Commentary
Because this Karma‑kanda Section of the Vedas describe how to gain fruitive benefits. But when one is intelligent he passes through this "dense forest of delusion" trying to get material benefits and heaven and trying to avoid material miseries. Then when one understands the purpose of the Vedas,
Study Notes — Gauranga Priya Dāsa
Gauranga Priya Dāsa
Study
Bhakti-śāstrī Notes, ISKCON Chowpatty (2009)
Theme
Persons in full Krishna consciousness transcends the limit of Shabda-Brahman (Range of Vedas and
Upanisads)
To engage in dutiful detached activities as explained in Texts 2.50 – 2.51, one must become disinterested in all hopes for sense gratification which are typically promoted in Vedic karma-kanda sections
This verse implies that Arjuna should rise above the calculation of happiness and misery and fight with buddhi (fixed intelligence)
Focus of Learning
(a) Example of indifference to Vedic rituals on strength of devotional service – Sripad Madhevendra
Puri (study purport)
(b) Neophyte must follow the ritual, but one must know the goal – Otherwise it is a waste of time.
This implies:
Vedic rites and rituals imperative for neophytes: All kinds of prayers three times a day, taking a bath early in the morning, offering respects to forefathers etc.
But one who is fully Krishna conscious becomes indifferent to all these regulative principles because he has already attained perfection
(c) Analogy: Karma-kanda section is compared to the dense dark forest of illusion
(d) Who becomes indifferent to karma-kanda, even though he is an experienced brahmana – one
who understands Krishna and his relationship with Krishna
(a) Param-Padam (Vaikuntha-loka) refers to a state of no miseries – It is the place of liberated living
entities
Ref: SB 10.14.58 – Analogy: Shelter of the boat of lotus feet of the Lord makes the ocean of the material world as small as a calf’s hoof print
(b) Ignorance of ‘conditioned soul’ vs Position of ‘Great Souls’ – Conditioned souls do not know that:
Material world – Danger at every step
All material bodies anywhere in the universe are full of miseries
No adjustment possible by fruitive acts
(c) How do great sages get free – By devotional service
(d) Secret of Success and qualification to enter Vaikuntha planets
Know the constitutional position of living entity as eternal servitor of Supreme Personality of Godhead
To know the constitutional position also means to know the sublime position of the Lord
Fate of thinking of ‘Oneness with the Lord’ – repeated birth and death
One who wrongly thinks that the living entity and Lord are on the same level is understood to be in darkness and cannot engage in devotional service to the Lord
(e) Definition of Karma-yoga/Buddhi-yoga/Devotional service – Service for the cause of the Lord
Classical Ācāryas
Śrī Śaṅkarācārya
Classical
Translation
2.52 When is attained that wisdom which arises from the purification of the mind brought about by the pursuit of (karma-) yoga? This is being stated: Yada, when, [Yada: when maturity of discrimination is attained.] at the time when; te, your; buddhih, mind; vyatitarisyati, will go beyond, cross over; moha-kalilam, the turbidity of delusion, the dirt in the form of delusion, in the form of non-discrimination, which, after confounding one's understanding about the distinction between the Self and the not-Self, impels the mind towards objects that is to say, when your mind will attain the state of purity; tada, then, [Tada: then, when the mind, becoming purified, leads to the rise of discrimination, which in turn matures into detachment.] at that time; gantasi, you will acire; nirvedam, despassion; for srotavyasya, what has to be heard; ca, and; srutasya, what has been heard. The idea implied is that, at that time what has to be heard and what has been heard [What has to be heard৷৷.has been heard, i.e. the scriptures other than those relating to Self-knowledge. When discrimination referred to above gets matured, then the fruitlessness of all things other than Self-knowledge becomes apparent.] becomes fruitless.
Śrī Rāmānujācārya
Classical
Translation
2.52 If you act in this manner and get freed from impurities, your intellect will pass beyond the tangle of delusion. The dense impurity of sin is the nature of that delusion which generates attachment to infinitesimal results, of which you have already heard much from us and will hear more later on. You will then immediately feel, of your own accord, renunciation or feeling of disgust for them all.
Sri Krsna now teaches the goal called self-realisation (Yoga) which results from the performance of duty as taught in the passage beginning with 'Now, listen to this with regard to Karma Yoga' (2.39) which is based on the knowledge of the real nature of the self gained through the refinement of the mind.
Śrī Abhinavagupta
Classical
Translation
2.52 See Comment under 2.53
Swami Sivananda
Classical
Translation
2.52 When thy intellect crosses beyond the mire of delusion, then thou shalt attain to indifference as to what has been heard and what has yet to be heard.
Commentary
2.52 यदा when? ते thy? मोहकलिलम् mire of delusion? बुद्धिः intellect? व्यतितरिष्यति crosses beyond? तदा then? गन्तासि thou shalt attain? निर्वेदम् to indifference? श्रोतव्यस्य of what has to be heard? श्रुतस्य what has been heard? च and.Commentary The mire of delusion is the identification of the Self with the notself. The sense of discrimination between the Self and the notSelf is confounded by the mire of delusion and the mind runs towards the sensual objects and the body is takes as the pure Self. When you attain purity of mind? you will attain to indifference regarding things heard and yet to be heard. They will appear to you to be of no use. You will not care a bit for them. You will entertain disgust for them. (Cf.XVI.24).
Swami Gambhīrānanda
Classical
Translation
2.52 When your mind will go beyond the turbidity of delusion, then you will acire dispassion for what has to be heard and what has been heard.
Shri Purohit Swami
Classical
Translation
2.52 When thy reason has crossed the entanglements of illusion, then shalt thou become indifferent both to the philosophies thou hast heard and to those thou mayest yet hear.
When your intelligence crosses the dense forest of delusion, you become indifferent to all that is to be heard and all that has been heard.
Practical Applications
Recognize when 'more information' has become a form of delusion-forest rather than light.
Cultivate the capacity to be silent and unmoved by intellectual fashions.
Trust the inner clarity you already have rather than constantly seeking new framings.
Reflection Questions
What is my own forest of delusion right now, and what am I doing to cross it?
Where would less hearing serve me better than more?
Analogy
A forest fog that for years made every tree look like every other tree finally lifts; the traveler sees the path he has been seeking. Moha-kalila — the dense thicket of delusion — falls away, and what one used to hunger to hear and to keep hearing now produces only nirveda — sober disinterest in the noise.
śruti—of Vedic revelationvipratipannā—without being influenced by the fruitive resultste—youryadā—whensthāsyati—remainsniścalā—unmovedsamādhau—in transcendental consciousness, or Kṛṣṇa consciousnessacalā—unflinchingbuddhiḥ—intelligencetadā—at that timeyogam—self-realizationavāpsyasi—you will achieve .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
śruti-vipratipannā te
śruti
of Vedic revelation
vipratipannā
without being influenced by the fruitive results
te
your
yadā sthāsyati niścalā
yadā
when
sthāsyati
remains
niścalā
unmoved
samādhāv acalā buddhis
samādhau
in transcendental consciousness, or Kṛṣṇa consciousness
acalā
unflinching
buddhiḥ
intelligence
tadā yogam avāpsyasi
tadā
at that time
yogam
self-realization
avāpsyasi
you will achieve .
Important Words
śruti - vipratipannā—perplexed by śruti
Compound — *bewildered by the Vedic word*. Vipratipanna is from vi-prati-√pad — to walk in conflicting directions. The buddhi has been pulled apart by the karma-kāṇḍa's multiple promises (verse 42-43). The verse names the disease.
niścalā—unmoving
Nir + cala — without motion. The buddhi has come to stillness. Compare 6.19's nivātasthaḥ — a lamp in a windless place. The image of stillness is consistent across the Gītā.
samādhau—in samādhi
Locative. Samādhi here is not eight-limbed-yoga's terminal trance specifically but the settled state of consciousness fixed on the Self / the Lord. The mind has been placed-together (sam-ā-dhā).
acalā—immovable
Parallel to niścalā, doubled for emphasis. The buddhi is *un-moving and im-movable* — both negatives. The chapter is teaching what the right kind of stillness looks like.
avāpsyasi—you will attain
Future of ava-√āp — to obtain, to reach. Yoga is *attained* — the verb is acquisitional. The verse closes the long karma-yoga argument with a personal promise: *you* will reach it.
When your mind is no longer disturbed by the flowery language of the Vedas, and when it remains fixed in the trance of self-realization, then you will have attained the divine consciousness.
Purport
To say that one is in samādhi is to say that one has fully realized Kṛṣṇa consciousness; that is, one in full samādhi has realized Brahman, Paramātmā and Bhagavān. The highest perfection of self-realization is to understand that one is eternally the servitor of Kṛṣṇa and that one’s only business is to discharge one’s duties in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. A Kṛṣṇa conscious person, or unflinching devotee of the Lord, should not be disturbed by the flowery language of the Vedas nor be engaged in fruitive activities for promotion to the heavenly kingdom. In Kṛṣṇa consciousness, one comes directly into communion with Kṛṣṇa, and thus all directions from Kṛṣṇa may be understood in that transcendental state. One is sure to achieve results by such activities and attain conclusive knowledge. One has only to carry out the orders of Kṛṣṇa or His representative, the spiritual master.
— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura
Gauḍīya
Translation
53. When your intelligence is indifferent to the Vedas because of being fixed, and you are situated in samādhi, then you will attain the status of jīvan-mukta. [Note: With discussion of samādhi the topic now switches to jṣāna-yoga. This will be made clear in the next chapter.]
Commentary
At that time, you will become detached from hearing about all sorts of material and Vedic subjects, because of being averse to the agitation created by these subjects (niścalā). And your intelligence will be fixed in samādhi (samādhau acalā), as described in the sixth chapter. At that time, by achieving direct realization, you will achieve the status of jīvan-mukta (yogam avāpsyasi).
Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa
Gauḍīya
Translation
53. When your intelligence, fixed on knowing ātmā after hearing, devoid of thoughts of attaining or not attaining, becomes fixed in the mind, you will attain realization of that ātmā.
Commentary
“When my heart is purified by performance of actions while being indifferent to results, I will attain knowledge of ātmā. But when will I have direct realization of that ātmā?”
When your intelligence, completely perfected (vipratipanna) through statements of śruti such as tam etaṁ vedānuvacanena brāhmaṇā vividiṣanti yajṣena dānena tapasā nāśakena (Brāhmaṇas seek to know the Lord by study of the Vedas, by sacrifice, by charity, by austerity, and by fasting. Bṛhad Āraṇyaka Upāniṣad 4.4.22 ), which explain that action brings knowledge of ātmā (śruti), and when the intelligence becomes devoid of doubt and contrary conceptions about objects (acalā) and remains without motion (niścaḷā) in the mind or in concentration (samādhau) like a flame in a windless place, then you will attain the yoga characterized by realization of ātmā (yoga).
The meaning is this. Activities performed without craving for results produce steadiness in knowledge (jṣāna niṣṭhā) also known as sthita prajṣatā. This sthita prajṣatā or jṣāna niṣṭhā is realization of ātmā.
Bhūrijana Dāsa
Gauḍīya
Commentary
When one's consciousness becomes "vyavasa‑atmika buddhih", fixed in consciousness on the fact that he is a soul, then the vedic injunctions of prescribed duties "do this, do that" will not disrturb him and he will actually be situated in the divine consciousness.
This detachment in knowledge while working, the Buddhi‑yoga Section, is finished with text 53. And now Arjuna asks some
questions:
[ E ‑ STHITA PRAJNA ‑‑SAMADHI.
FIGHT! BECOME FIXED IN KRSNA CONSCIOUSNESS (2. 54‑72)
1 ‑ Arjuna asks Krsna four questions about one whose consciousness is merged in transcendence: What are his symptoms? How does he speak? How does he sit? How does he walk? (54) ]
Because Krsna has taught about attaining the divine consciousness (samadhi), unflinching intelligence in Krsna consciousness, Arjuna asks four questions:
Study Notes — Gauranga Priya Dāsa
Gauranga Priya Dāsa
Study
Bhakti-śāstrī Notes, ISKCON Chowpatty (2009)
Theme
COMMON THEME: 5 Benefits of acting in Buddhi-yoga
1. Freedom from good and bad reactions (2.50)
2. Freedom from cycle of birth and death (2.51)
3. Indifferent to Vedic rituals (2.52)
4. Realisation of relationship with Krishna as eternal servitor (Samadhi) (2.53)
5. Goes back to Godhead (2.72)
Classical Ācāryas
Śrī Śaṅkarācārya
Classical
Translation
2.53 If it be asked, 'By becoming possessed of the wisdom arising from the discrimination about the Self after overcoming the turbidity of delusion, when shall I attain the yoga of the supreme Reality which is the fruit that results from Karma-yoga?', then listen to that; Yada, when at the time when; te, your; buddhih, mind; that has become sruti-vi-pratipanna, bewildered, tossed about, by hearing (the Vedas) that reveal the diverse ends, means, and (their) relationship, i.e. are filled with divergent ideas; sthasyati, will become; niscala, unshakable, free from the trubulence in the form of distractions; and acala, steadfast, that is to say, free from doubt even in that (unshakable) state; samadhau, in samadhi, that is to say, in the Self samadhi being derived in the sense of that in which the mind is fixed; tada, then, at that time; avapsyasi, you will attain; yogam, Yoga, the enlightenment, Self-absorption, that arises from discrimination.
Having got an occasion for iniry, Arjuna, with a view to knowing the characteristics of one who has the realization of the Self, [By the word samadhi is meant the enlightenment arising from discrimination, which has been spoken of in the commentary on the previous verse. The steadfastness which the monks have in that enlightenment is called steadfastness in Knowledge. Or the phrase may mean, 'the enlightenment achieved through meditation on the Self', i.e. the realization of the supreme Goal.] asked:
Śrī Rāmānujācārya
Classical
Translation
2.53 Here 'Sruti' means hearing (and not the Veda). When your intellect, which, by hearing from us, has become specially enlightened, having for its object the eternal, unsurpassed and subtle self - which belongs to a class different from all other entities -, then the intellect is firmly fixed, i.e., in a single psychosis and stands unshaken. In such a concentrated mind, purified by the performance of duties without attachment, will be generated true Yoga, which consists in the vision of the self. What is said is this: Karma Yoga, which presupposes the knowledge of the real nature of the self obtained from the scriptures, leads to a firm devotion to knowledge known as the state of firm wisdom; and the state of 'firm wisdom;' which is in the form of devotion to knowledge, generates the vision of the self; this vision is here called Yoga.
Arjuna, thus taught, estions about the nature of 'firm wisdom' which constitutes the means for the attainment of Yoga and which itself is attainable through Karma Yoga which consists in work with detachment, and also about the mode of behaviour of a man of 'firm wisdom.'
Śrī Abhinavagupta
Classical
Translation
2.52-53 Yada te etc. Sruti-etc. At the time, when the determining facult with regard to the Yoga is attained, the clear sign of recognizing it, is this : An attitude of futility about the revealed literature that has to be listened to, that has been listened to and that is being declared. What has been declared by the above is this : 'This present view of yours about the ruination of your race is out of place and it is due to the influence of your deceptive notion, born of mental impressions created by your listening to the teachings of those scriptures that favour the observers who are fallen deep into the course of ignorance. But, that view shall vanish when the respect for such a teaching disappears.
Swami Sivananda
Classical
Translation
2.53 When thy intellect, which is perplexed by the Veda text, which thou hast read, shall stand immovable and steady in the Self, then thou shalt attain Self-realisation.
Commentary
2.53 श्रुतिविप्रतिपन्ना perplexed by what hast heard? ते thy? यदा when? स्थास्यति shall stand? निश्चला immovable? समाधौ in the Self? अचला steady? बुद्धिः intellect? तदा then? योगम् Selfrealisation? अवाप्स्यसि (thou) shalt attain.Commentary When your intellect which is tossed about by the conflict of opinions regarding the Pravritti Marga (the path of action) and the Nivritti Marga (the path of retirement or renunciation) has become immovable without distraction and doubt and firmly established in the Self? then thou shalt attain Selfrealisation or knowledge of the Self (AtmaJnana).
Swami Gambhīrānanda
Classical
Translation
2.53 When your mind that has become bewildered by hearing [S. takes the word sruti in the sense of the Vedas.-Tr.] will become unshakable and steadfast in the Self, then you will attain Yoga that arises from discrimination.
Shri Purohit Swami
Classical
Translation
2.53 When the intellect, bewildered by the multiplicity of holy scripts, stands unperturbed in blissful contemplation of the Infinite, then hast thou attained Spirituality.
When your mind, no longer disturbed by Vedic flowery promises, stands fixed in samādhi, then you have reached yoga.
Practical Applications
Notice that real yoga is the steadiness of mind, not the volume of activity.
Cultivate stillness even after attaining knowledge — knowledge alone is insufficient.
Begin a daily practice in which you sit silently for even five minutes in remembrance.
Reflection Questions
Where is my mind still moved by promises and preferences I claim to have outgrown?
What practice would settle my buddhi into the samādhi this verse describes?
Analogy
A flag fluttering in a thousand directions finally drops still as the wind dies. The buddhi long pulled by śruti-vipratipanna — the conflicting interpretations of revelation — settles, niścalā, into samādhi. The flag was never the wind; once the wind is gone, the flag is exactly where it always was.
arjunaḥ uvāca—Arjuna saidsthita - prajñasya—of one who is situated in fixed Kṛṣṇa consciousnesskā—whatbhāṣā—languagesamādhi - sthasya—of one situated in trancekeśava—O Kṛṣṇasthita - dhīḥ—one fixed in Kṛṣṇa consciousnesskim—whatprabhāṣeta—speakskim—howāsīta—does remain stillvrajeta—walkskim—how .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
arjuna uvāca
arjunaḥ uvāca
Arjuna said
sthita-prajñasya kā bhāṣā
sthita - prajñasya
of one who is situated in fixed Kṛṣṇa consciousness
kā
what
bhāṣā
language
samādhi-sthasya keśava
samādhi - sthasya
of one situated in trance
keśava
O Kṛṣṇa
sthita-dhīḥ kiṁ prabhāṣeta
sthita - dhīḥ
one fixed in Kṛṣṇa consciousness
kim
what
prabhāṣeta
speaks
kim āsīta vrajeta kim
kim
how
āsīta
does remain still
vrajeta
walks
kim
how .
Important Words
sthita - prajñasya—of one whose wisdom is established
Compound genitive — *of one whose prajñā is stationed*. The chapter's culminating title. Sthita-prajña is the name for the realized soul of the Gītā's anthropology; verses 55-72 elaborate it.
bhāṣā—speech, language
From √bhāṣ — to speak. *What language?* Arjuna asks for outward signs — speech being the first. The verse opens a fourfold question: speak, sit, walk, talk.
samādhi - sthasya—of one fixed in samādhi
Compound genitive — *of one stationed in samādhi*. Echoes verse 53's samādhau acalā buddhiḥ. Arjuna picks up Kṛṣṇa's vocabulary exactly — the disciple is listening.
keśava—O Keśava
Vocative — *O slayer of Keśī*, or *O long-haired one*. The Gauḍīya commentaries note that addressing the Lord by His demon-slayer names while asking about the self-controlled is fitting: Keśava slays the inner demons of the saṁyamī's enemies.
vrajeta—may walk
Optative of √vraj — to go. Even the *walking* — the smallest outward sign — is asked about. Arjuna wants the picture concrete, body-level. He is preparing to imitate.
Arjuna said: O Kṛṣṇa, what are the symptoms of one whose consciousness is thus merged in transcendence? How does he speak, and what is his language? How does he sit, and how does he walk?
Purport
As there are symptoms for each and every man, in terms of his particular situation, similarly one who is Kṛṣṇa conscious has his particular nature – talking, walking, thinking, feeling, etc. As a rich man has his symptoms by which he is known as a rich man, as a diseased man has his symptoms by which he is known as diseased, or as a learned man has his symptoms, so a man in transcendental consciousness of Kṛṣṇa has specific symptoms in various dealings. One can know his specific symptoms from the Bhagavad-gītā. Most important is how the man in Kṛṣṇa consciousness speaks; for speech is the most important quality of any man. It is said that a fool is undiscovered as long as he does not speak, and certainly a well-dressed fool cannot be identified unless he speaks, but as soon as he speaks, he reveals himself at once. The immediate symptom of a Kṛṣṇa conscious man is that he speaks only of Kṛṣṇa and of matters relating to Him. Other symptoms then automatically follow, as stated below.
— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura
Gauḍīya
Translation
54. Arjuna said: O Keśava, what is the description of this person situated in samādhi, the sthita-prajṣa? What does he speak, how does he sit, how does he move?
Commentary
Hearing about intelligence fixed in samādhi (samādhav acalā buddhiḥ), Arjuna asks about the characteristics of that yogī. Sthita-prajṣa in this verse has the same meaning as acalā buddhi in the previous verse: fixed intelligence. What qualities can describe the sthita-prajṣa (kā bhāsā)? What are the qualities of the person situated in samādhi, samādhi stha? Actually the terms sthita-prajṣa and samādhi-stha both refer to the jīvan-mukta. What will that person say in the face of happiness and distress, respect and disrespect, praise and condemnation (kim prabhāṣeta)? What will he say, either loudly or to himself? In what way will his senses remain unresponsive to the external objects (kim āsīta)? In what way will his senses respond to the objects (vrajeta kim)?
Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa
Gauḍīya
Translation
54. Arjuna said: O Keśava, what is the description of this person situated in samādhi, the sthita prajṣa? In agitating circumstances, how will he speak, how will he remain, suppressing his senses, or how will he engage his senses?
Commentary
When the Lord spoke thus, Arjuna wanting to know the characteristics of the sthitha prajṣa mentioned in the previous verse, a person situated in realization of ātmā, asks questions. There are four questions in this verse. One concerns the situation in samādhi. The other three are concerning the same person in samādhi when subjected to agitating circumstances.
How does one describe (kā bhāṣā) a person whose intelligence is fixed (sthita prajṣāsya), or the person situated in samādhi (samādhi sthasya)? Bhāṣa means “that by which something is described.” By which qualities can the sthita prajṣa be defined?
When that person becomes subjected to agitating circumstances, how will he behave? How will his words or actions be distinguished from those of others? On receiving praise or blame, affection or hate, what will he say externally or internally (kim prabhāṣeta)? How will he stop the senses from going to sense objects (kim āsīta)? And not stopping the senses, how will he receive those sense objects (kim vrajeta)? These last three are expressed with verbs in the potential mood. (If it were to happen, what would he do?)
Bhūrijana Dāsa
Gauḍīya
Commentary
This questions look external but they have internal meanings having to do with one situated in transcendence.
The first one will be answered in text 55: What are the symptoms? And that means how does he reveals his position of being in that transcendental consciousness. And Krsna answer is:
[ 2 ‑ What are the symptoms? (How does he reveal his position?) The self‑realized soul has renounced all tinges of sense gratification through having found pleasure in his self. (55) ]
Study Notes — Gauranga Priya Dāsa
Gauranga Priya Dāsa
Study
Bhakti-śāstrī Notes, ISKCON Chowpatty (2009)
Theme
Arjuna asks four questions as to how to recognize a person situated in Krishna consciousness (Self-
realized soul) or ‘Sthita-prajna’ (One in divine consciousness)
Arjuna’s four questions are:
General symptoms (Answered in 2.55)
How does he speak (Answered in 2.56-2.57)
How does he sit
(Answered in 2.58-2.59)
How does he walk (Answered in 2.64-2.71)
PRACTICAL APPLICATION OF SECTION V
One who is fixed in Krishna consciousness is beyond the disturbance of external material phenomenon. He can experience transcendence even while in this body
Satisfaction is the fundamental symptom of one fixed in understanding of constitutional position
SUMMARISED THEME 2E
CHARACTERISTICS AND BENEFITS OF BUDDHI-YOGA (2.39 – 2.72)
1. Freedom from bondage of work (2.39)
2. No loss or diminution on this path (2.40)
3. Saves one from the greatest danger (2.40)
4. Resolute determination (2.41)
5. Freedom from good and bad reactions (2.50)
6. Freedom from cycle of birth and death (2.51)
7. Indifferent to Vedic rituals (2.52)
8. Realisation of relationship with Krishna as eternal servitor (Samadhi) (2.53)
9. Goes back to Godhead (2.72)
Focus of Learning
(a) “Highest perfection of Self-realisation” implies to realize oneself as an “Eternal Servitor of
Krishna” and one’s only business is to discharge one’s duties in Krishna consciousness
(b) How does a Krishna Consciousness person get instructions, if he neglects Vedic flowery
language?
He comes directly in communion with Krishna by this process
Only one has to simply carry out the orders of the spiritual master and Krishna
Thus one is sure to achieve the results and attain conclusive knowledge
Classical Ācāryas
Śrī Śaṅkarācārya
Classical
Translation
2.54 O Kesava, ka, what; is the bhasa, description, the language (for the description) how is he described by others ; sthita-prajnasya, of a man of steady wisdom, of one whose realization, 'I am the supreme Brahman', remains steady; samadhi-sthasya, of one who is Self-absorbed? Or kim, how; does the sthitadhih, dhih, man of steady wisdom; himself probhaseta, speak? How does he asita, sit? How does he vrajeta, move about? That is to say, of what kind is his sitting or moving?
Through this verse Arjuna asks for a description of the man of steady wisdom.
Śrī Rāmānujācārya
Classical
Translation
2.54 Arjuna said What is the speech of a man of firm wisdom who is abiding with the mind controlled? What words can describe his state? What is his nature? This is the meaning of 'How does a man of firm wisdom speak etc.?'
His specific conduct is now described as his nature can be inferred therefrom.
Śrī Abhinavagupta
Classical
Translation
2.54 Sthita-prajnasya etc. By the statement 'When the determing faculty shall stand [firm in concentration, at that time you shall attain Yoga - above II, 55]' it has been [virtually] stated there that the appellation sthita-prajna (man-of-stabilized-intellect) is a nomenclature signifying man-of-Yoga who is fixed in concentration. Now, what is the connotation of it, i.e., what is the basis for the usage of this nomenclature ? For, [connotation is that] basing on which a particular meaning is connoted by words. Does the appellation sthita-prajna of the man-of-Yoga speak of him through its traditional (or conventional) force of the word or through its force of etymology ? This is the first estion. Of course, regarding the traditional force of the word there is no doubt at all. [For, it has no such force in it]. Yet, the present estion is to make the etymological meaning-though it is already available-clear by explaining the basis for definition of special nature.
The expression sthira-dhih has for its imports both the expression [itself] and its meaning 'the fixed-minded'. Of them, does the expression sthira-dhih denote that meaning alone which is indicated by the force of its components; or else does it denote the ascetic also ? This is the second estion.
Again, where would that firm-minded man-of-Yoga abide i.e., what would he practise; or what would his firmness depend on ? This is the third [estion].
And what world he achieve by practising ? This is the fourth [estion].
These four estions are decided one by one by the Bhagavat [in the seel].
Swami Sivananda
Classical
Translation
2.54 Arjuna said What, O Krishna, is the description of him who has steady wisdom, and is merged in the superconscious state? How does one of steady wisdom speak, how does he sit, how does he walk?
Commentary
2.54 स्थितप्रज्ञस्य of the (sage of) steady wisdom? का what? भाषा description? समाधिस्थस्य of the (man) merged in the superconscious state? केशव O Kesava? स्थितधीः the sage of steady wisdom? किम् what (how)? प्रभाषेत speaks? किम् what (how)? आसीत sits? व्रजेत walks? किम् what (how).Commentary Arjuna wants to know from Lord Krishna the characteristic marks of one who is established in the Self in Samadhi how he speaks? how he sits? how he moves about.The characteristic marks of the sage of steady wisdom and the means of attaining that steady knowledge of the Self are described in the verses from 55 to 72 of this chapter.Steady wisdom is settled knowledge of ones identity with Brahman attained by direct realisation. (Cf.XIV.21? 27).
