Bhagavad Gita Chapter 2 The Yoga of Knowledge

Shloka 1 Krishna Speaks to Arjuna Overwhelmed by Compassion and Grief sañjaya uvācha | taṁ tathā kṛpayāviṣhṭam aśhrupūrṇākulekṣhaṇam | viṣhīdantam idaṁ vākyam uvācha madhusūdanaḥ || 2.1 || Sanjaya said: Madhusudana (Krishna) spoke these words to Arjuna, who was overcome with compassion, whose eyes were filled with tears and troubled, and who was despondent. → Shloka 2 Krishna Rebukes Arjuna's Delusion at the Critical Hour śhrī bhagavān uvācha | kutas tvā kaśhmalam idaṁ viṣhame samupasthitam | anāryajuṣhṭam asvargyam akīrtikaram arjuna || 2.2 || The Blessed Lord said: O Arjuna, how has this delusion overtaken you at this critical moment? It is practiced by the ignoble, it does not lead to heaven, and it causes disgrace. → Shloka 3 Arise, O Arjuna: Give Up Petty Weakness of Heart klaibyaṁ mā sma gamaḥ pārtha naitat tvayy upapadyate | kṣhudraṁ hṛdayadaurbalyaṁ tyaktvottiṣhṭha parantapa || 2.3 || O Arjuna, son of Pritha, do not yield to this weakness. It does not befit you. Give up this petty weakness of heart and arise, O scorcher of enemies. → Shloka 4 Arjuna's Dilemma: How Can I Fight Those Worthy of Worship? arjuna uvācha | kathaṁ bhīṣhmam ahaṁ saṅkhye droṇaṁ cha madhusūdana | iṣhubhiḥ pratiyotsyāmi pūjārhāv arisūdana || 2.4 || Arjuna said: O Madhusudana, how can I fight back with arrows in battle against Bhishma and Drona, who are worthy of my worship, O slayer of enemies? → Shloka 5 Better to Beg Than to Enjoy Blood-Stained Pleasures gurūn ahatvā hi mahānubhāvān śhreyo bhoktuṁ bhaikṣhyam apīha loke | hatvārthakāmāṁs tu gurūn ihaiva bhuñjīya bhogān rudhirapradigdhān || 2.5 || Better it is, indeed, to live in this world even on alms, without killing these noble teachers. But if I kill my teachers, though they desire wealth, I would enjoy here only pleasures stained with blood. → Shloka 6 We Do Not Know Which Is Better: Victory or Defeat na chaitad vidmaḥ kataran no garīyo yad vā jayema yadi vā no jayeyuḥ | yān eva hatvā na jijīviṣhāmas te 'vasthitāḥ pramukhe dhārtarāṣhṭrāḥ || 2.6 || We do not know which is better for us: that we should conquer them or that they should conquer us. Those very sons of Dhritarashtra, after killing whom we would not wish to live, stand arrayed before us. → Shloka 7 Arjuna Surrenders as a Disciple and Asks for Certain Guidance kārpaṇyadoṣhopahatasvabhāvaḥ pṛichchhāmi tvāṁ dharmasammūḍhachetāḥ | yach chhreyaḥ syān niśhchitaṁ brūhi tan me śhiṣhyas te 'haṁ śhādhi māṁ tvāṁ prapannam || 2.7 || My nature is overpowered by the defect of faint-hearted pity, and my mind is confused about duty. I ask You: tell me decisively what is truly better for me. I am Your disciple; instruct me, who has taken refuge in You. → Shloka 8 No Kingdom on Earth Can Remove This Grief na hi prapaśhyāmi mamāpanudyād yach chhokam uchchhoṣhaṇam indriyāṇām | avāpya bhūmāv asapatnam ṛiddhaṁ rājyaṁ surāṇām api chādhipatyam || 2.8 || I do not see anything that can drive away this grief that is drying up my senses, even if I were to obtain an unrivaled and prosperous kingdom on earth, and even lordship over the gods. → Shloka 9 Arjuna Declares 'I Shall Not Fight' and Falls Silent sañjaya uvācha | evam uktvā hṛṣhīkeśhaṁ guḍākeśhaḥ parantapa | na yotsya iti govindam uktvā tūṣhṇīṁ babhūva ha || 2.9 || Sanjaya said: O scorcher of foes, having spoken thus to Hrishikesha, Gudakesha (Arjuna) said to Govinda, "I shall not fight," and became silent. → Shloka 10 Krishna Smiles and Speaks to the Grieving Arjuna tam uvācha hṛṣhīkeśaḥ prahasann iva bhārata | senayor ubhayor madhye viṣhīdantam idaṁ vachaḥ || 2.10 || O descendant of Bharata, Hrishikesha, smiling as it were, spoke these words to the grieving Arjuna in the midst