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Bhagavad-gītā 2.56

దుఃఖేష్వనుద్విగ్న‍మనాః సుఖేషు విగతస్పృహః । వీతరాగభయక్రోధః స్థిధీర్మునిరుచ్యతే ॥ ౫౬ ॥
duḥkheṣv anudvigna-manāḥ
[duhkheshv anudvigna-manaah]
sukheṣu vigata-spṛhaḥ
[sukheshu vigata-sprihah]
vīta-rāga-bhaya-krodhaḥ
[veeta-raaga-bhaya-krodhah]
sthita-dhīr munir ucyate
[sthita-dheer munir uchyate]
Word-for-word
duḥkheṣu — in the threefold miseries anudvigna - manāḥ — without being agitated in mind sukheṣu — in happiness vigata - spṛhaḥ — without being interested vīta — free from rāga — attachment bhaya — fear krodhaḥ — and anger sthita - dhīḥ — whose mind is steady muniḥ — a sage ucyate — 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 Study Key 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.
Related values & verses
Related values
Tyaga (Renunciation / Letting Go)Karuna (Kindness / Compassion)Ahimsa (Non-violence / Compassion)Tapas (Austerity / Discipline)Maitri (Friendship / Goodwill)Daksya (Resourcefulness / Skill)Abhaya (Fearlessness)
Related verses
BG 2.14 BG 12.15 BG 14.22-25 SB 1.18.50 SB 7.13.30 SB 11.19.36 CC Madhya 8.241 CC Madhya 19.213 CC Antya 20.21 Kaṭha Upaniṣad 1.3.13BRS 1.2.187
Related lectures
Personal Guidance
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.

📝 My note

Source: vedabase.io

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