Swami Gambhīrānanda
Classical
Translation
2.54 Arjuna said O kesava, what is the description of a man of steady wisdom who is Self-absorbed? How does the man of steady wisdom speak? How does he sit? How does he move about?
Shri Purohit Swami
Classical
Translation
2.54 Arjuna asked: My Lord! How can we recognise the saint who has attained Pure Intellect, who has reached this state of Bliss, and whose mind is steady? how does he talk, how does he live, and how does he act?
Arjuna asks the question every serious sādhaka eventually asks: how does one fixed in transcendence speak, sit, and walk?
Practical Applications
Give yourself permission to ask 'how does the realized soul actually live?' — and let the answer reshape your daily habits.
Identify one realized devotee whose conduct you can study and emulate.
Stop hiding behind philosophy; demand of yourself a corresponding way of living.
Reflection Questions
What does the conduct of the sthita-prajña look like in modern life?
Whose external comportment in my life models the internal state I aspire to?
Analogy
A student who has heard the teaching now asks for the picture of the finished product — what does the realized person look like, talk like, walk like? Arjuna is asking for an icon. The next eighteen verses (55-72) will paint it.
śrī - bhagavān uvāca—the Supreme Personality of Godhead saidprajahāti—gives upyadā—whenkāmān—desires for sense gratificationsarvān—of all varietiespārtha—O son of Pṛthāmanaḥ - gatān—of mental concoctionātmani—in the pure state of the souleva—certainlyātmanā—by the purified mindtuṣṭaḥ—satisfiedsthita - prajñaḥ—transcendentally situatedtadā—at that timeucyate—is said .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
śrī-bhagavān uvāca
śrī - bhagavān uvāca
the Supreme Personality of Godhead said
prajahāti yadā kāmān
prajahāti
gives up
yadā
when
kāmān
desires for sense gratification
sarvān pārtha mano-gatān
sarvān
of all varieties
pārtha
O son of Pṛthā
manaḥ - gatān
of mental concoction
ātmani
in the pure state of the soul
ātmany evātmanā tuṣṭaḥ
eva
certainly
ātmanā
by the purified mind
tuṣṭaḥ
satisfied
sthita-prajñas tadocyate
sthita - prajñaḥ
transcendentally situated
tadā
at that time
ucyate
is said .
Important Words
prajahāti—gives up
Pra + √hā — to abandon thoroughly. Stronger than tyaj. The desires are not 'managed' but *thrown out*. The verse names a clean break, not a negotiation.
kāmān—desires
Plural accusative — *the desires*. All of them, named in the plural. The Gauḍīya commentary specifies: mātrika kāmas — those that arise within the mind — including subtle ones.
manaḥ - gatān—mind-arisen
Compound — *gone-to-the-mind*, arising in the mind. The desires renounced are not just outward but mental. The verse closes the inner door, not only the outer.
ātmani—in the self
Locative of ātman. Paired with ātmanā (instrumental) in the same verse: *in* the ātmā, *by means of* the ātmā. Gauḍīya reading: the jīva-ātmā, by its purified mind, is satisfied in the Paramātmā — Kṛṣṇa seated within (cf. Prabhupāda's purport: "eternally serving the Supreme Lord"). Not a self-enclosed circuit; the inner Lord is the object.
sthita - prajñaḥ—established in wisdom
Compound — *stationed in prajñā*. The first formal definition Kṛṣṇa gives of the sthita-prajña, answering Arjuna's question 2.54. The Gītā's anthropological centerpiece is now named.
The Supreme Personality of Godhead said: O Pārtha, when a man gives up all varieties of desire for sense gratification, which arise from mental concoction, and when his mind, thus purified, finds satisfaction in the self alone, then he is said to be in pure transcendental consciousness.
Purport
The Bhāgavatam affirms that any person who is fully in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, or devotional service of the Lord, has all the good qualities of the great sages, whereas a person who is not so transcendentally situated has no good qualifications, because he is sure to be taking refuge in his own mental concoctions. Consequently, it is rightly said herein that one has to give up all kinds of sense desire manufactured by mental concoction. Artificially, such sense desires cannot be stopped. But if one is engaged in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, then, automatically, sense desires subside without extraneous efforts. Therefore, one has to engage himself in Kṛṣṇa consciousness without hesitation, for this devotional service will instantly help one onto the platform of transcendental consciousness. The highly developed soul always remains satisfied in himself by realizing himself as the eternal servitor of the Supreme Lord. Such a transcendentally situated person has no sense desires resulting from petty materialism; rather, he remains always happy in his natural position of eternally serving the Supreme Lord.
— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura
Gauḍīya
Translation
55. The Lord said: When he completely gives up all desires which arise from the mind alone, and is satisfied with the soul alone by that mind, he is called sthita-prajṣa.
Commentary
Step by step, Kṛṣṇa answers each of the four questions, from this verse until the end of the chapter. (This verse answers the first question: What is the nature of the jīvan-mukta?)
He gives up all desires, so that not even one desire remains for any object. He is able to give up these desires because they belong to the mind (manogatān); they are not the intrinsic quality of the soul. If they were the intrinsic quality of the soul, they could not be given up, just as fire never gives up heat. The cause for this is stated. He is satisfied by the soul whose very nature is bliss (ātmanā tuṣṭaḥ), in the mind (ātmani) which has withdrawn from sense objects. The śruti says:
yadā sarve pramucyante kāmā ye ’sya hṛdi śritāḥ
atha martyo ’mṛto bhavaty atra brahma samaśnute
When all the desires situated in the heart are cleared away, the mortal becomes immortal and enjoys Brahman. Kaṭha Upaniṣad 6.14
Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa
Gauḍīya
Translation
55. The Lord said: When he completely gives up all desires which arise from the mind alone, and is satisfied with the soul alone by that mind, he is called sthita prajṣa.
Commentary
Being asked, the Lord answers these questions one by one until the end of the chapter. He answers the first question with this one verse.
“O son of Pṛthā, when a person completely gives up all desires situated in the mind, he is known as sthita prajṣa. As desires belong to the mind, it is possible that they can be given up. If they belonged to the ātmā, then they would be difficult to give up, just as it is difficult for fire to give up its quality of heat.”
“But can one remain like a dry piece of wood?”
“One is completely satisfied (tuṣṭaḥ) in the mind which has withdrawn from desires (ātmani) with ones svarūpa or the Lord (ātmanā), whose essence is self-manifesting bliss. The person who gives up all sense objects as insignificant, and enjoys the bliss of the self is said to be situated in samādhi. He is called sthita prajṣa.”
According to Medinī:
ātmā puṁsi svabhāve’pi prayanta-manasor api
dhṛtāv api manīṣāyāṁ śarīra-brahmaṇor api
Atmā refers to the human being, nature, fire, mind, determination, understanding, body, and Brahman (jīva and the Lord).
The word brahma in this verse refers to jīva or īśvara.
Bhūrijana Dāsa
Gauḍīya
Commentary
This is called "sthita‑prajna" or transcendentally situated.
The symptoms are basically two: there is no material affections and he is so pure his satisfaction in consciousness in entirely spiritual on the self alone. This is actually basically describing someone who attains this consciousness on the Jnana path ‑ a pure samadhi type of person. But it is also true in the Bhakti path because everything that is true about someone in the Jnana level, how he is detached from matter, is also true in the Krsna consciousness level. These things will become clear as we go on.
The second question Krsna answers is in Text 56 and 57: "How he speaks?". The inner meaning of this question is "how is his mentality and words affected by the affection, equanimity or anger of others?" In other words, "if one is angry with you or affectionate with you or just neutral with you and you are on that platform of self realization, how do you react to that in your mind and in your words?"
[ 3 . How does he speak? (How are his mentality and words affected by the affection, equanimity, or anger of others?) Such a pure soul is neither mentally disturbed, elated, attached, fearful, or angry, and he verbally neither praises nor criticizes the good and evil he attains. (56‑57) ]
Study Notes — Gauranga Priya Dāsa
Gauranga Priya Dāsa
Study
Bhakti-śāstrī Notes, ISKCON Chowpatty (2009)
Theme
Answers first question “General description and characteristics of a self-realized person”
He gives up all material desires of sense gratification born of mental concoction
Thus purified in mind one finds satisfaction in the self alone
Classical Ācāryas
Śrī Śaṅkarācārya
Classical
Translation
2.55 In the verses beginning from, 'When one fully renounces৷৷.', and ending with the completion the Chapter, instruction about the characteristics of the man of steady wisdom and the disciplines (he had to pass through) is being given both for the one who has, indeed, applied himself to steadfastness in the Yoga of Knowledge after having renounced rites and duties from the very beginning [Even while he is in the stage of celibacy.], and for the one who has (applied himself to this after having passed) through the path of Karma-yoga. For in all the scriptures without exception, dealing, with spirituality, whatever are the characteristics of the man of realization are themselves presented as the disciplines for an aspirant, because these (characteristics) are the result of effort. And those that are the disciplines reiring effort, they become the characteristics (of the man of realization). [There are two kinds of sannyasa vidvat (renunciation that naturally follows Realization), and vividisa, formal renunciation for undertaking the disciplines which lead to that Realization. According to A.G. the characteristics presented in this and the following verses describe not only the vidvat-sannyasin, but are also meant as disciplines for the vividisa-sannyasin.-Tr.]
O Partha, yada, when, at the time when; prajahati, one fully renounces; sarvan, all; the kaman, desires, varieties of desires; manogatan, that have entered the mind, entered into the heart .
If all desires are renounced while the need for maintaining the body persists, then, in the absence of anything to bring satisfaction, there may arise the possibility of one's behaving like lunatics or drunkards. [A lunatic is one who has lost his power of discrimination, and a drunkard is one who has that power but ignores it.] Hence it is said: Tustah, remains satisfied; atmani eva, in the Self alone, in the very nature of the inmost Self; atmana, by the Self which is his own indifferent to external gains, and satiated with everything else on account of having attained the nector of realization of the supreme Goal; tada, then; ucyate, he is called; sthita-prajnah, a man of steady wisdom, a man of realization, one whose wisdom, arising from the discrimination between the Self and the not-Self, is stable.
The idea is that the man of steady wisdom is a monk, who has renounced the desire for progeny, wealth and the worlds, and who delights in the Self and disports in the Self.
Śrī Rāmānujācārya
Classical
Translation
2.55 The Lord said When a person is satisfied in himself with himself, i.e. when his mind depends on the self within himself; and being content with that, expels all the desires of the mind which are different from that state of mind - then he is said to be a man of firm wisdom. This is the highest form of devotion of knowledge.
Then, the lower state, not far below it, of one established in firm wisdom, is described:
Śrī Abhinavagupta
Classical
Translation
2.55 Prajahati etc. [The expression 'a man-of-stabilized-intellect' denotes] a man whose intellect has stabilized, i.e., has grown roots. Growing roots is growing roots permanently on the Self. For, if that is achieved, the agitation in the form of desire born of the distraction by sense-objects comes to an end. Therefore, the nomenclature 'a man-of-stabilized-intellect' applied to a man-of-Yoga, has an etymological sense and it is appropriate in this way. In this manner one estion has been answered.
Swami Sivananda
Classical
Translation
2.55 The Blessed Lord said When a man completely casts off, O Arjuna, all the desires of the mind and is satisfied in the Self by the Self, then is he said to be one of steady wisdom.
Commentary
2.55 प्रजहाति casts off? यदा when? कामान् desires? सर्वान् all? पार्थ O Partha? मनोगतान् of the mind? आत्मनि in the Self? एव only? आत्मना by the Self? तुष्टः satisfied? स्थितप्रज्ञः of steady wisdom? तदा then? उच्यते (he) is called.Commentary In this verse Lord Krishna gives His answer to the first part of Arjunas estion.If anyone gets sugarcandy will he crave for blacksugar Certainly not. If anyone can attain the supreme bliss of the Self? will he thirst for the sensual pleasures No? not at all. The sumtotal of all the pleasures of the world will seem worthless for the sage of steady wisdom who is satisfied in the Self. (Cf.III.17VI.7?8).
Swami Gambhīrānanda
Classical
Translation
2.55 The Blessed said O Partha, when one fully renounces all the desires that have entered the mind, and remains satisfied in the Self alone by the Self, then he is called a man of steady wisdom.
Shri Purohit Swami
Classical
Translation
2.55 Lord Shri Krishna replied: When a man has given up the desires of his heart and is satisfied with the Self alone, be sure that he has reached the highest state.
The sthita-prajña abandons all desires of the mind and is fully satisfied in the self by the self.
Practical Applications
Audit one day's worth of mental desires; notice how few are even your own.
Spend ten minutes resting as a soul rather than a desirer.
Discover one inner satisfaction that does not require external acquisition.
Reflection Questions
Which desires occupy my mind that, when honest, I would not want to fulfill?
What does it mean to be 'satisfied in the self by the self' for me right now?
Analogy
A lake fed by no streams and drawing none — content with its own depth — has no need for the world's rain or the world's drainage. The sthita-prajña is this lake. He has dropped all mano-gata-kāmān; he is ātmany evātmanā tuṣṭaḥ. Self-satisfied in the self, by the self.
Stories
Dadhīci offers his bones
When the devas needed Vajra to kill Vṛtra, only Dadhīci's bones could form the weapon. The sage, asked, gave his body without flinching. He had no kāma left of the mano-gata variety — no project for his own body, no plan for its preservation.
He was ātmany eva ātmanā tuṣṭaḥ — content in the Self alone, by the Self. The bones were already not his; giving them was therefore not a sacrifice in the ordinary sense. He demonstrated the verse from the giving-side: when self-satisfaction is real, what the world wants from the body is no obstacle to relinquishing it.
duḥkheṣu—in the threefold miseriesanudvigna - manāḥ—without being agitated in mindsukheṣu—in happinessvigata - spṛhaḥ—without being interestedvīta—free fromrāga—attachmentbhaya—fearkrodhaḥ—and angersthita - dhīḥ—whose mind is steadymuniḥ—a sageucyate—is called .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
duḥkheṣv anudvigna-manāḥ
duḥkheṣu
in the threefold miseries
anudvigna - manāḥ
without being agitated in mind
sukheṣu vigata-spṛhaḥ
sukheṣu
in happiness
vigata - spṛhaḥ
without being interested
vīta-rāga-bhaya-krodhaḥ
vīta
free from
rāga
attachment
bhaya
fear
krodhaḥ
and anger
sthita-dhīr munir ucyate
sthita - dhīḥ
whose mind is steady
muniḥ
a sage
ucyate
is called .
Important Words
duḥkheṣu—in sufferings
Locative plural — *amid sufferings*. The plural is the standard reference to the three kinds of duḥkha. The muni is not *outside* them but *amid* them, undisturbed.
anudvigna - manāḥ—whose mind is unagitated
Compound — *un-disturbed of mind*. Udvega is agitation, anxiety. The muni's mind does not rise in response — anudvigna names the absence of inner turbulence.
vigata - spṛhaḥ—without longing
Compound — *from-whom-longing-has-gone*. Spṛhā is the reaching of the mind toward an object. In happiness too, the muni does not reach further — the appetite for *more* is absent.
vīta—departed
Past participle of vi-√i — to go away. Vīta governs three nouns: rāga, bhaya, krodha. From the muni these three have *gone*. Not suppressed — departed.
muniḥ—sage
From √man — to think. The muni is the silent thinker, the inward-turned. The Gītā now uses muni and sthita-dhī almost interchangeably (cf. 2.58, 69). The character is being filled in from many angles.
One who is not disturbed in mind even amidst the threefold miseries or elated when there is happiness, and who is free from attachment, fear and anger, is called a sage of steady mind.
Purport
The word muni means one who can agitate his mind in various ways for mental speculation without coming to a factual conclusion. It is said that every muni has a different angle of vision, and unless a muni differs from other munis, he cannot be called a muni in the strict sense of the term. Nāsāv ṛṣir yasya mataṁ na bhinnam ( Mahābhārata, Vana-parva 313.117). But a sthita-dhīr muni, as mentioned herein by the Lord, is different from an ordinary muni. The sthita-dhīr muni is always in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, for he has exhausted all his business of creative speculation. He is called praśānta-niḥśeṣa-mano-rathāntara ( Stotra-ratna 43), or one who has surpassed the stage of mental speculations and has come to the conclusion that Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, or Vāsudeva, is everything ( vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti sa mahātmā su-durlabhaḥ ). He is called a muni fixed in mind. Such a fully Kṛṣṇa conscious person is not at all disturbed by the onslaughts of the threefold miseries, for he accepts all miseries as the mercy of the Lord, thinking himself only worthy of more trouble due to his past misdeeds; and he sees that his miseries, by the grace of the Lord, are minimized to the lowest. Similarly, when he is happy he gives credit to the Lord, thinking himself unworthy of the happiness; he realizes that it is due only to the Lord’s grace that he is in such a comfortable condition and able to render better service to the Lord. And, for the service of the Lord, he is always daring and active and is not influenced by attachment or aversion. Attachment means accepting things for one’s own sense gratification, and detachment is the absence of such sensual attachment. But one fixed in Kṛṣṇa consciousness has neither attachment nor detachment because his life is dedicated in the service of the Lord. Consequently he is not at all angry even when his attempts are unsuccessful. Success or no success, a Kṛṣṇa conscious person is always steady in his determination.
— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura
Gauḍīya
Translation
56. The sage whose mind is not disturbed by the appearance of suffering, who has given up all desire during opportunities for happiness, who is devoid of attachment, fear and anger, is called a sthita-prajṣa.
Commentary
This verse and the next verse, the Lord answers the question “How does he speak?”
His mind is not disturbed by adhyātmika suffering in the form of hunger, thirst, fever, or headache, by the adhibhautika suffering coming from snakes or tigers, or by the adhidaivika suffering arising from extremes in wind or rain. When someone asks about his welfare, he says [Note: The commentary mentions what the person says in order explain that this verse illustrates the answer to the question “How does he speak?”] simply that this suffering is his prārabdha-karma which he must unavoidably endure. He is not agitated with suffering (duḥkheṣv anudvigna-manāḥ). Otherwise, internally he will think in this way if not asked. This absence of disgust at his situation is understood by the intelligent person to be the symptom of an undisturbed person. False indifference to suffering, the mark of the imposter, however, is detected as such by the wise man. Such a pretender is called fallen or depraved.
In the face of opportunities for happiness, he is without desire and says to himself or others that it is simply his prārabdha-karma which he must tolerate. And the intelligent person recognizes by this his quality of being devoid of desire for happiness.
These qualities are made clearer. He is devoid of attachment to enjoyment (vīta-rāga), and devoid of fear from such things as tigers that want to eat him. He is devoid of anger towards friends who have attacked him. As an example, Jaḍa Bharata in front of the Goddess Durgā, did not show fear or anger towards the caṇḍāla leader who wanted to kill him.
Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa
Gauḍīya
Translation
56. The sage whose mind is not grieved by the appearance of suffering, who has given up all desire during opportunities for happiness, who is devoid of attachment, fear and anger, is called a sthita prajṣa.
Commentary
The second question “What will the sthita prajṣa say when put in disturbing circumstances” is answered in two verses. When afflicted by pain through his own body or mind, from other creatures or from nature (duḥkheṣu), his mind is undisturbed (anudvigna manāḥ). Internally, or if asked about it, he says aloud, “This suffering is my prārabdha karma which I must inevitably experience.” And when he obtains delicious food or good welcome (sukheṣu), internally, or if asked by others, he says aloud, without desire for enjoyment (vigata spṛhaḥ), “This is also my prarabdha karma which I am forced to accept.” When attaining those things he does not show a happy face.
He is devoid of affection for desirable objects (vīta raga). When objects are taken away from him, he does not exclaim “You righteous people steal from me, who am very weak.” He is free of such miserable disposition (vīta bhaya). [Note: Rāga is here defined as absorption in objects. Fear is here defined as thinking oneself helpless to prevent those dear objects being taken away. Anger is defined as having those dear objects taken away though one thinks one is capable of defending them.] And he does not exclaim in anger when objects are stolen, “How can you feeble fellows steal from me, who have great strength?” Thus he is devoid of anger (vīta krodha). Such a muni, one who is absorbed in contemplating the ātmā, is called sthita dhī or sthita prajṣa.
This person speaks of his experience to himself internally or to others verbally, without grief and without longing. This is the answer to the second question “How does he speak?”
Study Notes — Gauranga Priya Dāsa
Gauranga Priya Dāsa
StudyKey verse
Bhakti-śāstrī Notes, ISKCON Chowpatty (2009)
Theme
COMMON THEME: Answers to second question – How does he speak?
This question implies: “How the intelligence and words respond to affection, anger and neutrality”
This is answered as follows: 1. Equipoised in happiness and distress (2.56) 2. Free from attachment, fear and anger (2.56) Because 3. Unaffected by good & evil and firmly fixed in perfect knowledge (2.57)
Focus of Learning
(a) How does one give up all material desires
One does not give them up artificially
But by complete engagement in Krishna Consciousness as eternal servitor
Ref. SB 5.18.12 – Without Krishna consciousness one is sure to take shelter of mental concoctions and has no good qualities
(b) How one finds satisfaction in the self alone
By realizing eternal servitorship to the Supreme Lord
He has no sense desires from petty materialism
(c) Related Analogies to illustrate the above two points (Ref. 2.60 purport)
Analogy for complete satisfaction: “Satisfied Hunger” (2.60 purport)
E.g. “Yamunacarya and Ambarisa Maharaja” (2.60 purport) – By Krishna consciousness one is free from all material desires and all good qualities manifest
(a) Importance of the word ‘symptom’ – There are symptoms of rich man/ diseased man / learned
man, similarly symptoms of a self-realized soul are addressed here
(b) Most important symptom is how he speaks – Speech is the most important quality of any man
(c) Immediate symptom of a Krishna conscious man – He speaks only of Krishna or of matters
relating to Him
Classical Ācāryas
Śrī Śaṅkarācārya
Classical
Translation
2.56 Moreover, that munih, monk [Sankaracarya identifies the monk with the man of realization.] ucyate, is then called; sthita-dhih, a man of steady wisdom; when anudvignamanah, his mind is unperturbed; duhkhesu, in sorrow when his mind remains unperturbed by the sorrows that may come on the physical or other planes [Fever, headache, etc. are physical (adhyatmika) sorrows; sorrows caused by tigers, snakes, etc. are environmental (adhibhautika) sorrows; those caused by cyclones, floods, etc. are super-natural (adhidaivika). Similarly, delights also may be experienced on the three planes.] ; so also, when he is vigata-sprhah, free from longing; sukhesu, for delights when he, unlike fire which flares up when fed with fuel etc., has no longing for delights when they come to him ; and vita-raga-bhaya-krodhah, has gone beyond attachment, fear and anger.
Śrī Rāmānujācārya
Classical
Translation
2.56 Even when there are reasons for grief like separation from beloved ones, his mind is not perturbed, i.e., he is not aggrieved. He has no longing to enjoy pleasures, i.e., even though the things which he likes are near him, he has no longing for them. He is free from desire and anger; desire is longing for objects not yet obtained; he is free from this. Fear is affliction produced from the knowledge of the factors which cause separation from the beloved or from meeting with that which is not desirable; he is free from this. Anger is a disturbed state of one's own mind which produces affliction and which is aimed at another sentient being who is the cause of separation from the beloved or of confrontation with what is not desirable. He is free from this.
A sage of this sort, who constantly meditates on the self, is said to be of firm wisdom.
Then, the next state below this is described:
Śrī Abhinavagupta
Classical
Translation
2.56 Dukkhesu etc. Only that sage whose mental attitude is free from desire and hatred in the midst of pleasure and pain, and not anyone else, is a man-of-stabilized-intellect.
This is also proper. For-
Swami Sivananda
Classical
Translation
2.56 He whose mind is not shaken by adversity, who does not hanker after pleasures, and is free from attachment, fear and anger, is called a sage of steady wisdom.
Commentary
2.56 दुःखेषु in adversity? अनुद्विग्नमनाः of unshaken mind? सुखेषु in pleasure? विगतस्पृहः withut hankering? वीतरागभयक्रोधः free from attachment? fear and anger? स्थितधीः of steady wisdom? मुनिः sage? उच्यते (he) is called.Commentary Lord Krishna gives His answer to the second part of Arjunas estion as to the conduct of a sage of steady wisdom in the 56th? 57th and 58th verses.The mind of a sage of steady wisdom is not distressed in calamities. He is not affected by the three afflictions (Taapas) -- Adhyatmika (arising from diseases or disorders in ones own body)? Adhidaivika (arising from thunder? lightning? storm? flood? etc.)? and Adhibhautika (arising from scorpions? cobras? tigers? etc.). When he is placed in an affluent condition he does not long for sensual pleasures. (Cf.IV.10).
Swami Gambhīrānanda
Classical
Translation
2.56 That monk is called a man of steady wisdom when his mind is unperturbed in sorrow, he is free from longing for delights, and has gone beyond attachment, fear and anger.
Shri Purohit Swami
Classical
Translation
2.56 The sage, whose mind is unruffled in suffering, whose desire is not roused by enjoyment, who is without attachment, anger or fear - take him to be one who stands at that lofty level.
Free from attachment, fear, and anger — undisturbed in distress, undelighted in pleasure — such a one is called sthita-dhīḥ.
Practical Applications
Identify which of these — attachment, fear, anger — is your most prominent disturbance and address it directly in sādhana.
Practice equipoise during a small distress today; do not require the big test.
Notice that inner steadiness, not outer circumstance, is the badge of realization.
Reflection Questions
Which of the three — attachment, fear, anger — owns me most often?
What equanimity could I cultivate in the situations I currently inhabit?
Analogy
A sage stands in a storm of weather — heat from one side, cold from another, threats here, gifts there. He neither flinches nor reaches. Vīta-rāga-bhaya-krodhaḥ. The threefold misery (ādhyātmika, ādhibhautika, ādhidaivika) and the threefold joy alike pass over him without producing the threefold reaction.
Adverbial — *in every place*. The disposition is general, not selective. It is not 'unaffected by *some* good and evil' but *by all*. The scope is total.
anabhisnehaḥ—without affectionate clinging
A + abhi + sneha — *without sticky attachment*. Sneha is literally *oiliness* — the way attachment makes one stick. The sthita-prajña has no sneha-coating; nothing sticks to him as he passes.
śubha - aśubham—good and evil
Compound — both *the auspicious and inauspicious*. Like sukha-duḥkha and lābha-alābha and jaya-ajaya, śubha-aśubha is another dual the chapter wants flattened.
abhinandati—rejoices
Pra-√nand — to celebrate, to greet with joy. He does not abhinandati the good. The first half of the muni's symmetric non-reactivity.
dveṣṭi—hates
From √dviṣ — to hate. He does not dveṣṭi the bad. The second half. Both reactions are absent — and prajñā pratiṣṭhitā precisely because they are absent.
In the material world, one who is unaffected by whatever good or evil he may obtain, neither praising it nor despising it, is firmly fixed in perfect knowledge.
Purport
There is always some upheaval in the material world which may be good or evil. One who is not agitated by such material upheavals, who is unaffected by good and evil, is to be understood to be fixed in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. As long as one is in the material world there is always the possibility of good and evil because this world is full of duality. But one who is fixed in Kṛṣṇa consciousness is not affected by good and evil, because he is simply concerned with Kṛṣṇa, who is all-good absolute. Such consciousness in Kṛṣṇa situates one in a perfect transcendental position called, technically, samādhi.
— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura
Gauḍīya
Translation
57. He who has no motivated affections at all, who does not rejoice on attaining good fortune or curse on attaining misfortune, is situated in prajṣā.
Commentary
That person is without affections which are subject to material conditions (anabhisneha). Unconditional affection out of mercifulness however should remain to some degree. He is fixed in those qualities. On receiving something favorable to himself (śubham), through respect or feeding for instance, he does not approve, and receiving disrespect (aśubham), such as a punch from someone’s fist, he does not disapprove. He does not say, “Oh, you are so religious, serving a great devotee. I bless you with happiness.” Nor does he curse the disrespectful person saying, “Go to hell, you sinful creature.” He is prajṣā pratiṣṭhitā, situated in samādhi (samādhim pratiṣṭhita), or well situated in prajṣā or samādhi.
Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa
Gauḍīya
Translation
57. He who has no motivated affections at all, who does not rejoice on attaining good fortune or curse on attaining misfortune, is situated in prajṣa.
Commentary
He is devoid of specific affection (anabhisnehaḥ) for any living entities (sarvatra). However, since he has the quality of compassion, he has a little general affection. Receiving favorable items such as fine offerings of food, garlands or sandalwood (subha), he does not rejoice, praising others with words like “You are very righteous. May you live long!” Nor does he show hatred when receiving unfavorable items, such as being disrespected or hit with a stick (aśubham). He does not curse, saying “You are a vile sinner. May you die!” He is a sthita prajṣa (tasya prajṣā pratiṣṭhitā). This verse shows the quality of the sthita prajṣa by indicating what he does not speak. (The first half of the previous verse showed what he would speak.)
Bhūrijana Dāsa
Gauḍīya
Commentary
He is fixed, he is equal he is completely aloof and detached from the material world. In other words, he is on the transcendental platform.
Note that this is a negative way of describing someone who is in Krsna consciousness, therefore we can also describe someone who is simply liberated. Because someone in Krsna‑loka is also unaffected by what material good or evil he may obtain‑ he doesn't have to do anything with these things; but he is active, acting on the transcendental platform for Krsna. But one who is just liberated in Brahman he is also neutral when in relation with the material world, but he has not any positive spiritual activities. But these symptoms are good for both ‑ they are just symptoms of one on the transcendental platform: "how does he walk?"
Now in Texts 58 and 59 ,
[ 4a. How does he sit? (What is his mentality when his senses are restrained from their objects?) Such a person remains fixed in transcendental consciousness by virtue of his higher taste for the service of Krsna. (58‑59) ]
Study Notes — Gauranga Priya Dāsa
Gauranga Priya Dāsa
StudyKey verse
Bhakti-śāstrī Notes, ISKCON Chowpatty (2009)
Theme
COMMON THEME: Answers to second question – How does he speak?
This question implies: “How the intelligence and words respond to affection, anger and neutrality”
This is answered as follows: 1. Equipoised in happiness and distress (2.56) 2. Free from attachment, fear and anger (2.56) Because 3. Unaffected by good & evil and firmly fixed in perfect knowledge (2.57)
Focus of Learning
(a) How does one give up all material desires
One does not give them up artificially
But by complete engagement in Krishna Consciousness as eternal servitor
Ref. SB 5.18.12 – Without Krishna consciousness one is sure to take shelter of mental concoctions and has no good qualities
(b) How one finds satisfaction in the self alone
By realizing eternal servitorship to the Supreme Lord
He has no sense desires from petty materialism
(c) Related Analogies to illustrate the above two points (Ref. 2.60 purport)
Analogy for complete satisfaction: “Satisfied Hunger” (2.60 purport)
E.g. “Yamunacarya and Ambarisa Maharaja” (2.60 purport) – By Krishna consciousness one is free from all material desires and all good qualities manifest
(a) Importance of the word ‘symptom’ – There are symptoms of rich man/ diseased man / learned
man, similarly symptoms of a self-realized soul are addressed here
(b) Most important symptom is how he speaks – Speech is the most important quality of any man
(c) Immediate symptom of a Krishna conscious man – He speaks only of Krishna or of matters
relating to Him
Classical Ācāryas
Śrī Śaṅkarācārya
Classical
Translation
2.57 Further, prajna, the wisdom; tasya, of that person, fo that sannyasin; pratisthita, remains established; yah, who; anabhi-snehah, has no attachment for; sarvatra, anything anywhere, even for body, life, etc.; who na abhinanadati, neither welcomes; na dvesti, nor rejects; tat tat, anything whatever; subha-asubham, good or bad; propya, when he comes across it, i.e. who does not rejoice on meeting with the good, nor reject the bad on meeting with it. Of such a person, who is thus free from elation or dejection, the wisdom arising from discrimination remains established.
Śrī Rāmānujācārya
Classical
Translation
2.57 He, who, has no love for all pleasing objects, i.e., who is indifferent to them, and who does not feel attraction or repulsion when he is united with or separated from attractive or repulsive objects respectively, who neither rejoices at the former, nor hates the latter - he also is of firm wisdom.
Sri Krsna now mentions the next lower state.
Śrī Abhinavagupta
Classical
Translation
2.57 Yah sarvatra etc. There is no joy or sorrow in him while meeting the good or the bad.
Swami Sivananda
Classical
Translation
2.57 He who is everywhere without attachment, on meeting with anything good or bad, who neither rejoices not hastes, his wisdom is fixed.
Commentary
2.57 यः he who? सर्वत्र everywhere? अनभिस्नेहः without attachment? तत् that? तत् that? प्राप्य having obtained? शुभाशुभम् good and evil? न not? अभिनन्दति rejoices? न not? द्वेष्टि hates? तस्य of him? प्रज्ञा wisdom? प्रतिष्ठिता is fixed.Commentary The sage possesses poised understanding or evenness of mind. He does not rejoice in pleasure nor is he averse to pain that may befall him. He is ite indifferent as he is rooted in the Self. He has no attachment even for his life or body as he identifies himself with Brahman or the Supreme Self. He will not praise anybody when the latter does any good to him nor censure anyone when one does him any harm. This is the answer given by the Lord to Arjunas ery How does a sage of steady wisdom talk
Swami Gambhīrānanda
Classical
Translation
2.57 The wisdom of that person remains established who has not attachment for anything anywhere, who neither welcomes nor rejects anything whatever good or bad when he comes across it.
Shri Purohit Swami
Classical
Translation
2.57 He who wherever he goes is attached to no person and to no place by ties of flesh; who accepts good and evil alike, neither welcoming the one nor shrinking from the other - take him to be one who is merged in the Infinite.
Without attachment in any direction, neither rejoicing in good nor lamenting in evil — such a person is fixed in perfect knowledge.
Practical Applications
Notice one piece of news today that you neither celebrate nor mourn — practice that posture more often.
Withhold judgment on events until enough time has passed to see their dharmic shape.
Free yourself from the cycle of celebration and lamentation in the inner life.
Reflection Questions
Where am I addicted to celebration or lamentation as a form of identity?
How would 'no rejoicing, no lamenting' change my information diet?
Analogy
A mirror reflects the rose and the thorn without preference or distortion — and is unchanged by either. The sthita-prajña is this mirror in conduct: śubha and aśubha pass over him with neither nandana (rejoicing) nor dveṣa (repulsion). The reflection is true; the mirror is unmoved.
yadā—whensaṁharate—winds upca—alsoayam—hekūrmaḥ—tortoiseaṅgāni—limbsiva—likesarvaśaḥ—altogetherindriyāṇi—sensesindriya - arthebhyaḥ—from the sense objectstasya—hisprajñā—consciousnesspratiṣṭhitā—fixed .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
yadā saṁharate cāyaṁ
yadā
when
saṁharate
winds up
ca
also
ayam
he
kūrmo ’ṅgānīva sarvaśaḥ
kūrmaḥ
tortoise
aṅgāni
limbs
iva
like
sarvaśaḥ
altogether
indriyāṇīndriyārthebhyas
indriyāṇi
senses
indriya - arthebhyaḥ
from the sense objects
tasya prajñā pratiṣṭhitā
tasya
his
prajñā
consciousness
pratiṣṭhitā
fixed .
Important Words
saṁharate—withdraws
From sam-√hṛ — to take together, to draw in. The same root as saṁhāra (cosmic withdrawal). The yogī performs an interior cosmic-withdrawal: drawing his senses back into himself.
kūrmaḥ—the tortoise
The chosen image. The kūrma's withdrawal is voluntary, simultaneous, and total — not strenuous. The Gītā chooses an animal known for slow, deliberate, complete withdrawal. The Kūrma-avatāra resonates faintly in the background.
aṅgāni—limbs
The five organs of action and five of knowledge, in the parallel. The tortoise's six limbs (head, tail, four legs) image the yogī's senses being withdrawn together, in one act of will.
indriya - arthebhyaḥ—from the sense-objects
Ablative — *away from sense-objects*. The senses are withdrawn *from* their objects. Not from existence itself; from the magnetic pull of viṣayas. The Gītā does not teach annihilation of the senses, but their redirection.
pratiṣṭhitā—established, firmly fixed
Past participle of prati-√sthā — to stand firm against, to be established. Repeated at 2.57, 58, 61, 68 — the chapter's drumbeat. The prajñā stands firm because the senses stand still.
One who is able to withdraw his senses from sense objects, as the tortoise draws its limbs within the shell, is firmly fixed in perfect consciousness.
Purport
The test of a yogī, devotee or self-realized soul is that he is able to control the senses according to his plan. Most people, however, are servants of the senses and are thus directed by the dictation of the senses. That is the answer to the question as to how the yogī is situated. The senses are compared to venomous serpents. They want to act very loosely and without restriction. The yogī, or the devotee, must be very strong to control the serpents – like a snake charmer. He never allows them to act independently. There are many injunctions in the revealed scriptures; some of them are do-not’s, and some of them are do’s. Unless one is able to follow the do’s and the do-not’s, restricting oneself from sense enjoyment, it is not possible to be firmly fixed in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. The best example, set herein, is the tortoise. The tortoise can at any moment wind up its senses and exhibit them again at any time for particular purposes. Similarly, the senses of the Kṛṣṇa conscious persons are used only for some particular purpose in the service of the Lord and are withdrawn otherwise. Arjuna is being taught here to use his senses for the service of the Lord, instead of for his own satisfaction. Keeping the senses always in the service of the Lord is the example set by the analogy of the tortoise, who keeps the senses within.
— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura
Gauḍīya
Translation
58. When he draws his senses away completely from sense objects like a turtle withdrawing its limbs, he is situated in prajṣa.
Commentary
This verse answers the question, “How does he sit?” (kim āsīta)
He withdraws his senses such as the ear from the objects of the senses such as sound. Stopping the movement of the independent senses towards the external objects, he establishes them without movement internally. This is the “sitting” of the person situated in prajṣā. An example is given. He does so, just as the turtle fixes his senses such as mouth and eyes within itself by its will.
Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa
Gauḍīya
Translation
58. When he easily withdraws all his senses completely from sense objects like a turtle withdrawing his limbs, he is situated in prajṣa.
Commentary
Six verses now answer the third question “How does he remain, suppressing his senses? (kim āsīta)”
When this yogī (ayam) completely withdraws without effort the independent senses such as the ear from the sense objects such as sound, then he is known as sthita prajṣa (tasya prajṣā pratiṣṭhitā). An example is given. Just as a turtle withdraws his head, hands and feet into his shell, the sthita prajṣa remains with senses situated within, withdrawn from sense objects. That is how he sits (this is his sense control).
Bhūrijana Dāsa
Gauḍīya
Commentary
And how is he able to do that? Is he tortured? No!
Study Notes — Gauranga Priya Dāsa
Gauranga Priya Dāsa
Study
Bhakti-śāstrī Notes, ISKCON Chowpatty (2009)
Theme
COMMON THEME: Answers the third question – How does he sit?
This implies “How he restrains his senses and mentality”
Answer: He uses his senses only for Krishna’s service. Based on higher taste he can control his senses
Anology: Tortoise and Devotee – Implies to keep senses always in service of Lord and withdraw the senses when not required (2.58)
Focus of Learning
(a) Test of a yogi/devotee/self-realized soul (2.58) – He is able to control senses according to his plan
(b) Two analogies for self-controlled yogi – (2.58)
Tortoise and Devotee (Refer to translation)
Snake Charmer, Senses and Serpents (purport) – He never lets the senses loose, but control senses (which are like venomous serpents) under do’s and don’ts, just like a snake charmer controls a snake
(a) Definition of ‘Sthita–Dhira’ Muni (2.56)
He is a sage of steady mind
He is always in Krishna consciousness
He has exhausted all business of creative speculation
Ref. Stotra-ratna – He has surpassed the stage of mental speculations and come to the conclusion that Krishna or Vasudeva is everything (Ref. Bg. 7.19 “Vasudevah sarvam iti…”)
(b) Muni – one who can agitate his mind in various ways (2.56)
For mental speculation
Without factual conclusion
All Munis have different angles of vision (Ref. Mahabharata “na casav rsir…”)
(c) How one in Krishna consciousness is:
Equipoised (2.56) – because:
He accepts everything (happiness / distress) as Krishna’s mercy
Free from attachment, fear and anger (2.56) – because:
He is always daring and active, and fixed on the service of the Lord
He does not come under attachment / aversion
He never gets angry, whether successful or not
He is steady in determination
Unaffected by good and evil (2.57) – because:
The material world is anyway full of relativities and dualities, and there is always some upheaval
The soul is simply concerned with Krishna who is always all-good & Absolute
Such a Krishna conscious position is in perfect transcendental position called “Samadhi”
Classical Ācāryas
Śrī Śaṅkarācārya
Classical
Translation
2.58 And besides, yada, when; ayam, this one, the sannyasin practising steadfastness in Knowledge; samharate, fully withdraws; ['Fully' suggests absolute firmness in withdrawal, and 'withdraws' suggests full control over the organs] indriyani, the senses; indriya-arthhyah, from all the objects of the senses; iva, as; kurmah, a tortoise; sarvasah, wholly (withdraws); angani, its limbs, from all sides out of fear; when the man engaged in steadfastness to Knowledge withdraws thus, then tasya, his; prajna, wisdom; pratisthita, remains established (the meaning of this portion has already been explained).
As to that, [That is , so far as the phenomenal world is concerned.] the organs of a sick person, too, cease to be active when the refrains from sense-objects; they get fully withdrawn like the limbs of a tortoise. but not so the hankering for those objects. How that (hankering) gets completely withdrawn is being stated:
Śrī Rāmānujācārya
Classical
Translation
2.58 When one is able to draw the senses away from the sense-objects on every side when the senses try to contact the sense-objects, just as a tortoise draws in its limbs, and is capable of fixing his mind on the self - he too is of firm wisdom. Thus there are four stages of devotion to knowledge, each stage being perfected through the succeeding stage.
Now Sri Krsna speaks of the difficulty of the attainment of firm devotion to knowledge and the means of that attainment.
Śrī Abhinavagupta
Classical
Translation
2.58 Yada samharate etc. the nomenclature is not an expression having a composite of both the forces of etymological and traditional meanings, like the word pankaja 'a lotus'. But it has only the etymological force like the word pacaka 'a cook'. Whenever he (the sage) withdraws just in his own self-just as a tortoise keeps its limbs in its bossom-from the sense-objects i.e., warding off from the sense-objects, then and then [only] he is man-of-stabilized-intellect.
Or [the passage may mean :] Whenever he withdraws, within his own Self, [all], beginning from the sense-objects upto sense-organs i.e., when he approprites in his own Self all in the form of sense-objects and sense-organs.
But, how is it that the nomenclature 'a man-of-stabilized-intellect' does not hold good in the case of an ascetic ? It is answered-
Swami Sivananda
Classical
Translation
2.58 When, like the tortoise which withdraws on all sides its limbs, he withdraws his senses from the sense-objects, then his wisdom becomes steady.
Commentary
2.58 यदा when? संहरते withdraws? च and? अयम् this (Yogi)? कूर्मः tortoise? अङ्गानि limbs? इव like? सर्वशः everywhere? इन्द्रियाणि the senses? इन्द्रियार्थेभ्यः from the senseobjects? तस्य of him? प्रज्ञा wisdom प्रतिष्ठिता is steadied.Commentary Withdrawal of the senses is Pratyahara or abstraction. The mind has a natural,tendency to run towards external objects. The Yogi again and again withdraws the mind from the objects of the senses and fixes it on the Self. A Yogi who is endowed with the power of Pratyahara can enter into Samadhi even in a crowded place by withdrawing his senses within the twinkling of an eye. He is not disturbed by tumultuous sounds and noises of any description. Even on the battlefield he can rest in his centre? the Self? by withdrawing his senses. He who practises Pratyahara is dead to the world. He will not be affected by the outside vibrations. At any time by mere willing he can bring his senses under his perfect control. They are his obedient servants or instruments.
Swami Gambhīrānanda
Classical
Translation
2.58 And when this one fully withdraws the senses from the objects of the senses, as a tortoise wholly (withdraws) the limbs, then his wisdom remains established.
Shri Purohit Swami
Classical
Translation
2.58 He who can withdraw his senses from the attraction of their objects, as the tortoise draws his limbs within its shell - take it that such a one has attained Perfection.
Like a tortoise withdrawing its limbs into its shell, the wise withdraw their senses from sense objects — and their consciousness becomes fixed.
Practical Applications
Practice one deliberate withdrawal of a sense from its preferred object today.
Build daily 'shell-time' — moments of withdrawing senses for chanting or contemplation.
Recognize that withdrawal is not denial but redirection toward the soul.
Reflection Questions
Which sense most frequently drags me out of the shell of remembrance?
What would my day look like with two more 'tortoise moments' built in?
Analogy
A tortoise, sensing threat, draws its limbs into its shell — not by argument with the limbs but by a single inward pull from the center. The yogī withdraws the senses from sense-objects in the same way: not by force at the periphery but by drawing the center back. When the center retreats, the limbs follow.
viṣayāḥ—objects for sense enjoymentvinivartante—are practiced to be refrained fromnirāhārasya—by negative restrictionsdehinaḥ—for the embodiedrasa - varjam—giving up the tasterasaḥ—sense of enjoymentapi—although there isasya—hisparam—far superior thingsdṛṣṭvā—by experiencingnivartate—he ceases from .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
viṣayā vinivartante
viṣayāḥ
objects for sense enjoyment
vinivartante
are practiced to be refrained from
nirāhārasya dehinaḥ
nirāhārasya
by negative restrictions
dehinaḥ
for the embodied
rasa-varjaṁ raso ’py asya
rasa - varjam
giving up the taste
rasaḥ
sense of enjoyment
api
although there is
asya
his
paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate
param
far superior things
dṛṣṭvā
by experiencing
nivartate
he ceases from .
Important Words
viṣayāḥ—sense-objects
Plural — *the objects*. They withdraw (vinivartante) — the sentence is grammatically reversed: not the senses leaving the objects but the objects leaving the senses, in one who fasts.
nirāhārasya—of the abstainer
Genitive — *of one who is without intake*. Not just fasting from food, but in general the renunciate. The body's hunger ceases; the rasa does not.
rasa - varjam—except for the taste
Compound — *the taste alone being excepted*. The crucial qualification: bodily abstinence does not by itself remove rasa. The verse names the limit of mere vairāgya.
param—the supreme
*The Higher One*. The Gauḍīya reading is decisive: param is the Lord. The taste departs only on seeing the Supreme; mere meditation on the impersonal does not displace rasa as the personal Lord does.
nivartate—turns back, ceases
Ni + √vṛt — to turn back. Same root as nivṛtti (cessation). The rasa is not killed; it *turns away* of itself. The image is involuntary, gentle — the lower withdraws in the presence of the higher.
Though the embodied soul may be restricted from sense enjoyment, the taste for sense objects remains. But, ceasing such engagements by experiencing a higher taste, he is fixed in consciousness.
Purport
Unless one is transcendentally situated, it is not possible to cease from sense enjoyment. The process of restriction from sense enjoyment by rules and regulations is something like restricting a diseased person from certain types of eatables. The patient, however, neither likes such restrictions nor loses his taste for eatables. Similarly, sense restriction by some spiritual process like aṣṭāṅga-yoga, in the matter of yama, niyama, āsana, prāṇāyāma, pratyāhāra, dhāraṇā, dhyāna, etc., is recommended for less intelligent persons who have no better knowledge. But one who has tasted the beauty of the Supreme Lord Kṛṣṇa, in the course of his advancement in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, no longer has a taste for dead, material things. Therefore, restrictions are there for the less intelligent neophytes in the spiritual advancement of life, but such restrictions are only good until one actually has a taste for Kṛṣṇa consciousness. When one is actually Kṛṣṇa conscious, he automatically loses his taste for pale things.
— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura
Gauḍīya
Translation
59. One who refrains from eating also stops the sense objects from functioning, but the desire for enjoyment remains. Having seen the Paramātmā, one can stop the desire as well.
Commentary
“But even the fool who is fasting because of sickness is able to stop the movement of his senses.”
For one who stops eating (nirāhārasya), the objects of the senses disappear, but not the desire for objects (rasa-varjam). The desire (rasa) for objects does not disappear. For the person situated in prajṣā however, having seen the Paramātmā, the desire for objects does disappear. This is not a deviation from the qualities of the sthita-prajṣa. The ability to realize the soul directly is something that has to be attained through practice, not something that is naturally possible for everyone (such as the ignorant person fasting.)
Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa
Gauḍīya
Translation
59. One who refrains from eating also stops the sense objects from functioning, but the desire for sense objects remains. Having seen the ātmā, one can stop the desire as well.
Commentary
“But we can see that the fool who is sick also restraints his senses. How can this be the outstanding quality of the sthita prajṣa?”
“For a person (dehinah), even if he is a fool, who does not eat out of fear of sickness (nirāhārasya), the experiences of sense objects (viṣayā) are also annulled, but not the thirst or attraction (rasa varjam). That thirst for sense objects is not destroyed. However, for the sthita prajṣa (asya), who has realized the ātmā, superior to the sense objects, which is full of self-manifesting bliss (param dṛṣṭvā), even the thirst for sense objects (rasaḥ) is destroyed (nivartate). His quality is destruction of sense objects and the thirst, from which there is no deviation (unlike the sick man whose extinction of sense objects is not accompanied by extinction of thirst.)”
Bhūrijana Dāsa
Gauḍīya
Translation
The embodied soul may be restricted from sense enjoyment, though the taste for sense objects remains. But, ceasing such engagements by experiencing a higher taste, he is fixed in consciousness.
Commentary
He is fixed in consciousness because he has a higher taste. He is not at all tortured, he is getting something better.
[ 4b . Therefore, one should restrict one's senses from sense objects by focusing them on Krsna. One will otherwise fall down within the material pool. (60‑63) ]
Here Krsna is going to explain why it is not good to go to the forest and try to be renounced and give up all activities thinking the he is, either going to obtain knowledge, or avoid acting in sin. This is what Arjuna was thinking.
Study Notes — Gauranga Priya Dāsa
Gauranga Priya Dāsa
Study
Bhakti-śāstrī Notes, ISKCON Chowpatty (2009)
Theme
COMMON THEME: Answers the third question – How does he sit?
This implies “How he restrains his senses and mentality”
Answer: He uses his senses only for Krishna’s service. Based on higher taste he can control his senses
Anology: Tortoise and Devotee – Implies to keep senses always in service of Lord and withdraw the senses when not required (2.58)
Focus of Learning
(a) Test of a yogi/devotee/self-realized soul (2.58) – He is able to control senses according to his plan
(b) Two analogies for self-controlled yogi – (2.58)
Tortoise and Devotee (Refer to translation)
Snake Charmer, Senses and Serpents (purport) – He never lets the senses loose, but control senses (which are like venomous serpents) under do’s and don’ts, just like a snake charmer controls a snake
(a) Definition of ‘Sthita–Dhira’ Muni (2.56)
He is a sage of steady mind
He is always in Krishna consciousness
He has exhausted all business of creative speculation
Ref. Stotra-ratna – He has surpassed the stage of mental speculations and come to the conclusion that Krishna or Vasudeva is everything (Ref. Bg. 7.19 “Vasudevah sarvam iti…”)
(b) Muni – one who can agitate his mind in various ways (2.56)
For mental speculation
Without factual conclusion
All Munis have different angles of vision (Ref. Mahabharata “na casav rsir…”)
(c) How one in Krishna consciousness is:
Equipoised (2.56) – because:
He accepts everything (happiness / distress) as Krishna’s mercy
Free from attachment, fear and anger (2.56) – because:
He is always daring and active, and fixed on the service of the Lord
He does not come under attachment / aversion
He never gets angry, whether successful or not
He is steady in determination
Unaffected by good and evil (2.57) – because:
The material world is anyway full of relativities and dualities, and there is always some upheaval
The soul is simply concerned with Krishna who is always all-good & Absolute
Such a Krishna conscious position is in perfect transcendental position called “Samadhi”
Classical Ācāryas
Śrī Śaṅkarācārya
Classical
Translation
2.59 Although visayah, the objects, (i.e.) the organs, figuratively implied and expressed by the word 'objects', or, the objects themselves; vinivartante, recede; niraharasya dehinah, from an abstinent man, from an embodied being, even from a fool who engages in painful austerity and abstains from objects; (still, they do so) rasavarjam, with the exception of the taste (for them), with the exception of the hankering that one has for objects. The word rasa is well known as referring to the sense of taste (hankering), as in such expressions as, 'sva-rasena pravrttah, induced by his own taste (i.e. willingly)', 'rasikah, a man of tastes', 'rasajnah, a connoisseur (of tastes)', etc. Api, even that; rasah, taste of the nature of subtle attachment; asya, of this person, of the sannyasin; nivartate, falls away, i.e. his objective perception becomes seedless; when drstva, after attaining; param, the Absolute, the Reality which is the supreme Goal, Brahman, he continues in life with the realization, 'I verily am That (Brahman).'
In the absence of full realization there can be no eradication of the 'hankering'. The idea conveyed is that, one should therefore stabilize one's wisdom which is characterized by full realization. [If it be held that attachment cannot be eliminated without the knowledge of Brahman, and at the same time that the knowledge of Brahman cannot arise until attachment is eradicated, then we get involved in a vicious circle. In answer it is said that gross attachments are eliminated through discrimination which restrains the senses from being overpowered by objects. And the full Knowledge arising thereof eliminates the subtle inclinations as well. Hence there is no vicious circle involved.]
Since the organs have to be first brought under his own control by one who desires to establish firmly the wisdom which is characterized by full realization, therefore the Lord speaks of the evil that arises from not keeping them under control:
Śrī Rāmānujācārya
Classical
Translation
2.59 The sense objects are the food of the senses. From the abstinent embodied being, i.e., from one who has withdrawn his senses from objects, these sense-objects, being rejected by him, turn away, but not the relish for them. Relish means hankering. The meaning is that the hankering for the sense-objects does not go away by abstinence alone. But even this hankering will go away, when one sees that the essential nature of the self is superior to the sense-objects and that the realisation of this self gives greater happiness than the enjoyment of sense-objects.
Śrī Abhinavagupta
Classical
Translation
2.59 Visayah etc. Of course, in his (ascetic's) case there is no contact with sense-objects, colour and the rest that are enjoyable. Yet, the sense-obects retreat [from him] leaving a taste in the form of longing that exists in his internal organ. Hence he is not a man-of-stabilized-intellect. Some (commentators) say that 'taste' denotes the sweetness etc., of the objects of experience. But, in the case of a man of Yoga there exists no longing as he has seen the Supreme Lord. On the other hand, in the case of the other, i.e. an ascetic, this does not retreat (disappear).
Swami Sivananda
Classical
Translation
2.59 The objects of the senses turn away from the abstinent man leaving the longing (behind); but his longing also turns away on seeing the Supreme.
Commentary
2.59 विषयाः the objects of senses? विनिवर्तन्ते turn away? निराहारस्य abstinent? देहिनः of the man? रसवर्जम् leaving the longing? रसः loving (taste)? अपि even? अस्य of his? परम् the Supreme? दृष्ट्वा having seen? निवर्तते turns away.Commentary Knowledge of the Self alone can destroy in toto the subtle Vasanas (latent tendencies) and all the subtle desires? all subtle attachments and even the longing for objects. By practising severe austerities? by abandoning the sensual objects? the objects of the senses may turn away from the ascetic but the relish or taste or longing for the objects will still remain.