of the two armies. → Shloka 11 The Wise Do Not Grieve for the Living or the Dead śhrī bhagavān uvācha | aśhochyān anvaśhochas tvaṁ prajñāvādāṁśh cha bhāṣhase | gatāsūn agatāsūṁśh cha nānuśhochanti paṇḍitāḥ || 2.11 || The Blessed Lord said: You grieve for those who are not worthy of grief, yet you speak words of wisdom. The wise grieve neither for the dead nor for the living. → Shloka 12 The Self Is Eternal: We All Have Always Existed and Always Will na tv evāhaṁ jātu nāsaṁ na tvaṁ neme janādhipāḥ | na chaiva na bhaviṣhyāmaḥ sarve vayam ataḥ param || 2.12 || Never was there a time when I did not exist, nor you, nor all these kings; nor shall any of us cease to exist hereafter. → Shloka 13 Just as the Body Changes from Childhood to Old Age, the Soul Changes Bodies dehino 'smin yathā dehe kaumāraṁ yauvanaṁ jarā | tathā dehāntaraprāptir dhīras tatra na muhyati || 2.13 || Just as the embodied soul passes in this body through childhood, youth and old age, in the same way it attains another body. The wise person is not deluded about this. → Shloka 14 Pleasure and Pain Are Temporary: Learn to Endure Them mātrāsparśhās tu kaunteya śhītoṣhṇasukhaduḥkhadāḥ | āgamāpāyino 'nityās tāṁs titikṣhasva bhārata || 2.14 || O son of Kunti, the contacts of the senses with their objects give rise to cold and heat, pleasure and pain. They come and go and are impermanent. Endure them patiently, O Bharata. → Shloka 15 The Steady Person Becomes Fit for Immortality yaṁ hi na vyathayanty ete puruṣhaṁ puruṣharṣhabha | samaduḥkhasukhaṁ dhīraṁ so 'mṛtatvāya kalpate || 2.15 || O best among men, the steady person whom these sense contacts do not disturb, and who remains equal in pain and pleasure, becomes fit for immortality. → Shloka 16 The Unreal Has No Being; the Real Never Ceases to Be nāsato vidyate bhāvo nābhāvo vidyate sataḥ | ubhayor api dṛiṣhṭo 'ntas tv anayos tattvadarśhibhiḥ || 2.16 || Of the unreal there is no being, and of the real there is no non-being. The seers of truth have seen the final conclusion about both of these. → Shloka 17 Know That By Which All This Is Pervaded to Be Indestructible avināśhi tu tad viddhi yena sarvam idaṁ tatam | vināśham avyayasyāsya na kaśhchit kartum arhati || 2.17 || Know that by which all this is pervaded to be indestructible. No one is able to bring about the destruction of this imperishable. → Shloka 18 Bodies Are Perishable; the Embodied Soul Is Eternal, So Fight antavanta ime dehā nityasyoktāḥ śharīriṇaḥ | anāśhino 'prameyasya tasmād yudhyasva bhārata || 2.18 || These bodies of the eternal, indestructible and immeasurable embodied soul are said to have an end. Therefore fight, O Bharata. → Shloka 19 The Self Neither Slays Nor Is Slain ya enaṁ vetti hantāraṁ yaśh chainaṁ manyate hatam | ubhau tau na vijānīto nāyaṁ hanti na hanyate || 2.19 || One who thinks that this soul is a slayer, and one who thinks that it is slain, both of them do not know. This soul neither slays nor is slain. → Shloka 20 The Soul Is Never Born, Never Dies, and Is Ancient and Eternal na jāyate mriyate vā kadāchin nāyaṁ bhūtvā bhavitā vā na bhūyaḥ | ajo nityaḥ śhāśhvato 'yaṁ purāṇo na hanyate hanyamāne śharīre || 2.20 || This soul is never born, nor does it ever die. Nor, having come into being, will it cease to be again. It is unborn, eternal, everlasting and ancient. It is not slain when the body is slain. → Shloka 21 One Who Knows the Self as Indestructible Neither Kills Nor Causes Killing vedāvināśhinaṁ nityaṁ ya enam ajam avyayam | kathaṁ sa puruṣhaḥ pārtha kaṁ ghātayati hanti kam || 2.21 || O Partha, how can a person who knows this soul to be indestructible, eternal, unborn and immutable, kill anyone or cause anyone to be killed? → Shloka 22 As One Changes