Swami Gambhīrānanda
Classical
Translation
2.59 The objects recede from an abstinent man, with the exception of the taste (for them). Even the taste of this person falls away after realization the Absolute.
Shri Purohit Swami
Classical
Translation
2.59 The objects of sense turn from him who is abstemious. Even the relish for them is lost in him who has seen the Truth.
Sense objects can be withdrawn from, but the taste for them remains — only by tasting the higher does the lower lose its grip.
Practical Applications
Do not merely subtract lower pleasures; replace them with higher ones (kīrtana, prasāda, sat-saṅga).
Cultivate one higher taste this season so that a lower taste naturally falls away.
Notice that abstinence without higher taste is unstable and tends to relapse.
Reflection Questions
Which lingering rasa (taste) of mine has not actually been replaced, only suppressed?
What higher rasa am I being invited to cultivate next?
Analogy
A man on a fast may abstain from food but still dream of it. The body is restrained; the rasa — the taste — lingers. Only when a higher taste enters does the lower taste actually depart. The Gauḍīya line reads paraṁ dṛṣṭvā as Kṛṣṇa Himself: only the Lord's rasa is high enough to displace the world's.
Stories
Yāmunācārya's spit
After meeting his guru and tasting devotion, Yāmunācārya wrote: 'Since my mind has been engaged in the service of the Lord's lotus feet, drinking continually the nectar that flows from them, whenever I now remember sexual union with a woman my face turns aside and I spit at the thought.'
The verse's promise — rasa-varjam raso 'py asya paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate — is described in the first person by a Vaiṣṇava ācārya. The higher rasa did not require willpower against the lower; it dissolved the lower's appeal.
yatataḥ—while endeavoringhi—certainlyapi—in spite ofkaunteya—O son of Kuntīpuruṣasya—of a manvipaścitaḥ—full of discriminating knowledgeindriyāṇi—the sensespramāthīni—agitatingharanti—throwprasabham—by forcemanaḥ—the mind .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
yatato hy api kaunteya
yatataḥ
while endeavoring
puruṣasya vipaścitaḥ
indriyāṇi pramāthīni
hi
certainly
api
in spite of
kaunteya
O son of Kuntī
puruṣasya
of a man
vipaścitaḥ
full of discriminating knowledge
indriyāṇi
the senses
haranti prasabhaṁ manaḥ
pramāthīni
agitating
haranti
throw
prasabham
by force
manaḥ
the mind .
Important Words
yatataḥ—of one who is striving
Genitive of yatat — one making effort. Even the *one striving* is vulnerable. The verse acknowledges effort and then says: effort alone is not enough.
vipaścitaḥ—of the wise
Genitive of vipaścit — discriminating, wise. Even the *wise and striving* are vulnerable. Two qualifications are stacked, and still the senses break through.
pramāthīni—churning, agitating
From pra + √math — to churn, to crush by friction. The same root as the churning of the milk ocean. The senses *churn* the mind — they do not merely tempt; they grind.
haranti—they carry away
From √hṛ — to seize, to abduct. Used in royal contexts for kidnapping. The senses *abduct* the mind. The image is criminal — the senses break in and steal.
prasabham—forcibly
Adverb — *by force*. The abduction is not gentle persuasion. The verse closes with a violent word: the senses force the mind away. Voluntary willpower is not in this picture; help is needed.
The senses are so strong and impetuous, O Arjuna, that they forcibly carry away the mind even of a man of discrimination who is endeavoring to control them.
Purport
There are many learned sages, philosophers and transcendentalists who try to conquer the senses, but in spite of their endeavors, even the greatest of them sometimes fall victim to material sense enjoyment due to the agitated mind. Even Viśvāmitra, a great sage and perfect yogī, was misled by Menakā into sex enjoyment, although the yogī was endeavoring for sense control with severe types of penance and yoga practice. And, of course, there are so many similar instances in the history of the world. Therefore, it is very difficult to control the mind and senses without being fully Kṛṣṇa conscious. Without engaging the mind in Kṛṣṇa, one cannot cease such material engagements. A practical example is given by Śrī Yāmunācārya, a great saint and devotee, who says: yad-avadhi mama cetaḥ kṛṣṇa-pādāravinde nava-nava-rasa-dhāmany udyataṁ rantum āsīt tad-avadhi bata nārī-saṅgame smaryamāne bhavati mukha-vikāraḥ suṣṭhu niṣṭhīvanaṁ ca “Since my mind has been engaged in the service of the lotus feet of Lord Kṛṣṇa, and I have been enjoying an ever new transcendental humor, whenever I think of sex life with a woman, my face at once turns from it, and I spit at the thought.” Kṛṣṇa consciousness is such a transcendentally nice thing that automatically material enjoyment becomes distasteful. It is as if a hungry man had satisfied his hunger by a sufficient quantity of nutritious eatables. Mahārāja Ambarīṣa also conquered a great yogī, Durvāsā Muni, simply because his mind was engaged in Kṛṣṇa consciousness ( sa vai manaḥ kṛṣṇa-padāravindayor vacāṁsi vaikuṇṭha-guṇānuvarṇane ).
— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura
Gauḍīya
Translation
60. Even for the wise man who endeavors, O son of Kuntī, the agitating senses take away the mind by force.
Commentary
The effort at the stage of sādhana is very great, without power to turn back the senses completely at all times. Pramāthīni means “causing agitation.”
Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa
Gauḍīya
Translation
60. Even for the wise man who endeavors to control the senses, O son of Kuntī, the strong senses take away the mind by force.
Commentary
This verse speaks of the rarity of being such a sthita prajṣa, established in that knowledge of ātmā. For a man who is intent on conquering the senses, who can distinguish his real nature as ātmā from sense objects (vipaścitaḥ), the senses such as the ear, which act as agents or doers, take away the mind as if by force (prasabham). “Taking away” here means that the senses make the mind indulge in sense objects.
“How do the senses make the mind indulge in sense objects if the person is situated with discriminating knowledge which opposes indulging in those sense objects?”
“Because the senses are very strong (pramāthīni) they can suppress that knowledge. Therefore, the sthita prajṣa carefully protects his steadiness in jṣāna from the senses, just as a person protects a great treasure from thieves. That is his sitting (sense control).”
Bhūrijana Dāsa
Gauḍīya
Translation
The senses are so strong and impetuous, O Arjuna, that they forcibly carry away the mind even of a man of discrimination (the jnani) who is endeavoring to control them.
Commentary
Krsna is telling Arjuna: "Don't give up your work! Don't become a Jnani, but perform your work in Buddhi‑yoga!
Study Notes — Gauranga Priya Dāsa
Gauranga Priya Dāsa
Study
Bhakti-śāstrī Notes, ISKCON Chowpatty (2009)
Theme
COMMON THEME: Explains how one who is not Krishna Consciousness may easily falldown, It implies the
dangers of Arjuna’s plan to go to the forest, to practice Jnana & meditation, trying to avoid fighting and its
apparent sinful reaction.
Classical Ācāryas
Śrī Śaṅkarācārya
Classical
Translation
2.60 Hi, for; kaunteya, O son of Kunti; pramathini, the turbulent; indriyani, organs; prasabham, violently; haranti, snatch away; manah, the mind; vipascitah, of an intelligent; purusasya, person; api, even; yatatah, while he is striving diligently [Repeatedly being mindful of the evils that arise from sense-objects.] (or,) the words purusasya vipascitah (of an intelligent person) are to be connected with the remote word api (even). [The Commentator says that api may be construed either with yatatah or with vipascitah purusasya.-Tr.] Indeed, the organs confound a person who is inclined towards objects, and after confounding him, violently carry away his mind endowed with discriminating knoweldge, even when he is aware of this.
Since this is so, therefore,
Śrī Rāmānujācārya
Classical
Translation
2.60 Except by the experience of the self, the hankering for objects will not go away. When the hankering for the sense-objects does not go away, the senses of even a wise man, though he is ever striving to subdue them, become refractory, i.e., become violent and carry away perforce the mind. Thus, the subduing of the senses depends on the vision of the self, and the vision of the self depends on the subduing of the senses. Conseently, i.e., because of this mutual dependence, firm devotion to knowledge is difficult to achieve.
Śrī Abhinavagupta
Classical
Translation
2.60 Yattasyapi etc. For, the mind of that ascetic too is carried away by the sense-organs. Or, the expression yattasya api denotes 'even of one who exerts'. [So], it is but the mind that is to be subdued by a man of Yoga. Thus the second [estion] is decided.
Swami Sivananda
Classical
Translation
2.60 The turbulent senses, O Arjuna, do violently carry away the mind of a wise man though he be striving (to control them).
Commentary
2.60 यततः of the striving? हि indeed? अपि even? कौन्तेय O Kaunteya (son of Kunti)? पुरुषस्य of man? विपश्चितः (of the) wise? इन्द्रियाणि the senses? प्रमाथीनि turbulent? हरन्ति carry away? प्रसभम् violently? मनः the mind.Commentary The aspirant should first bring the senses under his control. The senses are like horses. If you keep the horses under your perfect control you can reach your destinaton safely. Turbulent horses will throw you down on the way. Even so the turbulent senses will hurl you down into the objects of the senses and you cannot reach your spiritual destination? viz.? Param Dhama (the supreme abode) or the abode of eternal peace and immortality or Moksha (final liberation). (Cf.III.33V.14).
Swami Gambhīrānanda
Classical
Translation
2.60 For, O son of Kunti, the turbulent organs violently snatch away the mind of an intelligent person, even while he is striving diligently.
Shri Purohit Swami
Classical
Translation
2.60 O Arjuna! The mind of him, who is trying to conquer it, is forcibly carried away in spite of his efforts, by his tumultuous senses.
Related values & verses
Related values
Prema (Divine Love)Tyaga (Renunciation / Letting Go)Dana (Charity / Generosity)Kshama (Forgiveness / Patience)Karuna (Kindness / Compassion)Anahankarah (Freedom from False Ego)Yajña (Sacrifice / Spirit of Offering)
The senses are so turbulent that they forcibly carry away even the mind of a discerning person — there is no automatic safety in spiritual experience.
Practical Applications
Do not assume past sādhana protects you from present sense storms; remain vigilant.
Build structures (early sleep, scheduled japa, association) that don't depend on willpower in the moment.
Take the senses seriously as adversaries deserving disciplined response, not casual handling.
Reflection Questions
Which 'turbulent sense' has surprised me by overpowering me recently?
What new structure would protect me where willpower keeps failing?
Analogy
A horseman with the reins in his hands still loses the horses if a sudden noise sets them bolting — and reasonable horses too, not wild ones. The senses are pramāthin — *churners*, *seizers* — and they do not respect even the wise man's grip. The verse is a warning: do not be complacent in willpower alone.
Stories
Viśvāmitra and Menakā
Viśvāmitra, having achieved years of austerity and earned the title of brahmarṣi, was disturbed by the apsarā Menakā sent by Indra. Even his accumulated tapas did not stop the senses' churning — the sage who could create rival heavens lost his composure to a single sense-object.
The verse names exactly this danger. Yatataḥ hi api kaunteya: *even of one who is striving*. Viśvāmitra was striving; the senses still did pramāthin work on him. The remedy will come in the next verses: not striving alone, but mat-paraḥ — fixed on the Lord.
tāni—those sensessarvāṇi—allsaṁyamya—keeping under controlyuktaḥ—engagedāsīta—should be situatedmat - paraḥ—in relationship with Mevaśe—in full subjugationhi—certainlyyasya—one whoseindriyāṇi—sensestasya—hisprajñā—consciousnesspratiṣṭhitā—fixed .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
tāni sarvāṇi saṁyamya
tāni
those senses
sarvāṇi
all
saṁyamya
keeping under control
yukta āsīta mat-paraḥ
yuktaḥ
engaged
āsīta
should be situated
mat - paraḥ
in relationship with Me
vaśe hi yasyendriyāṇi
vaśe
in full subjugation
hi
certainly
yasya
one whose
indriyāṇi
senses
tasya prajñā pratiṣṭhitā
tasya
his
prajñā
consciousness
pratiṣṭhitā
fixed .
Important Words
saṁyamya—having restrained
Gerund of sam-√yam — to hold together, to restrain. The same root as saṁyamī. The senses are first *gathered in* and held — not destroyed.
yuktaḥ—yoked
Past participle of √yuj. The practitioner is *yoked* — connected. The same word that names the yogi names the act of being connected to the Lord.
āsīta—should sit
Optative of √ās — to sit, to abide. The verse names the right posture for the saṁyamī: *seated*, settled, not in flight. The sthita-prajña is, even in his outward posture, sthita.
mat - paraḥ—having Me as the supreme
Compound — *whose param is Me*. The verse's hinge. Restraint alone is not enough (verse 60 showed); the senses must be redirected toward the Lord. Mat-paraḥ is the difference between dry sense-control and bhakti-yoga.
vaśe—under control
Locative of vaśa — power, control. *In whose subjection* the senses are. The verse closes by characterizing the sthita-prajña: he is one whose senses *are in his vaśa* — and they are there because he is mat-paraḥ.
One who restrains his senses, keeping them under full control, and fixes his consciousness upon Me, is known as a man of steady intelligence.
Purport
That the highest conception of yoga perfection is Kṛṣṇa consciousness is clearly explained in this verse. And unless one is Kṛṣṇa conscious it is not at all possible to control the senses. As cited above, the great sage Durvāsā Muni picked a quarrel with Mahārāja Ambarīṣa, and Durvāsā Muni unnecessarily became angry out of pride and therefore could not check his senses. On the other hand, the king, although not as powerful a yogī as the sage, but a devotee of the Lord, silently tolerated all the sage’s injustices and thereby emerged victorious. The king was able to control his senses because of the following qualifications, as mentioned in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (9.4.18–20) : sa vai manaḥ kṛṣṇa-padāravindayor vacāṁsi vaikuṇṭha-guṇānuvarṇane karau harer mandira-mārjanādiṣu śrutiṁ cakārācyuta-sat-kathodaye mukunda-liṅgālaya-darśane dṛśau tad-bhṛtya-gātra-sparśe ’ṅga-saṅgamam ghrāṇaṁ ca tat-pāda-saroja-saurabhe śrīmat-tulasyā rasanāṁ tad-arpite pādau hareḥ kṣetra-padānusarpaṇe śiro hṛṣīkeśa-padābhivandane kāmaṁ ca dāsye na tu kāma-kāmyayā yathottama-śloka-janāśrayā ratiḥ “King Ambarīṣa fixed his mind on the lotus feet of Lord Kṛṣṇa, engaged his words in describing the abode of the Lord, his hands in cleansing the temple of the Lord, his ears in hearing the pastimes of the Lord, his eyes in seeing the form of the Lord, his body in touching the body of the devotee, his nostrils in smelling the flavor of the flowers offered to the lotus feet of the Lord, his tongue in tasting the tulasī leaves offered to Him, his legs in traveling to the holy place where His temple is situated, his head in offering obeisances unto the Lord, and his desires in fulfilling the desires of the Lord … and all these qualifications made him fit to become a mat-para devotee of the Lord.” The word mat-para is most significant in this connection. How one can become mat-para is described in the life of Mahārāja Ambarīṣa. Śrīla Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa, a great scholar and ācārya in the line of the mat-para, remarks, mad-bhakti-prabhāvena sarvendriya-vijaya-pūrvikā svātma-dṛṣṭiḥ su-labheti bhāvaḥ. “The senses can be completely controlled only by the strength of devotional service to Kṛṣṇa.” Also, the example of fire is sometimes given: “As a blazing fire burns everything within a room, Lord Viṣṇu, situated in the heart of the yogī, burns up all kinds of impurities.” The Yoga-sūtra also prescribes meditation on Viṣṇu, and not meditation on the void. The so-called yogīs who meditate on something other than the Viṣṇu form simply waste their time in a vain search after some phantasmagoria. We have to be Kṛṣṇa conscious – devoted to the Personality of Godhead. This is the aim of the real yoga.
— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura
Gauḍīya
Translation
61. The yogī who is devoted to Me, after restraining all the senses, will remain seated, unresponsive to sense objects. He whose senses have thus been brought under control is sthita-prajṣa.
Commentary
Mat-paraḥ means My devotee. Without devotion to Me, one cannot conquer the senses. This will be seen everywhere in later verses of the Gītā. Uddhava has also said:
prāyaśaḥ puṇḍarīkākṣa yuṣjanto yogino manaḥ
viṣīdanty asamādhānān mano-nigraha-karśitāḥ
athāta ānanda-dughaṁ padāmbujaṁ haṁsāḥ śrayeran
O lotus-eyed Lord, generally those yogīs who try to steady the mind experience frustration because of their inability to perfect the state of trance. Thus they weary in their attempt to bring the mind under control. Therefore, O lotus-eyed Lord of the universe, swanlike men happily take shelter of Your lotus feet, the source of all transcendental ecstasy. SB 11.29.2-3
The person whose senses have been brought under control (vase hi) is the sthita-prajṣa. This distinguishes him from the sādhaka, the person attempting to do so.
Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa
Gauḍīya
Translation
61. The yogi who is devoted to Me, after restraining all the senses, will remain seated, realizing ātmā. He whose senses have thus been brought under control is sthita prajṣa.
Commentary
“Even for those who have conquered the senses, realization of ātmā is not known. What is the method for realizing the ātmā?”
Having completely controlled all the senses, fixed in devotion to Me (mat paraḥ), he will remain situated (āsīta) with full samādhi directed to ātmā (yuktaḥ). In other words, by the power of devotion to Me, while maintaining control of the senses, the person will very easily attain a vision of his ātmā. Thus the smṛti says:
yathāgnir uddhata-śikhaḥ kakṣaṁ dahati sānilaḥ
tathā citta-sthito viṣṇur yogināṁ sarva-kilbiṣam
Just as fire with upraised flames, assisted by the wind, burns dry wood, Viṣṇu situated in the heart, burns up all the sins of the yogīs. Viṣnu Purāṇa 6.7.74
The last line of the verse clarifies. This is the situation of the sthita prajṣa with control of the senses. This answers the question “How does the sthita prajṣa remain situated with sense control (kim āsīta)?”
Bhūrijana Dāsa
Gauḍīya
Commentary
All the senses has to be engaged in Krsna's service and that is Bhakti.
This is far superior to the path of negation or jnana.
This verse has two parts: 1) the first part of half of the verse is about a sadhaka, one who is practicing and 2) the second half is about someone who is in perfection ‑ a siddha.
The first part says how one has to control the senses by engaging them in relationship with Krsna and the second part explains when the senses are in full subjugation his consciousness is fixed. The question could be asked: "What happens if a sadhaka, one who is practicing does not fix his consciousness fully on Krsna but by chance or by mistake fixes his senses on the objects of the senses? What happens to such a person?
Study Notes — Gauranga Priya Dāsa
Gauranga Priya Dāsa
StudyKey verse
Bhakti-śāstrī Notes, ISKCON Chowpatty (2009)
Theme
This verse provides contrast between process of dry renunciation and devotional service
“Steady Intelligence” defined
One who restrains his senses, keeping them under full control
And fixes his consciousness upon ‘Me’
Focus of Learning
(a) Practical Application: ‘Man of discrimination’ refers to a jnani, who endeavors to curb his senses
simply on the strength of his own philosophical understanding and mental conviction
(b) Example of power of senses – Visvamrita Muni and many other learned sages, philosophers and
transcendentalists fall victim due to their agitated mind
(c) Only way to control senses – Higher taste of Krishna consciousness – e.g. Yamunacarya
(d) Krishna consciousness is on the transcendental platform
Automatically material enjoyment becomes distasteful
Analogy: Krishna consciousness is like a hungry man satisfied by sufficient nutritious eatables
e.g. Ambarisa Maharaja conquered Durvasa Muni because of Krishna consciousness
(c) Restraining is difficult, because taste of sense objects still remain (2.59)
This is the cause of falldown for Impersonalists or those in Astanga-yoga
Analogy: Restriction of diseased patient from some food item – patient still has taste for it
(d) Restrictions are only good in neophyte stage, because: (2.59)
On advanced platform one develops a higher taste and it becomes easier to restrain the senses, one automatically loses taste for pale things
What kind of higher taste recommended
One who has tasted the Lord’s beauty in the course of his advancement such a person loses all taste of dead material things
Classical Ācāryas
Śrī Śaṅkarācārya
Classical
Translation
2.61 Samyamya, controlling, having subdued; sarvani, all; tani, of them; asita, one should remain; yuktah, concentrated; mat-parah, on Me as the supreme he to whom I, Vasudeva, the inmost Self of all, am the supreme (parah) is mat-parah. The idea is, he should remain (concentrated) thinking, 'I am not different from Him.'
Hi, for; the prajna, wisdom; tasya, of one, of the sannyasin remaining thus concentrated; yasya, whose; indriyani, organs; are vase, under control, by dint of practice; [The organs come under control either by constantly thinking of oneself as non-different from the Self, or by constantly being mindful of the evils that result from objects.] pratisthita, becomes steadfast.
Now, then, is being stated this [This:what is described in the following two verses, and is also a matter of common experience.] root, cause of all the evils that beset one who is the verge of being overwhelmed:
Śrī Rāmānujācārya
Classical
Translation
2.61 With a desire to overcome this mutual dependence between the subduing of the senses and vision of the self, one has to coner the senses which are difficult to subdue on account of their attachment to sense-objects. So, focussing the mind on Me who am the only auspicious object for meditation, let him remain steadfast. When the mind is focussed on Me as its object, then such a mind, purified by the burning away of all impurities and devoid of attachment to the senses, is able to control the senses. Then the mind with the senses under control will be able to experience the self. As said in Visnu Purana, 'As the leaping fire fanned by the wind burns away a forest of dry trees, so Visnu, who is in the hearts of all the Yogins, destroys all the sins.' Sri Krsna teaches the same here: 'He whose senses are under control, his knowledge is firmly set.'
Sri Krsna says: 'One who endeavours to subdue the senses, depending on one's own exertions, and does not focus the mind on Me in this way, becomes lost.'
Śrī Abhinavagupta
Classical
Translation
2.61 Tani etc. He, who restrains his sense-organs in this manner by means of his mind, but not by inactivity-he alone is a man-of-stabilized-intellect. He would remain viewing Me alone as his goal i.e., he would concentrate his attention on nothing but Me, the Supreme Lord, the Consciousness-Self.
Swami Sivananda
Classical
Translation
2.61 Having restrained them all he should sit steadfast, intent on Me; his wisdom is steady whose senses are under control.
Commentary
2.61 तानि them? सर्वाणि all? संयम्य having restrained? युक्तः joined? आसीत should sit? मत्परः intent on Me? वशे under control? हि indeed? यस्य whose? इन्द्रियाणि senses? तस्य his? प्रज्ञा wisdom? प्रतिष्ठिता is settled.Commentary He should control the senses and sit focussed on Me as the Supreme? with a calm mind. The wisdom of the Yogi who thus seated has brought all his senses under subjugation is doubtless ite steady. He is established in the Self. Sri Sankaracharya explains Asita Matparah as He should sit contemplating I am no other than He. (Cf.II.64).
Swami Gambhīrānanda
Classical
Translation
2.61 Controlling all of them, one should remain concentrated on Me as the supreme. For, the wisdom of one whose organs are under control becomes steadfast.
Shri Purohit Swami
Classical
Translation
2.61 Restraining them all, let him meditate steadfastly on Me; for who thus conquers his senses achieves perfection.
Restraining all the senses, one should sit fixed on Me — the senses are conquered only by the consciousness fixed on the Lord.
Practical Applications
Replace 'try harder against my senses' with 'fix my mind on Krishna' — the indirect approach succeeds where the direct fails.
When a sense pull arises, do not engage it in argument; redirect attention to Krishna's name or form.
Make 'mat-paraḥ' (centered on Me) your operating frequency, not just your goal.
Reflection Questions
Where am I fighting senses head-on instead of fixing on Krishna?
What does mat-paraḥ feel like in my body when I genuinely enter it?
Analogy
A horseman who has both bridled the horses and fixed his eyes on the city ahead is safe; bridled-and-aimless still loses the road. The yukta yogī mat-paraḥ has both subdued (saṁyamya) and aimed (mat-paraḥ). The verse names the only configuration that holds.
dhyāyataḥ—while contemplatingviṣayān—sense objectspuṁsaḥ—of a personsaṅgaḥ—attachmentteṣu—in the sense objectsupajāyate—developssaṅgāt—from attachmentsañjāyate—developskāmaḥ—desirekāmāt—from desirekrodhaḥ—angerabhijāyate—becomes manifest .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
dhyāyato viṣayān puṁsaḥ
dhyāyataḥ
while contemplating
viṣayān
sense objects
puṁsaḥ
of a person
saṅgas teṣūpajāyate
saṅgaḥ
attachment
teṣu
in the sense objects
upajāyate
develops
saṅgāt sañjāyate kāmaḥ
saṅgāt
from attachment
sañjāyate
develops
kāmaḥ
desire
kāmāt krodho ’bhijāyate
kāmāt
from desire
krodhaḥ
anger
abhijāyate
becomes manifest .
Important Words
dhyāyataḥ—of one who contemplates
Genitive of dhyāyat — meditating. The chain begins with *meditation* on sense-objects. Not seeing them or even handling them — *thinking about them*. The verse identifies the earliest link.
saṅgaḥ—attachment
The chapter's hinge word (cf. 2.47, 48). From contemplation arises saṅga. The verse traces saṅga to its origin: it is born in the mind, not in the senses' contact.
upajāyate—arises
Upa + √jan — to come into being beside. Each link in the chain *arises beside* the previous. The verb is used four times by implication across the verse, marking the chain of emergence.
kāmaḥ—lust
Second link. From saṅga arises kāma. Note the progression: saṅga is attachment as state; kāma is desire as energy. The state energizes into a drive.
krodhaḥ—anger
Third link. From kāma (frustrated) arises krodha. The verse implies: every krodha has a frustrated kāma behind it, which has an attached saṅga behind that, which has a contemplation behind it. The genealogy of anger is now traced.
While contemplating the objects of the senses, a person develops attachment for them, and from such attachment lust develops, and from lust anger arises.
Purport
One who is not Kṛṣṇa conscious is subjected to material desires while contemplating the objects of the senses. The senses require real engagements, and if they are not engaged in the transcendental loving service of the Lord, they will certainly seek engagement in the service of materialism. In the material world everyone, including Lord Śiva and Lord Brahmā – to say nothing of other demigods in the heavenly planets – is subjected to the influence of sense objects, and the only method to get out of this puzzle of material existence is to become Kṛṣṇa conscious. Lord Śiva was deep in meditation, but when Pārvatī agitated him for sense pleasure, he agreed to the proposal, and as a result Kārtikeya was born. When Haridāsa Ṭhākura was a young devotee of the Lord, he was similarly allured by the incarnation of Māyā-devī, but Haridāsa easily passed the test because of his unalloyed devotion to Lord Kṛṣṇa. As illustrated in the above-mentioned verse of Śrī Yāmunācārya, a sincere devotee of the Lord shuns all material sense enjoyment due to his higher taste for spiritual enjoyment in the association of the Lord. That is the secret of success. One who is not, therefore, in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, however powerful he may be in controlling the senses by artificial repression, is sure ultimately to fail, for the slightest thought of sense pleasure will agitate him to gratify his desires.
— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura
Gauḍīya
Translation
62. For the person who meditates on the sense objects, attachment arises. From attachment arises desire. From desire arises anger.
Commentary
The sthita-prajṣa controls also the mind. That indeed is the cause of control of the senses. If one does not have control of the mind at all, please hear the result.
A person who thinks of the sense objects develops attachment (saṅga) to them. And by that attachment, he develops strong desire (kāma) for those objects. From desire, anger develops due to obstruction to fulfilling his desire, caused by someone or something.
Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa
Gauḍīya
Translation
62. For the person who meditates on the sense objects, attachment arises. From attachment arises desire. From desire arises anger.
Commentary
Even for those who have controlled the senses, if they do not direct their minds to Me, it is inevitable that calamities will again arise. This is expressed in two verses.
For the yogī who repeatedly contemplates sense objects thinking he will derive pleasure from them (dhyāyataḥ), attachment (saṅgaḥ) to those objects arises. Because of that attachment, thirst for pleasure from those objects arises. When that longing is thwarted by something or other, anger, burning in the heart, to counteract the obstacle, arises.
Study Notes — Gauranga Priya Dāsa
Gauranga Priya Dāsa
Study
Bhakti-śāstrī Notes, ISKCON Chowpatty (2009)
Theme
COMMON THEME: Process of falldown – If mind is not on Krishna then it fixes on the sense objects and
inevitably drags one into illusion
PROCESS OF FALLDOWN
PRACTICAL APPLICATION OF TEXT 2.60 – 2.61
Krishna contrasts the struggle of jnani with the simiplicty and ease by which a devotee remains aloof from sensual entanglement
In devotional sense control one does not become frustrated by inactivity because he engages all of his senses in regulated devotional activity
Krishna conscious activities bring true peace and lasting happiness
Focus of Learning
(a) Highest conception of Yoga perfection is Krishna consciousness
E.g. Durvasa Muni (yogi) vs Ambarisa Maharaja (Krishna conscious devotee) – Ambarisa Maharaja engaged fully his senses in Krishna’s service and thus silently tolerated Durvasa Muni’s injustice
(b) “Mat-para” – It implies all senses and mind are engaged in relationship with Krishna
e.g. Ambarisa Maharaja (Ref. SB 9.4.18-20)
Ref. Baladeva Vidyabushana who is another ‘mat-para’ devotee remarks: “Senses can be completely controlled only by strength of devotional service”
(c) Analogy of ‘devotional service’ compared to ‘Vishnu as fire’ – Just like fire burns all to ashes,
similarly Vishnu in the heart of a yogi burns all impurities
(d) Therefore the aim of real Yoga is “Devotion to Supreme Personality of Godhead” and “Meditation
on Vishnu” and not void
Classical Ācāryas
Śrī Śaṅkarācārya
Classical
Translation
2.62 Pumsah, in the case of a person; dhyayatah, who dwells on, thinks of; visayan, the objects, the specialities [Specialities: The charms imagined in them.] of the objects such as sound etc.; upajayate, there arises; sangah, attachment, fondness, love; tesu, for them, for those objects. Sangat, from attachment, from love; sanjayate, grows; kamah, hankering, thirst. When that is obstructed from any arter, kamat, from hankering; abhijayate, springs; krodhah, anger. Krodhat, from anger; bhavati, follows; sammohah, delusion, absence of discrimination with regard to what should or should not be done. For, an angry man, becoming deluded, abuses even a teacher.
Sammohat, from delusion; (comes) smrti-vibhramah, failure of memory originating from the impressions acired from the instructions of the scriptures and teachers. When there is an occasion for memory to rise, it does not occur. Smrti-bhramsat, from that failure of memory; (results) buddhi-nasah, loss of understanding. The unfitness of the mind to discriminate between what should or should not be done is called loss of understanding. Buddhi-nasat, from the loss of understanding; pranasyati, he perishes. Indeed, a man continues tobe himself so long as his mind remains fit to distinguish between what he ought to and ought not do. When it becomes unfit, a man is verily ruined. Therefore, when his internal organ, his understanding, is destroyed, a man is ruined, i.e. he becomes unfit for the human Goal.
Thinking of objects has been said to be the root of all evils. After that, this which is the cause of Liberation is being now stated: [If even the memory of objects be a source of evil, then their enjoyment is more so. Hence, a sannyasin seeking Liberation cannot avoid this evil, since he has to move about for food which is necessary for the maintenance of his body. The present verse is an answer to this apprehension.]
Śrī Rāmānujācārya
Classical
Translation
2.62 Indeed, in respect of a person, whose attachment to sense-objects is expelled but whose mind is not focussed on Me, even though he controls the senses, contemplation on sense-objects is unavoidable on account of the impressions of sins from time immemorial. Again attachment increases fully in 'a man who thinks about sense-objects'. From attachment arises desire.' What is called 'desire' is the further stage of attachment. After reaching that stage, it is not possible for a man to stay without experiencing the sense-objects. 'From such desire arises anger.' When a desire exists without its object being nearby, anger arises against persons nearby under the following. 'Our desire is thwarted by these persons.'
'From anger there comes delusion'. Delusion is want of discrimination between what ought to be done and what ought not to be done. Not possessing that discrimination one does anything and everything. Then there follows the failure of memory, i.e., of the impressions of the earlier efforts of sense control, when one strives again to control the senses.
Śrī Abhinavagupta
Classical
Translation
2.62 See Comment under 2.63
Swami Sivananda
Classical
Translation
2.62 When a man thinks of the objects, attachment for them arises; from attachment desire is born; from desire anger arises.
Commentary
2.62 ध्यायतः thinking? विषयान् (on) objects of the senses? पुंसः of a man? सङ्गः attachment? तेषु in them? उपजायते arises? सङ्गात् from attachment? संजायते is born? कामः desire? कामात् from desire? क्रोधः anger? अभिजायते arises.Commentary When a man thinks of the beauty and the pleasant and alluring features of the senseobjects he becomes attached to them. He then regards them as something worthy of acisition and possession and hankers after them. He develops a strong desire to possess them. Then he endeavours his level best to obtain them. When his desire is frustrated by some cause or other? anger arises in his mind. If anybody puts any obstruction in his way of obtaining the objects he hates him? fights with him and develops hostility towards hi. (Cf.II.64).
Swami Gambhīrānanda
Classical
Translation
2.62-2.63 In the case of a person who dwells on objects, there arises attachment for them. From attachment grows hankering, from hankering springs anger.
Shri Purohit Swami
Classical
Translation
2.62 When a man dwells on the objects of sense, he creates an attraction for them; attraction develops into desire, and desire breeds anger.
From contemplating sense objects, attachment arises; from attachment, desire; from desire, anger — this is the descent.
Practical Applications
Catch the descent at the contemplation stage; do not wait until anger to intervene.
Notice your daily 'ladder of descent' — what kind of looking precedes what kind of grasping?
Build small practices (chanting, prayer) at the contemplation stage rather than the anger stage.
Reflection Questions
What did I contemplate yesterday that ripened into attachment today?
Where on this ladder do I most often catch myself, and where do I miss it?
Analogy
A spark starts a small flame; the flame catches a curtain; the curtain ignites the house; the house brings down the street. From dhyāyataḥ viṣayān to krodha is exactly this chain. Intervene at the spark — the contemplation stage — and the fire never reaches the street.
Stories
The Bhāgavatam's Saubhari Muni
Saubhari Muni meditated under the Yamunā for years. He saw fish mating and the thought entered him: I too will marry. He emerged, asked for a princess of Māndhātā's daughters, was given fifty by Vedic stipulation, and expanded his form fifty-fold to live with them all.
Only after long entanglement did he realize: dhyāyato viṣayān puṁsaḥ saṅgas teṣūpajāyate. He had thought one sense-object, and the chain had unrolled itself. The Bhāgavatam (9.6) preserves the episode as the verse's living illustration.
krodhāt—from angerbhavati—takes placesammohaḥ—perfect illusionsammohāt—from illusionsmṛti—of memoryvibhramaḥ—bewildermentsmṛti - bhraṁśāt—after bewilderment of memorybuddhi - nāśaḥ—loss of intelligencebuddhi - nāśāt—and from loss of intelligencepraṇaśyati—one falls down .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
krodhād bhavati sammohaḥ
krodhāt
from anger
bhavati
takes place
sammohaḥ
perfect illusion
sammohāt smṛti-vibhramaḥ
sammohāt
from illusion
smṛti
of memory
vibhramaḥ
bewilderment
smṛti-bhraṁśād buddhi-nāśo
smṛti - bhraṁśāt
after bewilderment of memory
buddhi - nāśaḥ
loss of intelligence
buddhi-nāśāt praṇaśyati
buddhi - nāśāt
and from loss of intelligence
praṇaśyati
one falls down .
Important Words
sammohaḥ—complete delusion
Sam + moha — *full bewilderment*. From krodha arises sammoha — not just confusion but the loss of discrimination. Anger blacks out the buddhi.
smṛti - vibhramaḥ—bewilderment of memory
Compound — *the confusion of smṛti*. Smṛti is not just memory but *the remembering of one's teaching*. From sammoha, even the teachings one has heard fall out of recall. The student forgets the lessons under the spell of anger.
buddhi - nāśaḥ—destruction of intelligence
Compound — *the destruction of buddhi*. When smṛti collapses, buddhi cannot operate (it has no material to discriminate among). The faculty is destroyed not in essence but in function.
praṇaśyati—perishes
From pra + √naś — to perish completely. The final word of the descent. The person, having lost buddhi, *perishes* — not bodily perhaps, but the self-as-seeker, the self-as-disciple, is gone. The Gītā's saddest verb.
From anger, complete delusion arises, and from delusion bewilderment of memory. When memory is bewildered, intelligence is lost, and when intelligence is lost one falls down again into the material pool.
Purport
Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī has given us this direction: prāpañcikatayā buddhyā hari-sambandhi-vastunaḥ mumukṣubhiḥ parityāgo vairāgyaṁ phalgu kathyate ( Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu 1.2.258) By development of Kṛṣṇa consciousness one can know that everything has its use in the service of the Lord. Those who are without knowledge of Kṛṣṇa consciousness artificially try to avoid material objects, and as a result, although they desire liberation from material bondage, they do not attain to the perfect stage of renunciation. Their so-called renunciation is called phalgu, or less important. On the other hand, a person in Kṛṣṇa consciousness knows how to use everything in the service of the Lord; therefore he does not become a victim of material consciousness. For example, for an impersonalist, the Lord, or the Absolute, being impersonal, cannot eat. Whereas an impersonalist tries to avoid good eatables, a devotee knows that Kṛṣṇa is the supreme enjoyer and that He eats all that is offered to Him in devotion. So, after offering good eatables to the Lord, the devotee takes the remnants, called prasādam. Thus everything becomes spiritualized, and there is no danger of a downfall. The devotee takes prasādam in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, whereas the nondevotee rejects it as material. The impersonalist, therefore, cannot enjoy life, due to his artificial renunciation; and for this reason, a slight agitation of the mind pulls him down again into the pool of material existence. It is said that such a soul, even though rising up to the point of liberation, falls down again due to his not having support in devotional service.
— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura
Gauḍīya
Translation
63. From anger arises bewilderment. From bewilderment comes loss of memory. From loss of memory comes loss of intelligence. From loss of intelligence one becomes completely destroyed.
Commentary
From anger develops absence of discrimination of what should be done and what should not be done (saṁmohaḥ). From bewilderment develops loss of remembrance of ones own benefit derived from the instructions of scriptures (smṛti-vibhramaḥ). From that comes a destruction of resolve for spiritual practices (buddhi-nāśa). Then one falls into the hole of samsāra.
Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa
Gauḍīya
Translation
63. From anger arises bewilderment. From bewilderment comes loss of memory. From loss of memory comes loss of determination. From loss of determination, one sinks into the material ocean.
Commentary
From anger arises loss of discrimination (saṁmohaḥ) of what is proper or improper action. From this saṁmoha arises destruction of memory of his plans to attempt to conquer the senses (smṛti vibhramaḥ). From this destruction of memory arises destruction of the determination necessary for knowledge of ātmā (buddhi-naśaḥ). From destruction of determination, one again sinks in the ocean of material enjoyment, and continues in saṁsāra (praṇaśyati). Without surrender to Me, the senses join the weak mind to the respective sense objects. [Note: Verse sixty spoke of the senses taking away the mind by force to sense objects. Verse sixty-two and sixty-three described the effects coming from that.] Therefore one who wants to conquer the mind must worship the Lord.
Bhūrijana Dāsa
Gauḍīya
Commentary
Here, up to Text 63, is explained what are the symptoms of someone who is situated in Krsna consciousness ‑ he is getting pleasure within because his senses are controlled and fully fixed in Krsna's service.
In Texts 64, 65 and 66 and more or less to the last verse, the last question is answered: "How does he walk?" which means "how does he actually engages his senses?"
[ 5 . How does he walk? (How does he actually engage his senses?) Free from attachment and aversion and satisfied in Krsna consciousness, he is fixed by his intelligence (64‑65) and achieves undisturbed peace by ignoring the desires of his mind. He thus, internally renounced, acts in connection with the Supreme. (66‑71) ]
Study Notes — Gauranga Priya Dāsa
Gauranga Priya Dāsa
Study
Bhakti-śāstrī Notes, ISKCON Chowpatty (2009)
Theme
COMMON THEME: Process of falldown – If mind is not on Krishna then it fixes on the sense objects and
inevitably drags one into illusion
PROCESS OF FALLDOWN
PRACTICAL APPLICATION OF TEXT 2.60 – 2.61
Krishna contrasts the struggle of jnani with the simiplicty and ease by which a devotee remains aloof from sensual entanglement
In devotional sense control one does not become frustrated by inactivity because he engages all of his senses in regulated devotional activity
Krishna conscious activities bring true peace and lasting happiness
Focus of Learning
(a) Highest conception of Yoga perfection is Krishna consciousness
E.g. Durvasa Muni (yogi) vs Ambarisa Maharaja (Krishna conscious devotee) – Ambarisa Maharaja engaged fully his senses in Krishna’s service and thus silently tolerated Durvasa Muni’s injustice
(b) “Mat-para” – It implies all senses and mind are engaged in relationship with Krishna
e.g. Ambarisa Maharaja (Ref. SB 9.4.18-20)
Ref. Baladeva Vidyabushana who is another ‘mat-para’ devotee remarks: “Senses can be completely controlled only by strength of devotional service”
(c) Analogy of ‘devotional service’ compared to ‘Vishnu as fire’ – Just like fire burns all to ashes,
similarly Vishnu in the heart of a yogi burns all impurities
(d) Therefore the aim of real Yoga is “Devotion to Supreme Personality of Godhead” and “Meditation
on Vishnu” and not void
Classical Ācāryas
Śrī Śaṅkarācārya
Classical
Translation
2.63 Pumsah, in the case of a person; dhyayatah, who dwells on, thinks of; visayan, the objects, the specialities [Specialities: The charms imagined in them.] of the objects such as sound etc.; upajayate, there arises; sangah, attachment, fondness, love; tesu, for them, for those objects. Sangat, from attachment, from love; sanjayate, grows; kamah, hankering, thirst. When that is obstructed from any arter, kamat, from hankering; abhijayate, springs; krodhah, anger. Krodhat, from anger; bhavati, follows; sammohah, delusion, absence of discrimination with regard to what should or should not be done. For, an angry man, becoming deluded, abuses even a teacher.
Sammohat, from delusion; (comes) smrti-vibhramah, failure of memory originating from the impressions acired from the instructions of the scriptures and teachers. When there is an occasion for memory to rise, it does not occur. Smrti-bhramsat, from that failure of memory; (results) buddhi-nasah, loss of understanding. The unfitness of the mind to discriminate between what should or should not be done is called loss of understanding. Buddhi-nasat, from the loss of understanding; pranasyati, he perishes. Indeed, a man continues tobe himself so long as his mind remains fit to distinguish between what he ought to and ought not do. When it becomes unfit, a man is verily ruined. Therefore, when his internal organ, his understanding, is destroyed, a man is ruined, i.e. he becomes unfit for the human Goal.
Thinking of objects has been said to be the root of all evils. After that, this which is the cause of Liberation is being now stated: [If even the memory of objects be a source of evil, then their enjoyment is more so. Hence, a sannyasin seeking Liberation cannot avoid this evil, since he has to move about for food which is necessary for the maintenance of his body. The present verse is an answer to this apprehension.]
Śrī Rāmānujācārya
Classical
Translation
2.63 'From the loss of memory there comes the destruction of discrimination.' The meaning is that there will be destruction of the effect of efforts made earlier to attain the knowledge of the self. From the destruction of discrimination, one becomes lost, i.e., is sunk in Samsara or worldliness.
Śrī Abhinavagupta
Classical
Translation
2.63 Dhyayatah etc. krodhat etc. In the case of an ascetic, the very act of abandoning sense-objects itself resutls in undertaking the sense-objects. For, they abandon indeed by meditating [on them], and at the very time of such a meditation, attachment etc., are born in regular succession. Hence the act of abandoning objects is harmless only in the case of a man-of-stabilized-intellect. (65)
Swami Sivananda
Classical
Translation
2.63 From anger comes delusion; from delusion loss of memory; from loss of memory the destruction of discrimination; from the destruction of discrimination he perishes.
Commentary
2.63 क्रोधात् from anger? भवति comes? संमोहः delusion? संमोहात् from delusion? स्मृतिविभ्रमः loss of memory? स्मृतिभ्रंशात् from loss of memory? बुद्धिनाशः the destruction of discriminatio? बुद्धिनाशात् from the,destruction of discrimination? प्रणश्यति (he) perishes.Commentary From anger arises delusion. When a man becomes angry he loses his power of discrimination between right and wrong. He will speak and do anything he likes. He will be swept away by the impulse of passion and emotion and will act irrationally.
Swami Gambhīrānanda
Classical
Translation
2.63 From anger follows delusion; from delusion, failure of memory; from failure of memory, the loss of understanding; from the loss of understanding, he perishes.
Shri Purohit Swami
Classical
Translation
2.63 Anger induces delusion; delusion, loss of memory; through loss of memory, reason is shattered; and loss of reason leads to destruction.
His Holiness Bhakti Vikas Swami· 2016-05-09· English
Personal Guidance
From anger arises delusion, from delusion bewilderment of memory, from bewilderment loss of intelligence — and one perishes.
Practical Applications
Recognize anger as a stage on a downward path, not as a free-standing emotion.
When anger arises, immediately recall a verse or japa-cycle to reset memory.
Treat smṛti-vibhrama (memory loss) as the enemy — your spiritual identity depends on remembrance.
Reflection Questions
Where has anger recently bewildered my memory of who I really am?
What practice would restore smṛti when delusion threatens?
Analogy
A drinker becomes loud, the loud man forgets where he is, the forgetting man cannot reason, the unreasoning man falls in the street. From krodha to praṇaśyati — *one perishes* — is a five-step waterfall, each step shorter than the last. The verse maps the descent with terrifying clarity.
rāga—attachmentdveṣa—and detachmentvimuktaiḥ—by one who has become free fromtu—butviṣayān—sense objectsindriyaiḥ—by the sensescaran—acting uponātma - vaśyaiḥ—under one’s controlvidheya - ātmā—one who follows regulated freedomprasādam—the mercy of the Lordadhigacchati—attains .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
rāga-dveṣa-vimuktais tu
rāga
attachment
dveṣa
and detachment
vimuktaiḥ
by one who has become free from
tu
but
viṣayān indriyaiś caran
viṣayān
sense objects
indriyaiḥ
by the senses
caran
acting upon
ātma-vaśyair vidheyātmā
ātma - vaśyaiḥ
under one’s control
vidheya - ātmā
one who follows regulated freedom
prasādam adhigacchati
prasādam
the mercy of the Lord
adhigacchati
attains .
Important Words
rāga - dveṣa - vimuktaiḥ—with attachment and aversion released
Compound instrumental — *by means of senses freed from rāga and dveṣa*. The two great motive forces of unconscious sense-action. When both are gone, the same senses can wander among objects safely.
viṣayān—sense-objects
Plural accusative — *the sense-objects*. Note: the verse does not require withdrawing from the objects. With rāga-dveṣa-vimukta senses, *contact with* viṣayas is fine. The Gītā is not ascetic in the renunciate sense.
caran—moving
Present participle of √car — to move, to wander. The yogī *moves about* among sense-objects (with his senses, indriyaiḥ). He is not paralyzed. Saṁyama is regulation, not amputation.
vidheya - ātmā—whose self is regulated
Compound — *of regulated self*. The mind is brought under vidhi — under rule. Self-regulation, not self-denial.
prasādam—grace, serenity
From pra-√sad — to settle clearly. Prasāda is the clear settled state — the gift the Lord gives to the regulated self. Same word as caraṇāmṛta-prasāda. The verse promises: serene grace is the outcome.
But a person free from all attachment and aversion and able to control his senses through regulative principles of freedom can obtain the complete mercy of the Lord.
Purport
It is already explained that one may externally control the senses by some artificial process, but unless the senses are engaged in the transcendental service of the Lord, there is every chance of a fall. Although the person in full Kṛṣṇa consciousness may apparently be on the sensual plane, because of his being Kṛṣṇa conscious he has no attachment to sensual activities. The Kṛṣṇa conscious person is concerned only with the satisfaction of Kṛṣṇa, and nothing else. Therefore he is transcendental to all attachment and detachment. If Kṛṣṇa wants, the devotee can do anything which is ordinarily undesirable; and if Kṛṣṇa does not want, he shall not do that which he would have ordinarily done for his own satisfaction. Therefore to act or not to act is within his control because he acts only under the direction of Kṛṣṇa. This consciousness is the causeless mercy of the Lord, which the devotee can achieve in spite of his being attached to the sensual platform.
— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura
Gauḍīya
Translation
64. One whose mind is submissive, who engages in the sense objects with the senses freed of attachment and repulsion, under the control of the mind, attains peace.
Commentary
This verse answers the question, “How does the sthita-prajṣa go?” (vrajeta kim) The Lord explains that it is not a fault to accept the objects of the senses, if it is done with controlled senses, with absence of attachment of the objects in the mind.
According to Amara Kośa, vidheya means “submissive, situated in words, compliant, controlled, well behaved, polite, and equal.”
One whose mind (ātmā) is submissive to instructions (vidheya ātmā), (who contacts objects with senses controlled by the mind, senses devoid of attachment and repulsion), attains peace (prasādam). Contacting the sense objects is not a fault. Rather it is a good quality for one who does so with control.
In other words, for the sthita-prajṣa, accepting the renunciation of enjoyment of objects, either by withdrawal of the senses (āsana) or by engaging the senses (vrajana), is beneficial.
Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa
Gauḍīya
Translation
64. One whose mind is offered to me, even though he enjoys the sense objects with the senses freed of attachment and repulsion, under the control of the mind, attains a pure mind.
Commentary
If one conquers the mind, even if the senses are not subdued, there is no fault. In eight verses the Lord answers the last question, “How does the sthita prajṣa engage in action of the senses?”
It has just been said that even if one has conquered the external senses, if he does not offer his mind to Me, his spiritual endeavor is a failure. That person who has a controlled mind, a mind offered to Me (vidheyātmā), through which he finally achieves destruction of the impurities of the mind such as attachment to pleasure, though enjoying (caran) the forbidden sense objects such as sound, by the senses such as the ear, but which are devoid of attraction and repulsion, and which are dependent on the mind (ātma vaśyair)(which is offered to Me)—that person finally attains a pure mind (prasādam), [Note: Prasāda can mean “purity” as well as “mercy.”] free from the appearance of contaminations such as attraction to sense objects.
Study Notes — Gauranga Priya Dāsa
Gauranga Priya Dāsa
Study
Bhakti-śāstrī Notes, ISKCON Chowpatty (2009)
Theme
While engages senses, he does with regulation and religious principles
The self-realized person is free from all attachment and aversion
He controls his senses through regulative principles of freedom
Thus he obtains the complete mercy of the Lord
Classical Ācāryas
Śrī Śaṅkarācārya
Classical
Translation
2.64 Certainly the functions of the organs are naturally preceded by attraction and repulsion. This being so, caran, by perceiving; visayan, objects, which are unavoidable; indriyaih, with the organs such as ears etc.; raga-dvesa-viyuktaih, that are free from those attraction and repulsion; and are atma-vasyaih, under his own control; vidheya-atma, [A.G. takes atma-vasyaih in the sense of '(with the organs) under the control of the mind'. He then argues that it the mind be not under control, there can be no real control, over the organs. Hence the text uses the second expression, 'vidheyatma, whose mind can be subdued at will'. Here atma is used in the sense of the mind, according to the Commentator himself.] the self-controlled man, whose mind can be subdued at will, a seeker after Liberation; adhigacchati, attains; prasadam, serenity, self-poise.
What happens when there is serenity? This is being answered:
Śrī Rāmānujācārya
Classical
Translation
2.64 Having focussed, in the way already described, the mind on Me - the Lord of all and the auspicious object of meditation, he who goes through, i.e., considers with contempt the sense-objects, with senses under control and free from hate and attraction by reason of all impurities of mind being burnt out - such a person has a disciplined self, i.e., disciplined mind. He attains serenity. The meaning is that his mind will be free of impurities.
Śrī Abhinavagupta
Classical
Translation
2.64 See Comment under 2.68
Swami Sivananda
Classical
Translation
2.64 But the self-controlled man, moving among the objects with the senses under restraint and free from attraction and repulsion, attains to peace.
Commentary
2.64 रागद्वेषवियुक्तैः free from attraction and repulsion? तु but? विषयान् objects? इन्द्रियैः with senses? चरन् moving (amongst)? आत्मवश्यैः selfrestrained? विधेयात्मा the selfcontrolled? प्रसादम् to peace? अधिगच्छति attains.Commentary The mind and the senses are naturally endowed with the two currents of attraction and repulsion. Therefore? the mind and the senses like certain objects and dislike certain other objects. But the disciplined man moves among senseobjects with the mind and the senses free from attraction and repulsion and mastered by the Self? attains to the peace of the Eternal. The senses and the mind obey his will? as the disciplined self has a very strong will. The disciplined self takes only those objects which are ite necessary for the maintenance of the body without any love or hatred. He never takes those objects which are forbidden by the scriptures.In this verse Lord Krishna gives the answer to Arjunas fourth estion? How does a sage of steady wisdom move about (Cf.III.7.19?25XVIII.9).
Swami Gambhīrānanda
Classical
Translation
2.64 But by perceiving objects with the organs that are free from attraction and repulsion, and are under his own control, the self-controlled man attains serenity.
Shri Purohit Swami
Classical
Translation
2.64 But the self-controlled soul, who moves amongst sense objects, free from either attachment or repulsion, he wins eternal Peace.
The disciplined soul, moving among sense objects with senses restrained and free from attraction-aversion, attains tranquillity.
Practical Applications
Do not flee sense objects — meet them with restraint; the world is the field of practice.
Notice that prasāda (peace) follows discipline in engagement, not from withdrawal alone.
Practice rāga-dveṣa-viyukta (free from attraction and aversion) in one specific encounter today.
Reflection Questions
Where is my 'spiritual life' an avoidance rather than a disciplined engagement?
How might I meet a sense object today as the yogi described here would?
Analogy
A horseman whose reins are tied to his own waist — the horses cannot bolt because their motion is linked to his center. Ātma-vaśya senses are like this: each sense is leashed to the ātmā, not to the world's stimuli. The ride becomes safe; the road grants prasāda.
prasāde—on achievement of the causeless mercy of the Lordsarva—of allduḥkhānām—material miserieshāniḥ—destructionasya—hisupajāyate—takes placeprasanna - cetasaḥ—of the happy-mindedhi—certainlyāśu—very soonbuddhiḥ—intelligencepari—sufficientlyavatiṣṭhate—becomes established .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
prasāde sarva-duḥkhānāṁ
prasāde
on achievement of the causeless mercy of the Lord
sarva
of all
duḥkhānām
material miseries
hānir asyopajāyate
hāniḥ
destruction
asya
his
upajāyate
takes place
prasanna-cetaso hy āśu
prasanna - cetasaḥ
of the happy-minded
buddhiḥ paryavatiṣṭhate
hi
certainly
āśu
very soon
buddhiḥ
intelligence
pari
sufficiently
avatiṣṭhate
becomes established .
Important Words
prasāde—in serenity
Locative of prasāda. *In the state of prasāda* — the gift of clear settled grace from the Lord. The verse's beginning continues from verse 64; the gift, once given, produces a cascade.
sarva - duḥkhānām—of all sufferings
Genitive plural — *of all the sufferings*. The threefold misery of the body, the elements, and the higher powers. All three diminish — not by separate attack on each but by the single grace of prasāda.
hāniḥ—loss, diminution
From √hā — to abandon. The miseries *are abandoned* — not by the practitioner but by themselves, as a consequence of the prasāda. They lose their grip.
prasanna - cetasaḥ—of one of pleased consciousness
Compound — *whose mind is pleased and clear*. Prasanna and prasāda share the root; the inner state and the divine gift are linguistically continuous. One produces the other; one names the other from the inside.
āśu—quickly
Adverbial — *swiftly*. The buddhi establishes itself *quickly* once prasāda is present. Without prasāda, no amount of striving fixes the buddhi (verse 60 is the contrast); with prasāda, it is rapid.
For one thus satisfied [in Kṛṣṇa consciousness], the threefold miseries of material existence exist no longer; in such satisfied consciousness, one’s intelligence is soon well established.
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura
Gauḍīya
Translation
65. From this peace arises destruction of all distress. Quickly the intelligence of the peaceful-minded person becomes completely fixed.
Commentary
The intelligence is fixed in its desired goal completely (pari avatisthati). All distress is destroyed, but because of no desire for enjoying the objects, the person, accepting necessary objects of the senses for his survival, has tranquility. He has a peaceful consciousness (prasanna-cetasaḥ), just because of bhakti.
The First Canto of Bhāgavatam states that, without bhakti, one cannot have a peaceful mind. [Note: This is probably Bhāgavatam 1.2.20] Vyāsadeva, even though writing the Vedānta-sūtras, did not have happiness of mind, but he gained peace of heart through bhakti taught by Nārada.
Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa
Gauḍīya
Translation
65. From this pure mind arises destruction of all distress. Quickly the intelligence concentrated on ātmā becomes completely fixed.
Commentary
What happens after he attains a pure mind? When the mind of the yogī is pure, there will arise destruction of all distresses caused by contact with matter. The intelligence of that person whose mind is peaceful (prasanna cetasā), which is directed towards his own ātmā, then remains fixed (paryavatiṣṭhate).
Study Notes — Gauranga Priya Dāsa
Gauranga Priya Dāsa
StudyKey verse
Bhakti-śāstrī Notes, ISKCON Chowpatty (2009)
Theme
Result of achieving the Lord’s mercy
Complete satisfaction of senses and consciousness
Threefold miseries exist no longer
Intelligence is soon well established
LINK BETWEEN TEXTS 2.65 & 2.66:
What takes place when one lacks satisfaction in Krishna consciousness?
Focus of Learning
(a) How a Krishna conscious person transcends all attachment and aversion
He may appear to be on the sensual plane, but he has no attachment to sensual activities
He is only concerned with the satisfaction of Krishna and nothing else
If Krishna wants, one can do anything ordinarily undesirable
If Krishna does not want, one shall not do that which he would have ordinarily done for his own satisfaction
(b) On what strength does a devotee achieves this exalted consciousness
This consciousness is the causeless mercy of the Lord, which the devotee can achieve in spite of his being attached to the sensual platform
(a) Senses are naturally active – Need real engagement; either in service of Lord or materialism
(b) Only way to get out of material puzzle – Krishna consciousness
(c) Negative example (Influenced by sense objects) – Even when powerful demigods like Lord Shiva
was agitated by Parvati, Kartikeya was born
(d) Positive examples (Sense control) – Haridasa Thakura (a young devotee) and Yamunacarya easily
overcame all sensual attractions by the power of Krishna consciousness
(e) Secret of success in terms of sense control
Higher taste shuns off all material enjoyment
Yukta-vairagya – Use everything in the service of the Lord
Yukta-vairagya offers positive enjoyment e.g. Good eatables – One enjoys life by prasadam
No danger of falldown because of the philosophy of Yukta-vairagya
Whereas dry renunciation (Phalgu-vairagya) may lead to falldown because of lack of positive enjoyment
Classical Ācāryas
Śrī Śaṅkarācārya
Classical
Translation
2.65 Prasade, when there is serenity; upajayate, there follows; hanih, eradication; asya sarva-duhkhanam, of all his, the sannyasin's, sorrow on the physical and other planes. Moreover, (this is so) hi, because; buddhih, the wisdom; prasanna-cetasah, of one who has a serene mind, of one whose mind is poised in the Self; asu, soon; pari-avatisthate, becomes firmly established; remains steady (avatisthate) totally (pari), like the sky, i.e. it becomes unmoving in its very nature as the Self.
The meaning of the sentence is this: Since a person with such a poised mind and well-established wisdom attains fulfilment, therefore a man of concentration [A man who is free whom slavery to objects of the senses.] ought to deal with the indispensable and scripturally non-forbidden objects through his senses that are free from love and hatred.
That same serenity is being eulogized:
Śrī Rāmānujācārya
Classical
Translation
2.65 When the mind of this person gets serene, he gets rid of all sorrows originating from contact with matter. For, in respect of the peson whose mind is serene, i.e., is free from the evil which is antagonistic to the vision of the self, the Buddhi, having the pure self for its object, becomes established immediately. Thus, when the mind is serene, the loss of all sorrow surely arises.
Śrī Abhinavagupta
Classical
Translation
2.65 See Comment under 2.68
Swami Sivananda
Classical
Translation
2.65 In that peace all pains are destroyed; for the intellect of the tranil-minded soon becomes steady.
Commentary
2.65 प्रसादे in peace? सर्वदुःखानाम् (of) all pains? हानिः destruction? अस्य of him? उपजायते arises (or happens)? प्रसन्नचेतसः of the tranilminded? हि because? आशु soon? बुद्धिः intellect (or reason)? पर्यवतिष्ठते becomes steady.Commentary When the mental peace is attained? there is no hankering after senseobjects. The Yogi has perfect mastery over his reason. The intellect abides in the Self. It is ite steady. The miseries of the body and the mind come to an end.
Swami Gambhīrānanda
Classical
Translation
2.65 When there is serenity, there follows eradication of all his sorrows, because the wisdom of one who has a serene mind soon becomes firmly established.
Shri Purohit Swami
Classical
Translation
2.65 Having attained Peace, he becomes free from misery; for when the mind gains peace, right discrimination follows.
In tranquillity, all sorrows are destroyed, and the intelligence of the tranquil one quickly becomes well-established.
Practical Applications
Treat tranquillity as the soil in which firm intelligence grows — protect it.
Notice when external chaos is being matched by inner chaos and break the mirroring.
End each day in quietness so that the next day's intelligence has a foundation.
Reflection Questions
What sorrows of mine have not been destroyed because tranquillity has not been established?
Where could I create more tranquillity to allow buddhi to firm up?
Analogy
A traveler who has reached a clear lake at sunset feels the heat of the long day lift in a single breath. Prasāda — once tasted — dissolves the threefold misery as the lake dissolves the day's dust. Prasanna-cetasaḥ: the mind becomes pristine; the buddhi swiftly establishes itself.
నాస్తి బుద్ధిరయుక్తస్య న చాయుక్తస్య భావనా ।
న చాభావయతః శాన్తిరశాన్తస్య కుతః సుఖమ్ ॥ ౬౬ ॥
nāsti buddhir ayuktasya
[naasti buddhir ayuktasya]
na cāyuktasya bhāvanā
[na chaayuktasya bhaavanaa]
na cābhāvayataḥ śāntir
[na chaabhaavayatah shaantir]
aśāntasya kutaḥ sukham
[ashaantasya kutah sukham]
Word-for-word
na asti—there cannot bebuddhiḥ—transcendental intelligenceayuktasya—of one who is not connected (with Kṛṣṇa consciousness)na—notca—andayuktasya—of one devoid of Kṛṣṇa consciousnessbhāvanā—fixed mind (in happiness)na—notca—andabhāvayataḥ—of one who is not fixedśāntiḥ—peaceaśāntasya—of the unpeacefulkutaḥ—where issukham—happiness .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
nāsti buddhir ayuktasya
na asti
there cannot be
buddhiḥ
transcendental intelligence
ayuktasya
of one who is not connected (with Kṛṣṇa consciousness)
na cāyuktasya bhāvanā
na
not
ca
and
ayuktasya
of one devoid of Kṛṣṇa consciousness
bhāvanā
fixed mind (in happiness)
na cābhāvayataḥ śāntir
na
not
ca
and
abhāvayataḥ
of one who is not fixed
śāntiḥ
peace
aśāntasya kutaḥ sukham
aśāntasya
of the unpeaceful
kutaḥ
where is
sukham
happiness .
Important Words
ayuktasya—of the unyoked
Genitive of ayukta — *unyoked* with the Lord. The verse's diagnosis: without connection to the Supreme, no buddhi. The chapter has been building this conclusion; verse 66 names it bluntly.
bhāvanā—meditation, steady contemplation
From √bhū causative — *the bringing-into-being*. The capacity to dwell on the Lord, to make Him present in the mind. Without buddhi, no bhāvanā. The Gītā treats meditation as a downstream consequence, not a starting point.
abhāvayataḥ—of one who does not meditate
Genitive of abhāvayat — *of one who is not contemplating*. Without bhāvanā, no śānti. The chain continues; each absence cancels the next possibility.
śāntiḥ—peace
From √śam — to be still. The Gītā's repeated promise (cf. 2.70, 71). Śānti is not a feeling but a settled state of being; it is impossible for the abhāvayat.
sukham—happiness
The final term in the cascade. Without śānti, sukham is impossible. The verse demolishes the world's order — the world chases sukham first; the Gītā says it is the last link, and is reached only by going up the chain from yoga.
One who is not connected with the Supreme [in Kṛṣṇa consciousness] can have neither transcendental intelligence nor a steady mind, without which there is no possibility of peace. And how can there be any happiness without peace?
Purport
Unless one is in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, there is no possibility of peace. So it is confirmed in the Fifth Chapter (5.29) that when one understands that Kṛṣṇa is the only enjoyer of all the good results of sacrifice and penance, that He is the proprietor of all universal manifestations, and that He is the real friend of all living entities, then only can one have real peace. Therefore, if one is not in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, there cannot be a final goal for the mind. Disturbance is due to want of an ultimate goal, and when one is certain that Kṛṣṇa is the enjoyer, proprietor and friend of everyone and everything, then one can, with a steady mind, bring about peace. Therefore, one who is engaged without a relationship with Kṛṣṇa is certainly always in distress and is without peace, however much he may make a show of peace and spiritual advancement in life. Kṛṣṇa consciousness is a self-manifested peaceful condition which can be achieved only in relationship with Kṛṣṇa.
— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura
Gauḍīya
Translation
66. For the person with uncontrolled mind, there is no intelligence fixed on the soul, and no meditation on the Paramātmā. Without meditation he has no peace. Without peace, where is bliss?
Commentary
Kṛṣṇa makes his statement clear by stating the effects of the opposite condition.
For one who has not controlled the mind (ayuktasya), there is no intelligence, no prajṣa, fixed on the soul. For one who not having such prajnā arising from controlled mind, meditation on the Supreme Lord (bhāvanā) also is not possible. Not performing meditation (abhāvayataḥ), he does not have peace, the cessation of agitation from sense objects. This person without peace does not have bliss (sukham) from the soul.
Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa
Gauḍīya
Translation
66. For the person with uncontrolled mind, there is no intelligence fixed on the soul, and no contemplation of ātmā. Without contemplation he has no peace. Without peace, where is bliss?
Commentary
This verse makes the point by stating the opposite. For the person who is not a yogī (ayuktasya), who does not engage his mind in Me, his intelligence does not have the above mentioned quality of being fixed. Nor does he even have contemplation of the ātmā (bhāvanā). Without such contemplation on the ātmā there is no destruction of thirst for material objects (śāntiḥ). How can a person who is afflicted by thirst for enjoyment (aśāntasya) have happiness, which is characterized by realization of ātmā with self-manifesting bliss?
Bhūrijana Dāsa
Gauḍīya
Commentary
Here is a contrast of a man who doesn't control his senses who doesn't engage his senses in the service of the Lord:
Study Notes — Gauranga Priya Dāsa
Gauranga Priya Dāsa
Study
Bhakti-śāstrī Notes, ISKCON Chowpatty (2009)
Theme
No happiness and peace by lack of Krishna consciousness – By Krishna consciousness the mind
becomes peaceful. But if one is not connected with the Supreme then,
Neither transcendental intelligence possible
Nor steady mind
Without steady mind, no possibility of peace
No happiness without peace
LINK BETWEEN TEXTS 2.66 & 2.67: In the next verse Krishna explains ‘What happens if senses are not
regulated by Krishna consciousness’
Classical Ācāryas
Śrī Śaṅkarācārya
Classical
Translation
2.66 Ayuktasya, for the unsteady, for one who does not have a concentrated mind; na asti, there is no, i.e. there does not arise; buddhih, wisdom, with regard to the nature of the Self; ca, and; there is no bhavana, meditation, earnest longing [Longing to have a continuous remembrance of the knowledge of Brahman which arises in the mind from hearing the great Upanisadic sayings (maha-vakyas).] for the knowledge of the Self; ayuktasya, for an unsteady man. And similarly, abhavayatah, for an unmeditative man, who does not ardently desire the knowledge of the Self; there is no santih, peace, restraint of the senses. Kutah, how can there be; sukham, happiness; asantasya, for one without peace? That indeed is happiness which consists in the freedom of the senses from the thirst for enjoyment of objects; not the thirst for objects that is misery to be sure.
The implication is that, so long as thirst persists, there is no possibility of even an iota of happiness!
It is being stated why a man without concentration does not possess wisdom:
Śrī Rāmānujācārya
Classical
Translation
2.66 In him who does not focus his mind on Me but is engaged only in the control of senses by his own exertion, the Buddhi or the right disposition that is concerned with the pure self never arises. Therefore he fails in the practice of meditation on the self. In one who cannot think of the pure self, there arises the desire for sense objects; in him serenity does not arise. How can eternal and unsurpassed bliss be generated in him who is not serene but is attached to sense-objects? [The idea is that without the aid of devotion to God, the effort to control the senses by one's will power alone will end in failure.]
Sri Krsna speaks again of the calamity that befalls one who does not practise the control of the senses in the way prescribed above:
Śrī Abhinavagupta
Classical
Translation
2.66 See Comment under 2.68
Swami Sivananda
Classical
Translation
2.66 There is no knowledge of the Self to the unsteady and to the unsteady no meditation is possible, and to the unmeditative there can be no peace, and to the man who has no peace, how can there be happiness?
Commentary
2.66 न not? अस्ति is? बुद्धिः knowledge (of the Self)? अयुक्तस्य of the unsteady? न not? च and? अयुक्तस्य of the unsteady? भावना meditation? न not? च and? अभावयतः of the unmeditated? शान्तिः peace? अशान्तस्य of the peaceless? कुतः whence? सुखम् happiness.Commentary The man who cannot fix his mind in meditation cannot have knowledge of the Self. The unsteady man cannot practise meditation. He cannot have even intense devotion to Selfknowledge nor can he have burning longing for liberation or Moksha. He who does not practise meditation cannot possess peace of mind. How can the man who has no peace of mind enjoy happinessDesire or Trishna (thirsting for senseobjects) is the enemy of peace. There cannot be an iota or tinge of happiness for a man who is thirsting for sensual objects. The mind will be ever restless? and will be hankering for the objects. Only when this thirsting dies? does man enjoy peace. Only then can he meditate and rest in the Self.
Swami Gambhīrānanda
Classical
Translation
2.66 For the unsteady there is no wisdom, and there is no meditation for the unsteady man. And for an unmeditative man there is no peace. How can there be happiness for one without peace?
Shri Purohit Swami
Classical
Translation
2.66 Right discrimination is not for him who cannot concentrate. Without concentration, there cannot be meditation; he who cannot meditate must not expect peace; and without peace, how can anyone expect happiness?
Without yoga there is no buddhi, without buddhi no meditation, without meditation no peace — and without peace, how can there be happiness?
Practical Applications
Recognize that happiness has prerequisites; do not chase it directly while skipping the chain.
Diagnose your unhappiness by checking which prerequisite is missing — yoga, buddhi, dhyāna, śānti.
Strengthen the earliest weak link rather than chasing the final symptom.
Reflection Questions
Which link in this chain is currently broken in me?
How would my life look if I rebuilt it in this order rather than the reverse?
Analogy
A man without bridge cannot cross, without water cannot drink, without sleep cannot work, without work cannot eat. The verse strings four absences into a single failure chain: no yoga → no buddhi → no bhāvanā → no śānti → no sukha. Each step depends on the one before it.
indriyāṇām—of the senseshi—certainlycaratām—while roamingyat—with whichmanaḥ—the mindanuvidhīyate—becomes constantly engagedtat—thatasya—hisharati—takes awayprajñām—intelligencevāyuḥ—windnāvam—a boativa—likeambhasi—on the water .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
indriyāṇāṁ hi caratāṁ
indriyāṇām
of the senses
hi
certainly
caratām
while roaming
yan mano ’nuvidhīyate
yat
with which
manaḥ
the mind
anuvidhīyate
becomes constantly engaged
tad asya harati prajñāṁ
tat
that
asya
his
harati
takes away
prajñām
intelligence
vāyur nāvam ivāmbhasi
vāyuḥ
wind
nāvam
a boat
iva
like
ambhasi
on the water .
Important Words
indriyāṇām—of the senses
Genitive plural — *of the senses*. The general subject; the specific sense will be designated by *yad mano 'nuvidhīyate* — *whichever the mind follows*.
caratām—of the roaming
Genitive of carat — *of the moving*. The senses are characteristically *roaming*; they are not at rest. The verse's danger comes from this constant motion.
anuvidhīyate—is conformed
Passive of anu-vi-√dhā — to lay down after, to follow. The manas *follows after* (anu) one sense. The grammar makes the manas the agent of its own subjection.
harati—carries away
From √hṛ — to carry off, to seize. Same root as in verse 60 (haranti). Even a single sense, when the manas follows, *seizes* prajñā. The single indriya is enough.
vāyuḥ—wind
Nominative of vāyu. The verse's three-element simile (vāyuḥ nāvam iva ambhasi — like wind upon a boat on water) names vāyu as the active force: wind blows, water moves, boat carries the helpless. The practitioner is the boat, the manas is the water, the wandering sense is the wind.
As a strong wind sweeps away a boat on the water, even one of the roaming senses on which the mind focuses can carry away a man’s intelligence.
Purport
Unless all of the senses are engaged in the service of the Lord, even one of them engaged in sense gratification can deviate the devotee from the path of transcendental advancement. As mentioned in the life of Mahārāja Ambarīṣa, all of the senses must be engaged in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, for that is the correct technique for controlling the mind.
— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura
Gauḍīya
Translation
67. The mind which follows one of the moving senses steals away the intelligence, as wind moves a boat on the water.
Commentary
This verse examines the person with no intelligence due to lack of control of the mind (ayuktasya buddhiḥ na asti described in the previous verse).
Among all the senses moving towards their respective sense objects, the mind follows after one sense. In this way a person follows each of the senses. Such a mind takes away the intelligence or prajṣā of the person, just as unfavorable wind takes a boat off course which is being steered somewhere on the water.
Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa
Gauḍīya
Translation
67. One of the moving senses, which the mind follows, steals away the intelligence, as wind moves a boat on the water.
Commentary
This verse speaks of the faults arising from lack of sense control arising from not absorbing his mind in Me. Among the uncontrolled senses which move towards sense objects, the mind becomes focused on one sense such as the ear or eye. This one sense followed by the mind leads away the intelligence concentrated on ātmā, because of the mind’s being attracted to the sense object. And this is also the case with all the senses. It is like unfavorable wind taking away a boat being steered on the water.
Bhūrijana Dāsa
Gauḍīya
Translation
As a boat on the water is swept away by a strong wind, even one of the roaming senses on which the mind focuses can carry away a man's intelligence.
Study Notes — Gauranga Priya Dāsa
Gauranga Priya Dāsa
Study
Bhakti-śāstrī Notes, ISKCON Chowpatty (2009)
Theme
COMMON THEME: Answers fourth question “How does he walk?”
Implies – How does he engage his senses
Answer – While engaging senses, he does with regulation and religious principles
Classical Ācāryas
Śrī Śaṅkarācārya
Classical
Translation
2.67 Hi, for; yat manah, the mind which; anu-vidhiyate, follows in the wake of; caratam, the wandering; indriyani, senses that are tending towards their respective objects; tat, that, the mind engaged in thinking [Perceiving objects like sound etc. in their respective varieties.] of the objects of the senses; harati, carries away, destroys; asya, his, the sannyasin's; prajnam, wisdom born from the discrimination between the Self and the not-Self. How? Iva, like; vayuh, the wind; diverting a navam, boat; ambhasi, on the waters. As wind, by diverting a boat on the waters from its intended course, drives it along a wrong course, similarly the mind, by diverting the wisdom from the pursuit of the Self, makes it engage in objects.
After having stated variously the reasons for the idea conveyed through the verse, 'For, O son of Kunti,' etc. (60), and having established that very idea, the Lord concludes thus:
Śrī Rāmānujācārya
Classical
Translation
2.67 That mind, which is allowed by a person to be submissive to, i.e., allowed to go after the senses which go on operating, i.e., experiencing sense-objects, such a mind loses its inclination towards the pure self. The meaning is that it gets inclined towards sense-objects. Just as a contrary wind forcibly carries away a ship moving on the waters, in the name manner wisdon also is carried away from such a mind. [The idea is that the pursuit of sense pleasures dulls one's spiritual inclination, and the mind ultimately succumbs to them unresisting.]
Śrī Abhinavagupta
Classical
Translation
2.67 See Comment under 2.68
Swami Sivananda
Classical
Translation
2.67 For the mind, which follows in the wake of the wandering senses, carries away his discrimination, as the wind (carries away) a boat on the waters.
Commentary
2.67 इन्द्रियाणाम् senses? हि for? चरताम् wandering? यत् which? मनः mind? अनुविधीयते follows? तत् that? अस्य his? हरति carries away? प्रज्ञाम् discrimination? वायुः the wind? नावम् boat? इव like? अम्भसि in the water.Commentary The mind which constantly dwells on the sensual objects and moves in company with the senses destroys altogether the discrimination of the man. Just as the wind carries away a boat from its course? so also the mind carries away the aspirant from his spiritual path and turns,him towards the objects of the senses.
Swami Gambhīrānanda
Classical
Translation
2.67 For, the mind which follows in the wake of the wandering senses, that (mind) carries away his wisdom like the mind (diverting) a boat on the waters.
Shri Purohit Swami
Classical
Translation
2.67 As a ship at sea is tossed by the tempest, so the reason is carried away by the mind when preyed upon by straying senses.
His Holiness Svayam Bhagavan Keshava Swami· English
Personal Guidance
As wind sweeps a boat off course on the water, even one wandering sense, when the mind follows it, robs all intelligence.
Practical Applications
Recognize that even one unguarded sense can capsize the entire spiritual journey.
Identify your most vulnerable sense and apply protection — not legalism, but care.
Remember that the mind following the sense is the actual problem, more than the sense itself.
Reflection Questions
Which 'wandering sense' has most often blown my boat off course?
What does it look like to keep the mind from following it?
Analogy
A boat on a wide water needs only one strong wind from one direction to be carried far off course. One sense alone, if the mind follows it, sweeps prajñā away — the other senses need not even cooperate. The verse warns: do not negotiate with one indulgence; the boat is too easily moved.
Stories
Ajāmila and the youthful prostitute
A respected brāhmaṇa boy, Ajāmila was sent by his father into the forest to gather articles for worship. He saw one woman in compromise with a low-class man; one glance fixed his mind. From that one indriya wandering, his marriage, his learning, his caste-conduct — all collapsed.
The Bhāgavatam preserves his fall as the verse's exact illustration: *one* of the roaming senses, with the manas following, swept his entire prajñā into the river. (His rescue, by chance utterance of the holy name, is verse 40's illustration. The same life witnesses both verses.)
Vocative. Used at moments of strong instruction (cf. 2.26). The hero is reminded of his strength precisely when the instruction calls for the highest discipline. The arm that bends the Gāṇḍīva is the arm that can hold the senses.
nigṛhītāni—fully controlled
Past participle of ni + √grah — to grasp downward, to seize and hold under. *Held down*. Stronger than saṁyamya — not just restrained but firmly clasped beneath.
sarvaśaḥ—in every way
Adverbial. The control is *total* — every direction, every sense, every occasion. The verse closes the loopholes that verse 67 opened: not one wandering sense survives.
indriya - arthebhyaḥ—from the sense-objects
Ablative plural — *away from sense-objects*. Echoes verse 58. The senses are *pulled back from* the objects; that is the action of nigṛhīta.
pratiṣṭhitā—fully established
The chapter's recurring word (cf. 2.57, 58, 61). Repeated as the final refrain. Each verse in this stretch ends with prajñā pratiṣṭhitā — the same image, approached from a different angle each time.
Therefore, O mighty-armed, one whose senses are restrained from their objects is certainly of steady intelligence.
Purport
One can curb the forces of sense gratification only by means of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, or engaging all the senses in the transcendental loving service of the Lord. As enemies are curbed by superior force, the senses can similarly be curbed, not by any human endeavor, but only by keeping them engaged in the service of the Lord. One who has understood this – that only by Kṛṣṇa consciousness is one really established in intelligence and that one should practice this art under the guidance of a bona fide spiritual master – is called a sādhaka, or a suitable candidate for liberation.
— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura
Gauḍīya
Translation
68. He who completely restricts the senses from the sense objects, O mighty-armed one, is fixed in prajṣa.
Commentary
He who controls his mind restricts his senses from sense objects. He is fixed in intelligence. O might-armed one (mahā-bāho), just as you control your enemies with your strength, you should also control your mind.
Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa
Gauḍīya
Translation
68. He who completely restricts the senses from the sense objects (by fixing the mind on Me), O mighty-armed one, is fixed in prajṣa.
Commentary
One whose mind is fixed on Me can become established in ātmā (prajṣā pratiṣṭhitā). O mighty armed one, just as you conquer the enemies, you should conquer the senses. From these verses it should be understood that conquest of the senses takes place spontaneously for the perfected sthita prajṣa by absorbing the mind in bhagavān. But it will arise from practice for the person aspiring to attain the state of sthita prajṣa.
Study Notes — Gauranga Priya Dāsa
Gauranga Priya Dāsa
StudyKey verse
Bhakti-śāstrī Notes, ISKCON Chowpatty (2009)
Theme
Defines a man of steady intelligence – Senses are always searching for satisfaction in sense objects,
therefore one whose senses are restrained from their objects is of steady intelligence
Focus of Learning
(a) Correct technique for controlling mind is engaging all the senses in Krishna consciousness
e.g. Ambarish Maharaja
(a) Without Krishna consciousness there is no peace
Real peace formula is given in Bg. 5.29
Krishna is the only enjoyer
As the supreme proprietor
As the real friend of all living entities
Without Krishna consciousness there cannot be a final goal for the mind and disturbance is due to want of an ultimate goal
(b) Krishna consciousness is a self-manifested peaceful condition which can be achieved only in
relationship with Krishna
PRACTICAL APPLICATION OF TEXT 2.66
The contrast between Text 2.66 & 2.65 strengthens Krishna’s argument. If the mind and intelligence
deviate from meditation on Krishna, there can be no question of happiness. Deviating from thoughts of
Krishna and contemplating sense objects results in becoming overwhelmed by desires for material
enjoyment
Classical Ācāryas
Śrī Śaṅkarācārya
Classical
Translation
2.68 Since the evils arising from the activities of the organs have been described, tasmat, therefore; mahabaho, O mighty-armed one; tasya, his, the sannyasin's; prajna, wisdom; pratisthita, becomes established; yasya, whose; indriyani, organs; sarvasah, in all their varieties, differentiated as mind etc.; nigrhitani, are withdrawn; indriya-arthhyah, from their objects such as sound etc.
In the case of a man of steady wisdom in whom has arisen discriminating knowledge, those which are these ordinary and Vedic dealings cease on the eradication of ignorance, they being effects of ignorance. And ignorance ceases because it is opposed to Knowledge. For clarifying this idea, the Lord says:
Śrī Rāmānujācārya
Classical
Translation
2.68 Therefore, in the way described above, he whose mind is focussed on Me the auspicious object for meditation, and whose senses are thery restrained from sense-objects in everyway, in his mind alone wisdom is firmly set.
Sri Krsna now speaks of the state of attainment by one whose senses are subdued and whose mind is serene.
Śrī Abhinavagupta
Classical
Translation
2.64-68 Raga-dvesa-etc. upto pratisthita. Here the purport is this : He, who controls his mind, is not tossed by the waves of wrath etc., even while he is enjoying the sense-objects; hence he alone is a man of Yoga, a man-of-stabilized-intellect.
Extraordinary is the man of Yoga, even while he is attending to the worldly business. While examining this point, the characteristics mark of his (man of Yoga), is briefly related by the Supreme Lord-
Swami Sivananda
Classical
Translation
2.68 Therefore, O mighty-armed Arjuna, his knowledge is steady whose senses are completely restrained from sense-objects.
Commentary
2.68 तस्मात् therefore? यस्य whose? महाबाहो O mightyarmed? निगृहीतानि restrained? सर्वशः completely? इन्द्रियाणि the senses? इन्द्रियार्थेभ्यः from the senseobjects? तस्य his? प्रज्ञा knowledge? प्रतिष्ठिता is steady.Commentary When the senses are completely controlled? the mind cannot wander wildly in the sensual grooves. It becomes steady like the lamp in a windless place. The Yogi is now established in the Self and his knowledge is steady. (Cf.III.7).
Swami Gambhīrānanda
Classical
Translation
2.68 Therefore, O mighty-armed one, this wisdom becomes established whose organs in all their varieties are withdrawn from their objects.
Shri Purohit Swami
Classical
Translation
2.68 Therefore, O Might-in-Arms, he who keeps his senses detached from their objects - take it that his reason is purified.
He whose senses are fully withdrawn from sense objects has firm intelligence — this is the state to cultivate.
Practical Applications
Identify one sense at a time and bring it under fuller restraint over a season.
Track your buddhi's firmness against your senses' restraint — they correlate.
Refuse the modern lie that maximum sensory engagement is freedom.
Reflection Questions
Which sense, if more restrained, would most strengthen my buddhi?
Where am I confusing sensory abundance with spiritual freedom?
Analogy
A king whose army is fully under his command — not skirmishing on its own, not deserting, but standing in formation — is a king at peace. The mahā-bāhu with senses nigṛhīta on every side is this king. His prajñā does not need to fight; it stands.
yā—whatniśā—is nightsarva—allbhūtānām—of living entitiestasyām—in thatjāgarti—is wakefulsaṁyamī—the self-controlledyasyām—in whichjāgrati—are awakebhūtāni—all beingssā—that isniśā—nightpaśyataḥ—for the introspectivemuneḥ—sage .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
yā niśā sarva-bhūtānāṁ
yā
what
niśā
is night
sarva
all
bhūtānām
of living entities
tasyāṁ jāgarti saṁyamī
tasyām
in that
jāgarti
is wakeful
saṁyamī
the self-controlled
yasyāṁ jāgrati bhūtāni
yasyām
in which
jāgrati
are awake
bhūtāni
all beings
sā niśā paśyato muneḥ
sā
that is
niśā
night
paśyataḥ
for the introspective
muneḥ
sage .
Important Words
niśā—night
Repeated. The verse exploits the metaphor of inversion: what is dark to the worldly is bright to the saṁyamī, and vice versa. The two communities live in opposite calendars.
sarva - bhūtānām—of all beings
Genitive plural — *of all beings*. The reference class is universal: not 'the wicked' or 'the unwise' but *all beings*, even the ordinarily decent. The saṁyamī is unusual against everyone.
jāgarti—is awake
Present of √jāgṛ — to be awake. The saṁyamī's spiritual wakefulness is named with the ordinary word for being awake — making the metaphor land hard.
saṁyamī—the self-controlled
From sam-√yam. The one who has restrained — and the verb-form names him by what he does, not by what he believes. The saṁyamī is recognized by practice, not profession.
muneḥ—of the sage
Genitive of muni — silent thinker. Echoes 2.56's muniḥ. The verse closes by naming the saṁyamī also as muni: the inward-thinker is the same person as the self-controlled one, viewed from another angle.
What is night for all beings is the time of awakening for the self-controlled; and the time of awakening for all beings is night for the introspective sage.
Purport
There are two classes of intelligent men. One is intelligent in material activities for sense gratification, and the other is introspective and awake to the cultivation of self-realization. Activities of the introspective sage, or thoughtful man, are night for persons materially absorbed. Materialistic persons remain asleep in such a night due to their ignorance of self-realization. The introspective sage remains alert in the “night” of the materialistic men. The sage feels transcendental pleasure in the gradual advancement of spiritual culture, whereas the man in materialistic activities, being asleep to self-realization, dreams of varieties of sense pleasure, feeling sometimes happy and sometimes distressed in his sleeping condition. The introspective man is always indifferent to materialistic happiness and distress. He goes on with his self-realization activities undisturbed by material reactions.
— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura
Gauḍīya
Translation
69. The sthita-prajṣa is awake in the night when all other living entities sleep. The night of the observant sthita-prajṣa is the time during which the all living entities are awake.
Commentary
The sthita-prajṣa is able to control his senses very naturally. There are two types of intelligence: that directed towards soul and that directed towards matter.
The intelligence directed towards the soul is night for all other entities. Just as in the night, people sleeping do not know what is happening at that time, so all living entities do not know the things which are being perceived by the intelligence directed towards the soul. But during that night, the sthita-prajṣa or saṁyamī, controlling his senses, is awake, not sleeping. In other words he directly realizes the bliss from fixing his intelligence on the soul. When the living entities are awake, with intelligence directed towards material sense objects, they realize directly the happiness, lamentation and bewilderment of those sense objects upon which their intelligence is fixed. They are not sleeping. But that is night for the muni, the sthita-prajṣa, who does not experience fixing his intellect on those objects at all. But he does see those objects. He looks upon (paśyataḥ) all those sense objects which give happiness and distress to the people bound in samsāra with disinterest. This means that he accepts the required sense objects for his survival without being affected.
Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa
Gauḍīya
Translation
69. The sthita prajṣa is awake in the night when all other living entities sleep. The night of the observant sthita prajṣa is the time during which the all living entities are awake.
Commentary
It has been stated that for the sādhaka or person practicing to attain the state of sthita prajṣa, controlling the senses is the goal of his efforts. This verse states that for one who has achieved the stage of sthita prajṣa, sense control is automatically achieved.
There are two types of intelligence: that fixed on the ātmā and that fixed on material sense objects. The intelligence fixed on ātmā is compared by metaphor to the night for all living entities. That intelligence is like night, since it does not manifest the ātmā to them. As if at night, all people, sleeping in regard to the intelligence fixed on ātma, do not realize the ātmā to be attained by that intelligence fixed in ātmā. The person controlling the senses (saṁyamī) however is awake, not asleep during that night. He realizes the ātmā which is to be attained by that intelligence. Other living entities, awake with intelligence fixed on material enjoyment, experience that material enjoyment. They are not sleeping at that time. That however is night for the muni, the sthita prajṣa. It does not bring about material pleasure for him. What type of person is he? The person directly perceiving the ātmā also experiences with indifference the sense objects which come to him by prārabdha karma (paśyataḥ). One who sees the ātmā does not experience the taste of other objects, like a dancing girl who pays full attention to the pot balanced on her head.
Bhūrijana Dāsa
Gauḍīya
Commentary
There are two kinds of people who restrain the senses from their objects: (1) one who is endeavoring for self‑realization and (2) one who just can't, who is being forced to do by circumstance. The first example is compared "daytime" it is light in his life and the other's life is like "night" or hell. They are just oposite.
Study Notes — Gauranga Priya Dāsa
Gauranga Priya Dāsa
Study
Bhakti-śāstrī Notes, ISKCON Chowpatty (2009)
Theme
Krishna gives an analogy: Although sensory engagements appear similar for self-realized soul and
materialist – there is difference of day and night
LINK BETWEEN TEXTS 2.69 & 2.70: Unlike common man, actions of Buddhi-yoga are not driven by selfish
desire. Krishna now gives an example to illustrate this nature of sthita-prajna (self-realised soul)
Classical Ācāryas
Śrī Śaṅkarācārya
Classical
Translation
2.69 ya, that which; sarva-bhutanam, for all creatures; is nisa, night which being darkness (tamah) by nature, obliterates distinctions among all things; what is that? that is the Reality which is the supreme Goal, accessible to the man of steady wisdom. As that which verily appears as day to the nocturnal creatures is night for others, similarly the Reality wich is the supreme Goal appears to be night, as it were, to all unenlightened beings who are comparable to the nocturnal creatures, because It is beyond the range of vision of those who are devoid of that wisdom.
Samyami, the self-restrained man, whose organs are under control, i.e. the yogi [The man of realization.] who has arisen from the sleep of ignorance; jagarti, keeps awake; tasyam, in that (night) characterized as the Reality, the supreme Goal. That night of ignorance, characterized by the distinctions of subjects and objects, yasyam in which; bhutani, the creatures, who are really asleep; are said to be jagrati, keeping awake, in which night they are like dreamers in sleep; sa nisa, it is night; pasyatah, to the seeing; muneh, sage, who perceives the Reality that is the supreme Goal, because that (night) is ignorance by nature.
Therefore, rites and duties are enjoined only during the state of ignorance, not in the state of enlightenment. For, when Knowledge dawns, ignorance becomes eradicated like the darkness of night after sun-rise. [It may be argued that even after illumination the phenomenal world, though it is known to be false, will continue to be perceived because of the persistence of past impressions; therefore there is scope for the validity of the scriptural injunctions even in the case of an illumined soul. The answer is that there will be no scope for the injunctions, because the man of realization will then have no ardent leaning towards this differentiated phenomenal world which makes an injunction relevant.] Before the rise of Knowledge, ignorance, accepted as a valid means of knowledge and presenting itself in the different forms of actions, means and results, becomes the cause of all rites and duties. It cannot reasonably become the source of rites and duties (after Realization) when it is understood as an invalid means of knowledge. For an agent becomes engaged in actions when he has the idea, 'Actions have been enjoined as a duty for me by the Vedas, which are a valid means of knowledge'; but not when he understands that 'all this is mere ignorance, like the night'.
Again, the man to whom has come the Knowledge that all these differences in their totality are mere ignorance like the night, to that man who has realized the Self, there is eligibility only for renouncing all actions, not for engaging in actions. In accordance with this the Lord will show in the verse, 'Those who have their intellect absorbed in That, whose Self is That' (5.17) etc., that he has competence only for steadfastness in Knowledge.
Objection: May it not be argued that, there will be no reason for being engaged even in that (steadfastness in Knowledge) if there be no valid means of knowledge [Vedic injunctions.] to impel one to that. [Because, without an injunction nobody would engage in a duty, much less in steadfastness to Knowledge.]
Answer: No, since 'knowledge of the Self' relates to one's own Self. Indeed, by the very fact that It is the Self, and since the validity of all the means of knowledge culminates in It, [The validity of all the means of knowledge holds good only so long as the knowledge of the Self has not arisen.] therefore the Self does not depend on an injunction to impel It towards Itself. [Does the injunction relate to the knowledge of the Self. or to the Self Itself? The first alternative is untenable because a valid means of knowledge reveals its objects even without an injunction. The second alternative also is untenable because the Self is self-revealing, whereas an injunction is possible in the case of something yet to be achieved. And one's own Self is not an object of that kind.] Surely, after the realization of the true nature of the Self, there is no scope again for any means to, or end of, knowledge. The last valid means of (Self-) knowledge eradicates the possibility of the Self's becoming a perceiver. And even as it eradicates, it loses its own authoritativeness, in the same way as the means of knowledge which is valid in dream becomes unauthoritative during the waking state. In the world, too, after the preception of an abject, the valid means of that perception is not seen to be a cause impelling the knower (to any action with regard to that object).
Hence, it is established that, for an knower of the Self, there remains no eligibility for rites and duties.
The attainment of Liberation is only for the sannyasin [Liberation is attained only by one who, after aciring an intellectual knowledge of the Self in a general way, is endowed with discrimination and detachment, has arisen above all desires, has become a monk in the primary sense, and has directly realized the Self by going through the process of sravana (understanding of Upanisadic texts about the Self), etc.], the man of enlightenment, who has renounced all desires and is a man of steady wisdom; but not for him who has not renounced and is desirious of the objects (of the senses). Such being the case, with a view to establishing this with the help of an illustration, the Lord says:
Śrī Rāmānujācārya
Classical
Translation
2.69 That Buddhi (understanding) which has the self for its object, is night to all beings, i.e., is obscure like night to all. But he, who has subdued the senses and is serene, is awake in respect of the self. The meaning is that he has the vision of the self. All beings are awake, i.e., are actively cognisant in respect of objects of the senses like sound. But such sense objects are like things enshrouded by night to the sage who is awake to the self.
Śrī Abhinavagupta
Classical
Translation
2.69 Ya nisa etc. Infatuating is the Illusion which is night for all beings. In that , the sage is awake (vigilant) with the thought 'How It could be avoided' The stage where the worldly men keep awake i.e., perform multifarious [worldly] activities, that stage is the night for the sage, as he is ignorant regarding the worldly activities.
It amounts to this statement : What is well-known as illusion, Its nature is indeed two-ford, viz., to delude and also to wear a deceptive appearance of spinning pleasure. Of them (the two natures), the worldly man, not considering Its former nautre, remains with a memory well teid to the second nature. On the other hand, the man of Yoga, who is contrary to the other, observes Its deluding nature in order to root It out. Thus the man of perfect knowledge, while seeing [properly], pays no attention to Its nature of spinning pleasure. His indifference to Its nature of spinning pleasure is due to the destruction of his false knowledge. That stage is night to him, even while he sees. Hence this is strange. The man of Yoga is awake (or understands) in the field of wisdom, where everyone else is unconscious (or totally perplexed); but in [the field] of ignorance he is not awake (or does not understand), where ordinary man is awake (or understands well). This is also strange.
That is why-
Swami Sivananda
Classical
Translation
2.69 That which is night to all beings, in that the self-controlled man is awake; when all beings are awake, that is night for the Muni (sage) who sees.
Commentary
2.69 या which? निशा night? सर्वभूतानाम् of all beings? तस्याम् in that? जागर्ति wakes? संयमी the selfcontrolled? यस्याम् in which? जाग्रति wake? भूतानि all beings? सा that? निशा night? पश्यतः (of the) seeing? मुनेः of the Muni.Commentary That which is real for the wordlyminded people is illusion for the sage? and vice versa. The sage lives in the Self. This is day for him. He is unconscious of the wordly phenomena. They are night for him? as it were. The ordinary man is unconscious of his real nature. Life in the spirit is night for him. He is experiencing the objects of sensual enjoyment. This is day for him. The Self is a nonentity for him For a sage this world is a nonentity.The wordlyminded people are in utter darkness as they have no knowledge of the Self. What is darkness for them is all light for the sage. The Self? Atman or Brahman is night for the worldlyminded persons. But the sage is fully awake. He is directly cognising the supreme Reality? the Light of lights. He is full of illumination and AtmaJnana or knowledge of the Self.
Swami Gambhīrānanda
Classical
Translation
2.69 The self-restrained man keeps awake during that which is night for all creatures. That during which creatures keep awake, it is night to the seeing sage.
Shri Purohit Swami
Classical
Translation
2.69 The saint is awake when the world sleeps, and he ignores that for which the world lives.
What is night for all beings is the time of waking for the disciplined; what is waking for ordinary beings is night for the wise.
Practical Applications
Cultivate awakening to what the world ignores — and indifference to what the world chases.
Use early morning hours (brahma-muhūrta) for the practices the world has no use for.
Be at peace with looking 'asleep' to the world while wide awake to Krishna.
Reflection Questions
What am I 'awake' to that the world is asleep to?
Where am I still awake to what the wise treat as night?
Analogy
An owl is wide awake under the same sky where every other creature sleeps; the sun rises and the owl sleeps while every creature stirs. The saṁyamī inhabits an inverted day: alert to the Self when the world is asleep to it, sleeping to the world's gratifications when the world is wide awake to them.
Stories
Haridāsa Ṭhākura's three lakhs
Haridāsa Ṭhākura chanted three hundred thousand names of the Lord daily — beginning each cycle long before dawn, when the rest of Bengal slept, and continuing through the day while merchants and farmers chased their gains, and into the night when households slept again. His waking hours were spent on what others did not see; his sleeping hours (of which there were almost none) were the small remnant of the worldly calendar.
The verse names his life exactly: yā niśā sarva-bhūtānāṁ tasyāṁ jāgarti saṁyamī. What is night for all beings — the inner world of name and remembrance — was Haridāsa's daylight.
ఆపూర్యమాణమచలప్రతిష్ఠం
సముద్రమాపః ప్రవిశన్తి యద్వత్ ।
తద్వత్కామా యం ప్రవిశన్తి సర్వే
స శాన్తిమాప్నోతి న కామకామీ ॥ ౭౦ ॥
āpūryamāṇam acala-pratiṣṭhaṁ
[aapooryamaanam achala-pratishtham]
samudram āpaḥ praviśanti yadvat
[samudram aapah pravishanti yadvat]
tadvat kāmā yaṁ praviśanti sarve
[tadvat kaamaa yam pravishanti sarve]
sa śāntim āpnoti na kāma-kāmī
[sa shaantim aapnoti na kaama-kaamee]
Word-for-word
āpūryamāṇam—always being filledacala - pratiṣṭham—steadily situatedsamudram—the oceanāpaḥ—waterspraviśanti—enteryadvat—astadvat—sokāmāḥ—desiresyam—unto whompraviśanti—entersarve—allsaḥ—that personśāntim—peaceāpnoti—achievesna—notkāma - kāmī—one who desires to fulfill desires .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
āpūryamāṇam acala-pratiṣṭhaṁ
āpūryamāṇam
always being filled
acala - pratiṣṭham
steadily situated
samudram āpaḥ praviśanti yadvat
samudram
the ocean
āpaḥ
waters
praviśanti
enter
yadvat
as
tadvat kāmā yaṁ praviśanti sarve
tadvat
so
kāmāḥ
desires
yam
unto whom
praviśanti
enter
sarve
all
sa śāntim āpnoti na kāma-kāmī
saḥ
that person
śāntim
peace
āpnoti
achieves
na
not
kāma - kāmī
one who desires to fulfill desires .
Important Words
āpūryamāṇam—ever being filled
Present participle passive of ā + √pṝ — to fill. The ocean is *always being filled* by rivers; the influx is continuous. The verse acknowledges: desires *will* enter. The question is not how to stop them.
acala - pratiṣṭham—of unmoving stability
Compound — *whose foundation does not move*. The ocean's level is *fixed* despite the constant intake. The image is precise: not stillness from inactivity, but stability under constant input.
samudram—the ocean
The image. The Gītā chose the largest receptacle available — large enough that all rivers' combined input does not alter it. The śāntim achiever is at that scale.
praviśanti—enter
From pra + √viś — to enter into. Desires *enter* the śāntim achiever — but enter as rivers enter the ocean: absorbed without displacement. The point is not absence of desire but its absorption.
kāma - kāmī—one who desires desires
Compound — *desirer of desires*. The contrast figure. The one who *pursues* desires gets no śānti; the one in whom desires *enter and are absorbed* does. The grammar of pursuit versus reception names the difference.
A person who is not disturbed by the incessant flow of desires – that enter like rivers into the ocean, which is ever being filled but is always still – can alone achieve peace, and not the man who strives to satisfy such desires.
Purport
Although the vast ocean is always filled with water, it is always, especially during the rainy season, being filled with much more water. But the ocean remains the same – steady; it is not agitated, nor does it cross beyond the limit of its brink. That is also true of a person fixed in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. As long as one has the material body, the demands of the body for sense gratification will continue. The devotee, however, is not disturbed by such desires, because of his fullness. A Kṛṣṇa conscious man is not in need of anything, because the Lord fulfills all his material necessities. Therefore he is like the ocean – always full in himself. Desires may come to him like the waters of the rivers that flow into the ocean, but he is steady in his activities, and he is not even slightly disturbed by desires for sense gratification. That is the proof of a Kṛṣṇa conscious man – one who has lost all inclinations for material sense gratification, although the desires are present. Because he remains satisfied in the transcendental loving service of the Lord, he can remain steady, like the ocean, and therefore enjoy full peace. Others, however, who want to fulfill desires even up to the limit of liberation, what to speak of material success, never attain peace. The fruitive workers, the salvationists, and also the yogīs who are after mystic powers are all unhappy because of unfulfilled desires. But the person in Kṛṣṇa consciousness is happy in the service of the Lord, and he has no desires to be fulfilled. In fact, he does not even desire liberation from the so-called material bondage. The devotees of Kṛṣṇa have no material desires, and therefore they are in perfect peace.
— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura
Gauḍīya
Translation
70. Just as the rivers enter the ocean which has fixed shores and is never quite full, so the objects of enjoyment enter into the sthita-prajṣa, but he remains peaceful. This is not so for the desirer of those objects.
Commentary
This verse describes the sthita-prajṣa’s condition of not being affected or agitated when he accepts the sense objects. Just as in the rainy season, rivers (āpaḥ) here and there enter into the ocean, almost filling it up (ā—almost, pūryamāṇam—filled), but not being able to completely fill it up, not being able to go beyond the shore (acalā-pratiṣṭham), in a similar manner the objects of sense enjoyment (kāmaḥ) come to the sthita-prajṣa for his enjoyment (but cannot disturb him). Just as, whether the rivers enter or do not enter the ocean, the ocean is not disturbed at all, the sthita-prajṣa (saḥ) remains undisturbed whether he gets objects of enjoyment or not. He attains the stage of jṣāna (śāntim).
Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa
Gauḍīya
Translation
70. Just as the rivers enter the ocean which has fixed banks and is never quite full, so the objects of enjoyment enter into the sthita prajṣa, but he remains peaceful. This is not so for the desirer of those objects.
Commentary
In this verse the Lord makes clear the state mentioned in the previous verse. Just as rivers full from the rainy season enter the ocean which by its nature is full, with shores not overflowing, and cannot cause any change to the ocean, so that person into whom sense objects (sarve kāmāḥ), attracted to him by his prārabdha karmas, enter but cannot cause change—that persons attains peace. Thought the sense objects come to his senses, the sthita prajṣa does not undergo any change at all, because of the satisfaction of realizing the bliss of ātmā. But he who desires the sense objects (kāma kāmī) does not attain that peace.
Study Notes — Gauranga Priya Dāsa
Gauranga Priya Dāsa
Study
Bhakti-śāstrī Notes, ISKCON Chowpatty (2009)
Theme
Krishna gives a second analogy: Rivers into the ocean
Self-realized person is not disturbed by the incessant flow of desires that enter, just like rivers enter into the ocean which is ever being filled but is always still
This is the platform of real peace
Focus of Learning
(a) Krishna conscious person is full because the Lord fulfils all his material necessities therefore he is
always full like the ocean
(b) Proof of Krishna conscious man
Lost all inclination for sense gratification although desires are present
He is steady like the ocean because he remains satisfied in transcendental loving service and thus achieves real peace
He enjoys full peace – On the contrary: Bhukti (fruitive workers), Mukti (Salvationist) and Siddhi-Kaami (yogis) never attain peace
(a) Two classes of intelligent men
Those involved in material action for sense gratification – They are asleep to self-realisation
They dream of varieties of sense pleasures
Sometimes they feel happy and sometimes distressed
Those who are introspective and awake to self-realisation – They are always indifferent to materialism
They feel transcendental pleasure in gradual advancement of spiritual culture
Always undisturbed and indifferent to materialistic happiness and distress
(a) Who is a sadhaka, or a suitable candidate for liberation – One who has understood that:
Only by Krishna consciousness is one really established in intelligence
And one should practice this art under the guidance of a bona-fide spiritual master
(b) Analogy: Controlling enemies requires a superior force
Similarly senses cannot be controlled by any human endeavor
But can be controlled only by keeping them in the service of the Lord
Classical Ācāryas
Śrī Śaṅkarācārya
Classical
Translation
2.70 Sah, that man; apnoti, attains; santim, peace Liberation; yam, into whom, into which person; sarve, all; kamah, desires, all forms of wishes; pravisanti, enter, from all directions, like waters entering into a sea, without overwhelming him even in the presence of objects; they vanish in the Self, they do not bring It under their own influence, tadvat, in the same way; yadvat, as; apah, waters, coming from all sides; pravisanti, flow into; samudram, a sea; that remains acala-pratistham, unchanged, that continues to be its own self, without any change; apuryamanam, (even) when filled up from all sides with water.
Na, not so the other; who is kama-kami, desirous of objects. Kama means objects which are sought after. He who is given to desire them is kama-kami. The idea implied is that he never attains (peace).
Since this is so, therefore.
Śrī Rāmānujācārya
Classical
Translation
2.70 The river waters enter into the sea which is full by itself and is thus the same, i.e., unchanging in shape. The sea exhibits no special increase or decrease, whether the waters or rivers enter it or not. Even so do all objects of desire, i.e., objects of sense perception like sound etc., enter into a self-controlled one, i.e., they produce only sensorial impressions but no reaction from him. Such a person will attain peace. The meaning is that he alone attains to peace, who by reason of the contentment coming from the vision of the self, feels no disturbance when objects of sense like sound, etc., come within the ken of the senses or when they do not come. This is not the case with one who runs after desires. Whoever is agitated by sound and other objects, never attains to peace.
Śrī Abhinavagupta
Classical
Translation
2.70 Apuryamanam etc. the man of Yoga does not run out for the sake of pleasure; but, rather just as the floods of the rivers enter into the sea, the objects of pleasure [themselves] continuously enter into him on account of their being peculiar attributes of the sense-organs; and they do not create in him waves [of agitation]. thus the third estion is decided.
Swami Sivananda
Classical
Translation
2.70 He attains peace into whom all desires enter as waters enter the ocean which, filled from all sides, remains unmoved; but not the man who is full of desires.
Commentary
2.70 आपूर्यमाणम् filled from all sides? अचलप्रतिष्ठम् based in stillness? समुद्रम् ocean? आपः water? प्रविशन्ति enter? यद्वत् as? तद्वत् so? कामाः desires? यम् whom? प्रविशन्ति enter? सर्वे all? सः he? शान्तिम् peace? आप्नोति attains? न not? कामकामी desirer of desires.Commentary Just as the ocean filled with waters from all sides remains unmoved? so also the sage who is resting in his own Svarupa or the Self is not a bit affected though desires of all sorts enter from all sides. The sage attains peace or liberation but not he who longs for objects of sensual enjoyment and entertains various desires. (Cf.XVIII.53?54).
Swami Gambhīrānanda
Classical
Translation
2.70 That man attains peace into whom all desires enter in the same way as the waters flow into a sea that remains unchanged (even) when being filled up from all sides. Not so one who is desirous of objects.
Shri Purohit Swami
Classical
Translation
2.70 He attains Peace, into whom desires flow as rivers into the ocean, which though brimming with water remains ever the same; not he whom desire carries away.
As the ocean remains undisturbed by the rivers entering it, so the wise are undisturbed by desires entering them — not by absence of desires but by capacity to absorb them.
Practical Applications
Aim to be ocean-like, not desert-like; spirituality is fullness, not emptiness.
Welcome desires as rivers entering you, then let them lose their force in the vastness of remembrance.
Notice that the ocean does not chase rivers — it does not need to.
Reflection Questions
Am I trying to be a desert when Krishna asks me to be an ocean?
Where can I let a desire enter and dissolve rather than fight it or feed it?
Analogy
The ocean receives all rivers and remains full but unmoved — no river makes it overflow, no drought makes it shrink. The verse names a kind of person who receives all desires the world flings at him and is *full but unmoved* in just this way. The world's currents enter; the person does not enlarge or empty.
vihāya—giving upkāmān—material desires for sense gratificationyaḥ—whosarvān—allpumān—a personcarati—livesniḥspṛhaḥ—desirelessnirmamaḥ—without a sense of proprietorshipnirahaṅkāraḥ—without false egosaḥ—heśāntim—perfect peaceadhigacchati—attains .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
vihāya kāmān yaḥ sarvān
vihāya
giving up
kāmān
material desires for sense gratification
yaḥ
who
sarvān
all
pumāṁś carati niḥspṛhaḥ
pumān
a person
carati
lives
niḥspṛhaḥ
desireless
nirmamo nirahaṅkāraḥ
nirmamaḥ
without a sense of proprietorship
nirahaṅkāraḥ
without false ego
sa śāntim adhigacchati
saḥ
he
śāntim
perfect peace
adhigacchati
attains .
Important Words
vihāya—having abandoned
Gerund of vi-√hā — to abandon entirely. Same word as in 2.22 (the soul casting off old garments). The same verb that names death now names liberation: the abandoning is the same; only the object changes.
niḥspṛhaḥ—without longing
Nir + spṛhā — without the reaching motion of desire. Echoes 2.56's vigata-spṛhaḥ. The verse uses the same vocabulary the chapter has been building; the sthita-prajña's portrait closes with familiar words.
nirmamaḥ—without 'mine'
Nir + mama — without the *mine-feeling*. Mamatā is the chapter's silent enemy. The renunciation of *mine* is more radical than the renunciation of *thing*: things may stay; the claim on them must go.
nirahaṅkāraḥ—without 'I-maker'
Nir + ahaṅkāra — without the ego-construct. The deepest renunciation: not just *mine* but *I*. The false self that says 'I am the doer' (cf. 2.47's karma-phala-hetuḥ) is here finally dropped.
adhigacchati—attains
From adhi + √gam — to go up to, to reach. *Attains*. Same verb as in 2.64 (prasādam adhigacchati). The chapter promises śānti more than once — verse 66 by negation, verse 70 by image, verse 71 by this direct route. The destination is marked on the map repeatedly.
A person who has given up all desires for sense gratification, who lives free from desires, who has given up all sense of proprietorship and is devoid of false ego – he alone can attain real peace.
Purport
To become desireless means not to desire anything for sense gratification. In other words, desire for becoming Kṛṣṇa conscious is actually desirelessness. To understand one’s actual position as the eternal servitor of Kṛṣṇa, without falsely claiming this material body to be oneself and without falsely claiming proprietorship over anything in the world, is the perfect stage of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. One who is situated in this perfect stage knows that because Kṛṣṇa is the proprietor of everything, everything must be used for the satisfaction of Kṛṣṇa. Arjuna did not want to fight for his own sense satisfaction, but when he became fully Kṛṣṇa conscious he fought because Kṛṣṇa wanted him to fight. For himself there was no desire to fight, but for Kṛṣṇa the same Arjuna fought to his best ability. Real desirelessness is desire for the satisfaction of Kṛṣṇa, not an artificial attempt to abolish desires. The living entity cannot be desireless or senseless, but he does have to change the quality of the desires. A materially desireless person certainly knows that everything belongs to Kṛṣṇa ( īśāvāsyam idaṁ sarvam ), and therefore he does not falsely claim proprietorship over anything. This transcendental knowledge is based on self-realization – namely, knowing perfectly well that every living entity is an eternal part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa in spiritual identity, and that the eternal position of the living entity is therefore never on the level of Kṛṣṇa or greater than Him. This understanding of Kṛṣṇa consciousness is the basic principle of real peace.
— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura
Gauḍīya
Translation
71. He who gives up all objects of enjoyment but carries out action without desires for them, being devoid of possessiveness and ego, attains peace (jṣāna).
Commentary
This verse describes the person who, , does not enjoy the semse objects at all because he has no faith in them. He is devoid of possessiveness and ego regarding his body and objects related to the body (nirmamaḥ nirahaṅkāraḥ).
Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa
Gauḍīya
Translation
71. He who, having given up all objects of enjoyment, being devoid of possessiveness and false identity, acts only to maintain his body, attains peace.
Commentary
That person who eats only to survive (carati niḥspṛhaḥ), after having renounced all sense objects which come to him, except for bodily maintenance, being devoid of possessiveness (nirmamaḥ) and being devoid of thinking of his body as his self (nirahaṁkāraḥ)—that person attains peace.
Another meaning is as follows. That person who, wherever he goes, having renounced all sense objects, remains devoid of possessiveness and false identity, attains peace. This verse answers the question “How does the sthita prajṣa move about (vrajeta kim)?”
Bhūrijana Dāsa
Gauḍīya
Commentary
The idea is that one should be internally renounced and activelly externally.
All these symptoms that were just explained were all internal. How should one act? He should act in such a way that he is internally renounced. This is the point. The activiti one fixed in transcendence may superficially be exactly the same as the activities of one who is a complete materialist, but internally the difference is that they are like the "night" and "day".
Here is the art to become internally materially renounced and internally materially attached to Krsna ‑ that is Krsna consciousness.
Study Notes — Gauranga Priya Dāsa
Gauranga Priya Dāsa
StudyKey verse
Bhakti-śāstrī Notes, ISKCON Chowpatty (2009)
Theme
Platform of ‘actual desirelessness’ – Activities of Bhakti-yoga are free from false ego and sense of
proprietorship – thus one can attain real peace
LINK BETWEEN TEXTS 2.71 & 2.72: This verse ends Krishna’s answer to the question: “How does he
walk?” Krishna concludes Chapter 2 with a brief summary.
Classical Ācāryas
Śrī Śaṅkarācārya
Classical
Translation
2.71 Sah puman, that man who has become thus, the sannyasin, the man of steady wisdom, the knower of Brahman; adhi-gacchati, attains; santim, peace, called Nirvana, consisting in the cessation of all the sorrows of mundane existence, i.e. he becomes one with Brahman; yah, who; vihaya, after rejecting; sarvan, all; kaman, desires, without a trace, fully; carati, moves about, i.e. wanders about, making efforts only for maintaining the body; nihsprhah, free from hankering, becoming free from any longing even for the maintenance of the body; nirmamah, without the idea of ('me' and) 'mine', without the deeprooted idea of 'mine' even when accepting something needed merely for the upkeep of the body; and nir-ahankarah, devoid of pride, i.e. free from self esteem owing to learning etc.
This steadfastness in Knowledge, which is such, is being praised:
Śrī Rāmānujācārya
Classical
Translation
2.71 What are desired, they are called the objects of desire. These are sound and other sense-objects. The person, who wants peace must abandon all sense-objects such as sound, touch etc. He should have no longing for them. He should be without the sense of 'mineness' regarding them, as that sense arises from the misconception that the body, which is really non-self, is the self. He who lives in this way attains to peace after seeing the self.
Śrī Abhinavagupta
Classical
Translation
2.71 Vihaya etc. Because he has renounced all desires, the man of Yoga, attains emancipation in the form of peace.
Swami Sivananda
Classical
Translation
2.71 That man attains peace who, abandoning all desires, moves about without longing, without the sense of mine and without egoism.
Commentary
2.71 विहाय abandoning? कामान् desires? यः that? सर्वान् all? पुमान् man? चरति moves about? निःस्पृहः free from longing? निर्ममः devoid of mineness? निरहंकारः without egoism? सः he? शान्तिम् to peace? अधिगच्छति attains.Commentary That man who lives destitute of longing? abandoning all desires? without the senses of I and mine? who is satisfied with the bare necessities of life? who does not care even for those bare necessities of life? who has no attachment even for the bare necessities of life? attains Moksha or eternal peace. (Cf.II.55).
Swami Gambhīrānanda
Classical
Translation
2.71 That man attains peace who, after rejecting all desires, moves about free from hankering, without the idea of ('me' and) 'mine', and devoid of pride.
Shri Purohit Swami
Classical
Translation
2.71 He attains Peace who, giving up desire, moves through the world without aspiration, possessing nothing which he can call his own, and free from pride.
Renouncing all material desires, free from longing and possessiveness, free from false ego — such a one attains peace.
Practical Applications
Identify the false ego attached to your roles and offer them to Krishna.
Reduce one possessive 'mine' that has been clouding your peace.
Refuse to confuse renunciation with resignation; the verse is about freedom, not deprivation.
Reflection Questions
What 'mine' is most quietly costing me my peace?
Where has my false ego attached itself to a service I claim is selfless?
Analogy
A man who has emptied his house of every claim — no 'mine' on the rugs, no 'I' on the doorpost — finds it suddenly spacious, restful, his. Vihāya kāmān, nirmama, nirahaṅkāra: the three renunciations that produce śānti. The peace is not added; the obstructions are removed.
Stories
King Bharata's third life
Reborn as Jaḍa Bharata after the deer-life, the realized king allowed himself to be treated as a fool. When demanded to serve as a palanquin-bearer, he carried the palanquin so unevenly that the king inside grew angry. Asked who he was, he replied that he was neither the body nor anyone's worker — and gave instruction on the soul.
His life demonstrated vihāya kāmān… nirmamo nirahaṅkāraḥ. The renunciation of mine and ego was not theoretical: he could be insulted, beaten, used as a beast, and remained unbothered. The śānti the verse promises had become his daily climate.
eṣā—thisbrāhmī—spiritualsthitiḥ—situationpārtha—O son of Pṛthāna—neverenām—thisprāpya—achievingvimuhyati—one is bewilderedsthitvā—being situatedasyām—in thisanta - kāle—at the end of lifeapi—alsobrahma - nirvāṇam—the spiritual kingdom of Godṛcchati—one attains .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
eṣā brāhmī sthitiḥ pārtha
eṣā
this
brāhmī
spiritual
sthitiḥ
situation
pārtha
O son of Pṛthā
naināṁ prāpya vimuhyati
na
never
enām
this
prāpya
achieving
vimuhyati
one is bewildered
sthitvāsyām anta-kāle ’pi
sthitvā
being situated
asyām
in this
anta - kāle
at the end of life
api
also
brahma-nirvāṇam ṛcchati
brahma - nirvāṇam
the spiritual kingdom of God
ṛcchati
one attains .
Important Words
brāhmī—relating to brahman
Feminine adjective of brahman — *brahman-pertaining*. Modifying sthiti (state). The Gauḍīya commentaries gloss brāhmī sthiti as the established state of self-realization that opens directly into the Lord — not Advaita's monism but the brahma-bhūta state of 18.54 that leads to parā-bhakti.
sthitiḥ—state, condition
From √sthā — to stand. The same root as sthita-prajña, sthita-dhīḥ. The final substantive of the chapter names the *condition* — the standing — that the chapter has been describing throughout.
vimuhyati—is bewildered
From vi-√muh — to be confused. Echoes 2.13's na muhyati. The chapter opened with the dhīra who is not bewildered by bodily transitions; it closes with the practitioner who, having reached this state, is not bewildered again *ever*. The verb returns transformed.
anta - kāle—at the time of death
Compound locative — *at the end-time*. The crucial moment. The Gītā's later teaching (chapter 8) will elaborate on consciousness at death; this verse first names its importance. The state must hold *even there*.
brahma - nirvāṇam—the brahman-cessation
Compound — *the extinction-into-brahman*. Nirvāṇa here is not Buddhist śūnya but the cessation of separate material existence into the spiritual reality. The Gauḍīya line reads brahma-nirvāṇa as entry into the Lord's effulgence as the preliminary stage of brahma-bhūta, with full bhakti as the further goal.
That is the way of the spiritual and godly life, after attaining which a man is not bewildered. If one is thus situated even at the hour of death, one can enter into the kingdom of God.
Purport
One can attain Kṛṣṇa consciousness or divine life at once, within a second – or one may not attain such a state of life even after millions of births. It is only a matter of understanding and accepting the fact. Khaṭvāṅga Mahārāja attained this state of life just a few minutes before his death, by surrendering unto Kṛṣṇa. Nirvāṇa means ending the process of materialistic life. According to Buddhist philosophy, there is only void after the completion of this material life, but Bhagavad-gītā teaches differently. Actual life begins after the completion of this material life. For the gross materialist it is sufficient to know that one has to end this materialistic way of life, but for persons who are spiritually advanced, there is another life after this materialistic life. Before ending this life, if one fortunately becomes Kṛṣṇa conscious, he at once attains the stage of brahma-nirvāṇa. There is no difference between the kingdom of God and the devotional service of the Lord. Since both of them are on the absolute plane, to be engaged in the transcendental loving service of the Lord is to have attained the spiritual kingdom. In the material world there are activities of sense gratification, whereas in the spiritual world there are activities of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Attainment of Kṛṣṇa consciousness even during this life is immediate attainment of Brahman, and one who is situated in Kṛṣṇa consciousness has certainly already entered into the kingdom of God. Brahman is just the opposite of matter. Therefore brāhmī sthiti means “not on the platform of material activities.” Devotional service of the Lord is accepted in the Bhagavad-gītā as the liberated stage ( sa guṇān samatītyaitān brahma-bhūyāya kalpate ). Therefore, brāhmī sthiti is liberation from material bondage. Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura has summarized this Second Chapter of the Bhagavad-gītā as being the contents for the whole text. In the Bhagavad-gītā, the subject matters are karma-yoga, jñāna-yoga and bhakti-yoga . In the Second Chapter karma-yoga and jñāna-yoga have been clearly discussed, and a glimpse of bhakti-yoga has also been given, as the contents for the complete text. Thus end the Bhaktivedanta Purports to the Second Chapter of the Śrīmad Bhagavad-gītā in the matter of its Contents.
— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura
Gauḍīya
Translation
72. O son of Pṛthā, this is the situation for attaining Brahman. Attaining that state, one is not bewildered, and attains brahma-nirvāṇa even at the time of death.
Commentary
This verse concludes the topic.
Brahmī means “that which gives attainment of Brahman.” Even one at the point of death (anta-kāle), what to speak of one of young age, by this practice, attains brahma-nirvāṇa. [Note: Later indications show that this brahma-nirvāṇa is merely mokṣa.]
Having presented very clearly jṣāna and karma and indirectly bhakti, this chapter is called the sūtra (abbreviated form) of the Gītā.
This is commentary on the second chapter of the Gītā for the joy of the devotees’ minds, following after the great devotees.
Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa
Gauḍīya
Translation
72. O son of Pṛthā, this is the situation for attaining the Lord. Attaining that state, one is not bewildered, and even at the time of death, attains Brahman, bestowing a deathless form.
Commentary
This verse praises the state of the sthita prajṣa. This state enables one to attain Brahman (brāhmī). Even in the last part of life (anta kale), the final years, what to speak of during youth, that sthita prajṣa attains Brahman, the Lord, who is the form of deathlessness and bestows that to the sthita prajṣa (Brahma nirvāṇam). [Note: Baladeva used the word amrṭa rūpam to explain nirvāṇam. This could mean “deathless form” or “beautiful form,” or “blissful form.” However in BG 5.24 Baladeva explains brahma nirvāṇam as the paramātmā who is the form of liberation, so amṛta rūpam would mean deathless. Since the sthita prajṣa has realized ātma, and is described as brāhmī sthiti, causing attainment of brahman, brahman cannot mean ātmā. Therefore it means the Supreme Lord. Because bhakti to the Brahman is mentioned in the same purport, Brahman would indicate the Lord. Viśvanātha does not comment on nirvāṇam. Rāmānuja takes nirvāṇam as “full of happiness” and Brahman as the ātmā. Śaṅkara takes nirvāṇam as blissful also. Śrīdhara takes brahma nirvāṇam as “merging in Brahman.” Madhva takes brahma nirvāṇam as the Lord without material body.]
“But how does one situated in prajṣa (realization of ātmā) attain Brahman, the Lord? He can be attained only by bhakti to the Lord.”
“Because the state of sthita prajṣa is caused by bhakti to the Lord, [Note: Verse sixty-one stated that devotion to the Lord (mat paraḥ) was necessary to control the senses. Verse fifty-one commentary explained that knowledge of ātmā gives rise to knowledge of paramātmā.] and also brings about bhakti to the Lord, it is said to be the cause of attaining Brahman.”
A person will become a jṣānī, remembering the Lord, by performance of niṣkāma karma. To do otherwise creates only obstacles. This is the essence of the second chapter.
Chapter 3
Bhūrijana Dāsa
Gauḍīya
Commentary
That "enter into the kingdom of God" will be explained in Chapter 8.
At the end of his Purport, Srila Prabhupada says: " Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura has summarized this Second Chapter of the Bhagavad‑gita as being the contents for the whole text. In the Bhagavad‑gita, the subject matters are karma‑yoga, jnana‑yoga, and bhakti‑yoga. In the Second Chapter karma‑yoga and jnana‑yoga have been clearly discussed, and a glimpse of bhakti‑yoga has also been given, as the contents for the complete text."
In addition, what else was mentioned? The Vedas, transmigration, the soul, the modes, karma‑yoga, jnana‑yoga, bhakti‑ yoga, peace, controlling the senses, death, intelligence,the mind... so many topics have been mentioned very brielfly and not in a very systematic way. So Arjuna has not understood and is going to begin questioning Krsna, in the beginning of the 3rd Chapter, on some very basic points.
(Question: In Texts 31 to 38 Krsna spoke favorably about Karma‑ kanda and then immediatly after that He preached against it. Why He did like this.
Answer: Krsna is very tricky because if one wants Karma‑kanda, if one wants to enjoy his senses and he is determined about that, Krsna will tell him how to enjoy his senses in such a way that it will elevate him. But if one is more intelligent than that and doesn't want to enjoy his senses, but rather wants to become Krsna conscious, Krsna will give him instructions by which he can become Krsna conscious. Why? Because Krsna is neutral ‑ He reciprocates according to one's desires.
Whatever platform one is on, Krsna will give instructions to elevate one. And if one has the real desire of Krsna consciousness, Krsna will instruct him in that way.
Whatever justification to satisfy one's desires one wants, he can get it in the B.gita.
But it is not Krsna's desire to satisfy our material desires ‑ His desires are nicelly explained in the 18th Chapter: "sarva dharman parityaja..."
Study Notes — Gauranga Priya Dāsa
Gauranga Priya Dāsa
Study
Bhakti-śāstrī Notes, ISKCON Chowpatty (2009)
Theme
Conclusion – One thus situated (as explained till now) at the time of death enters the Kingdom of God.
Thus Krishna glorifies the position of “sthita-prajna”
That is the way of spiritual and godly life
After attaining this, one is not bewildered
Focus of Learning
(a) Attaining ‘status of divine life’ or ‘Krishna consciousness’
One May attain at once e.g. Khatvanga Maharaja – Attained immediately by surrender to Krishna, just a few minutes before death
May attain after millions of births
Actual desirelessness – Desire for satisfaction of Krishna, not an artificial attempt to abolish desires
(a) Living entity can never be desireless – But can change quality of desires
(b) Knowledge of materially desireless person
Knows Isavasyam idam sarvam (Krishna is the Supreme proprietor
This transcendental knowledge is based on self-realisation – namely,
Knowing perfectly well that every living entity is an eternal part and parcel of Krishna in spiritual identity,
And that the eternal position of the living entity is therefore never on the level of Krishna or greater than Him.
This understanding of Krishna consciousness is the basic principle of real peace.
(c) Actual desirelessness in conclusion – Desire for becoming Krishna conscious is actual
desirelessness
(d) Perfect stage of Krishna consciousness
Knowing one’s actual position as an eternal servitor – basic principle of real peace
Free from false ego – Without falsely claiming material body as oneself
Free from proprietorship – Without falsely claiming proprietorship over anything in this world
Krishna as the Supreme Proprietor – therefore uses everything for his satisfaction
(e) Practical Application for Arjuna
He fought only for the satisfaction of Krishna to his best ability although he had no desire to fight
SUMMARISED THEME 2F
ONE NOT IN KRISHNA CONSCIOUSNESS MAY EASILY FALLDOWN
(a) Process of falldown – Starts from contemplation by uncontrolled mind and senses (2.62 – 2.63)
(b) Artificial repression does not help – Although artificially restraining, taste for sense objects
remain (2.59)
Analogy: Diseased patient restricted from food, taste remains
e.g. Visvamrita Muni
(c) One cannot enjoy life – even slight agitation makes him falldown (2.63 purport)
Analogy: Boat swept away by the wind (2.67)
e.g. Visvamrita Muni
(d) No peace – because of no relationship with Krishna (2.66)
(e) Comparision of yogi vs devotee – Durvasa Muni vs Ambarisa Maharaja (2.60 purport)
(b) ‘Nirvana’ – It implies ending the process of materialistic life
Buddhist conception – Only void after completion
Bhagavad-gita / Krishna conscious conception – Actual life begins after the completion of material life
For the gross materialist it is sufficient to know that one has to end this materialistic way of life, but for spiritually advanced persons there is another life after materialistic life
(c) Krishna consciousness as equivalent to Brahma-nirvana – If one fortunately becomes Krishna
conscious before ending this life, he at once attains the Stage of ‘Brahma-nirvana’
Such a person is one absolute transcendental plane even in material world and is as good as being in the spiritual kingdom
(d) ‘Brahmi-sthiti’ – It means not on the platform of material activities (liberation from material
bondage)
‘Devotional service’ is accepted in Bhagavad-gita as the liberated stage (Ref. Bg. 14.26 “sa gunan...”)
END OF CHAPTER 2
SUMMARISED THEME 2G
DEVOTEE CONTROLS SENSES BY REGULATIVE PRINCIPLES
(Explanation of “How he walks”)
(a) He exhibits freedom from attachment and aversion (2.64)
Only concern – Satisfaction of Krishna / Direction of Krishna
How such consciousness can be achieved – Causeless mercy of the Lord
(b) He attainments the Lord’s mercy (2.65)
Freedom from three-fold miseries
Intelligence is soon well established
(c) Mind peaceful and happy – (Lack of goal – causes disturbance in mind) (2.66)
(d) He enjoys life – Because he utilizes everything in Krishna’s service and accept prasadam (2.63
purport)
(e) Attains peace – Because he attains real desirelessness (2.66, 2.71)
Analogy: Rivers and ocean (2.70)
(f) Attains Brahman – Because devotional service is not different from being in spiritual world (2.72)
E.g. Ambarish Maharaja and Haridasa Thakura
Analogy: Night for materialist / Day for devotee (2.69)
Bhagavad Gita Notes
CHAPTER 2 Appendix
Selected Texts extracted from “Surrender unto Me”
Classical Ācāryas
Śrī Śaṅkarācārya
Classical
Translation
2.72 O Partha, esa, this, the aforesaid; is brahmisthitih, the state of being established in Brahman, i.e. continuing (in life) in indentification with Brahman, after renouncing all actions.
Na vimuhyati, one does not become deluded; prapya, after attaining ; enam, this Rcchati, one attains; brahma-nirvanam, identification with Brahman, Liberation; sthitva, by being established; asyam, in this, in the state of Brahman-hood as described; api, even; anta-kale, in the closing years of one's life. What need it be said that, one who remains established only in Brahman during the whole life, after having espoused monasticism even from the stage of celibacy, attains indetification with Brahman!
Śrī Rāmānujācārya
Classical
Translation
2.72 This state of performing disinterested work which is preceded by the knowledge of the eternal self and which is characterised by firm wisdom, is the Brahmi-state, which secures the attainment of the Brahman (the self). After attaining such a state, he will not be deluded, i.e., he will not get again the mortal coil. Reaching this state even during the last years of life, he wins the blissful Brahman (the self) i.e., which is full of beatitude. The meaning is that he attains the self which is constituted of nothing but bliss.
Thus in the second chapter, the Lord wanted to remove the delusion of Arjuna, who did not know the real nature of the self and also did not realize that the activity named 'war' (here an ordained duty) is a means for attaining the nature of Sankhya or the self. Arjuna was under the delusion that the body is itself the self, and dominated by that delusion, had retreated from battle. He was therefore taught the knowledge called 'Sankhya' or the understanding of the self, and Yoga or what is called the path of practical work without attachment. These together have as their objective the attainment of steady wisdom (Sthitaprajnata)
This has been explained in the following verse by Sri Yamunacarya: Sankhya and Yoga, which comprehend within their scope the understanding of the eternal self and the practical way of disinterested action respectively, were imparted in order to remove Arjuna's delusion.
Through them the state of firm wisdom can be reached.
Śrī Abhinavagupta
Classical
Translation
2.72 Esa etc. This is the Brahman-existance by remaining, i.e., having dwalt in which, even for a moment, one attains the Supreme Brahman [after] one's body breaks. Thus [all the] four estions have been decided.
Swami Sivananda
Classical
Translation
2.72 This is the Brahmic seat (eternal state), O son of Pritha. Attaining to this, none is deluded. Being established therein, even at the end of life, one attains to oneness with Brahman.
Commentary
2.72 एषा this? ब्राह्मी of Brahmic? स्थितिः state? पार्थ O Partha? न not? एनाम् this? प्राप्य having obtained? विमुह्यति is deluded? स्थित्वा being established? अस्याम् in this? अन्तकाले at the end of life? अपि even? ब्रह्मनिर्वाणम् oneness with Brahman? ऋच्छति attains.Commentary The state described in the previous verse -- to renounce everything and to live in Brahman -- is the Brahmic state or the state of Brahman. If one attains to this state one is never deluded. He attains Moksha if he stays in that state even at the hour of his death. It is needless to say that he who gets establised in Brahman throughout his life attains to the state of Brahman or,BrahmaNirvana (Cf.VIII.5?6).Maharshi Vidyaranya says in his Panchadasi that Antakala here means the moment at which Avidya or mutual superimposition of the Self and the notSelf ends.Thus in the Upanishads of the glorious Bhagavad Gita? the science of the Eternal? the scripture of Yoga? the dialogue between Sri Krishna and Arjuna? ends the second discourse entitledThe Sankhya Yoga.,
Swami Gambhīrānanda
Classical
Translation
2.72 O Partha, this is the state of being established in Brahman. One does not become deluded after attaining this. One attains identification with Brahman by being established in this state even in the closing years of one's life.
Shri Purohit Swami
Classical
Translation
2.72 O Arjuna! This is the state of the Self, the Supreme Spirit, to which if a man once attain, it shall never be taken from him. Even at the time of leaving the body, he will remain firmly enthroned there, and will become one with the Eternal."
This is the brāhmī state — attaining it, one is no longer bewildered; even at the moment of death, one enters into the Lord.
Practical Applications
Treat the brāhmī state as a real possibility, not a poetic ideal — Krishna says it is attainable.
Live each day as practice for the moment of death; the same consciousness will be needed.
Trust that perseverance in this path culminates in entry into Krishna.
Reflection Questions
Am I living as if the brāhmī state is something I will actually attain?
What would I do differently this week if I knew this verse described my future?
Analogy
A traveler who has reached the city does not lose his way again merely because evening falls; the streets are now familiar. The brāhmī sthiti is this familiarity. Once attained, vimuhyati — bewilderment — does not return. And if death is the final crossing, this familiarity carries him into the Lord.
Stories
Bhīṣma at the moment of release
On his bed of arrows, Bhīṣma waited weeks for the moment of his choosing. When uttarāyaṇa came, he composed his consciousness, glorified the Lord with the Viṣṇu-sahasranāma he had just spoken to Yudhiṣṭhira, and released the body — eyes fixed on Kṛṣṇa, who stood before him.
The verse — sthitvā asyām anta-kāle 'pi brahma-nirvāṇam ṛcchati — names the death of Bhīṣma exactly. He was sthita in the brāhmī condition all along; anta-kāle, he remained sthita; brahma-nirvāṇa was the result. The chapter that began with Arjuna's collapse closes with the example of his grandsire's masterful release.