Worn-Out Clothes, the Soul Changes Bodies vāsāṁsi jīrṇāni yathā vihāya navāni gṛhṇāti naro 'parāṇi | tathā śharīrāṇi vihāya jīrṇāny anyāni saṁyāti navāni dehī || 2.22 || Just as a person puts on new garments, giving up old ones, the soul similarly accepts new bodies, giving up the old and worn-out ones. → Shloka 23 Weapons Cannot Cut the Soul, Fire Cannot Burn It nainaṁ chhindanti śhastrāṇi nainaṁ dahati pāvakaḥ | na chainaṁ kledayanty āpo na śhoṣhayati mārutaḥ || 2.23 || Weapons do not cut this soul, fire does not burn it, water does not wet it, and wind does not dry it. → Shloka 24 The Soul Is Unbreakable, Everlasting, All-Pervading, and Immovable achchhedyo 'yam adāhyo 'yam akledyo 'śhoṣhya eva cha | nityaḥ sarvagataḥ sthāṇur achalo 'yaṁ sanātanaḥ || 2.24 || This soul is unbreakable, incombustible, and can neither be wetted nor dried. It is eternal, all-pervading, stable, immovable, and primeval. → Shloka 25 The Soul Is Unmanifest, Inconceivable and Unchangeable, So Do Not Grieve avyakto 'yam achintyo 'yam avikāryo 'yam uchyate | tasmād evaṁ viditvainaṁ nānuśhochitum arhasi || 2.25 || This soul is said to be unmanifest, inconceivable and unchangeable. Therefore, having known it thus, you should not grieve. → Shloka 26 Even If You Think the Soul Is Born and Dies Constantly, Do Not Grieve atha chainaṁ nityajātaṁ nityaṁ vā manyase mṛitam | tathāpi tvaṁ mahābāho naivaṁ śhochitum arhasi || 2.26 || And even if you think that this soul is constantly born and constantly dies, still, O mighty-armed one, you should not grieve in this way. → Shloka 27 Death Is Certain for the Born and Birth Is Certain for the Dead jātasya hi dhruvo mṛityur dhruvaṁ janma mṛitasya cha | tasmād aparihārye 'rthe na tvaṁ śhochitum arhasi || 2.27 || For one who is born, death is certain, and for one who has died, birth is certain. Therefore, you should not grieve over what is unavoidable. → Shloka 28 Beings Are Unmanifest Before and After, Manifest Only in the Middle avyaktādīni bhūtāni vyaktamadhyāni bhārata | avyaktanidhanāny eva tatra kā paridevanā || 2.28 || All beings are unmanifest in the beginning, manifest in the middle, O Bharata, and unmanifest again in the end. What is there to lament about this? → Shloka 29 The Soul Is a Wonder: Few Can See, Speak of, or Truly Understand It āśhcharyavat paśhyati kaśhchid enam āśhcharyavad vadati tathaiva chānyaḥ | āśhcharyavach chainam anyaḥ śhṛṇoti śhrutvāpy enaṁ veda na chaiva kaśhchit || 2.29 || Some look upon this soul as a wonder, another speaks of it as a wonder, another hears of it as a wonder, and yet another, even after hearing about it, does not understand it at all. → Shloka 30 The Soul in Every Body Is Eternal, So Do Not Grieve for Any Being dehī nityam avadhyo 'yaṁ dehe sarvasya bhārata | tasmāt sarvāṇi bhūtāni na tvaṁ śhochitum arhasi || 2.30 || O Bharata, this soul that dwells in the body of everyone is always indestructible. Therefore, you should not grieve for any being. → Shloka 31 Consider Your Own Duty: For a Warrior, a Righteous War Is the Highest Good svadharmam api chāvekṣhya na vikampitum arhasi | dharmyād dhi yuddhāch chhreyo 'nyat kṣhatriyasya na vidyate || 2.31 || Considering also your own duty, you should not waver. For a warrior, there is no higher good than a war based on righteousness. → Shloka 32 Fortunate Are the Warriors Who Get Such an Opportunity: An Open Door to Heaven yadṛichchhayā chopapannaṁ svargadvāram apāvṛitam | sukhinaḥ kṣhatriyāḥ pārtha labhante yuddham īdṛiśham || 2.32 || O Partha, happy are the warriors who get such a war, which comes unsought as an open door to heaven. → Shloka 33 If You Refuse This Righteous Battle, You Lose Duty and Honor and Incur Sin atha chet tvam imaṁ dharmyaṁ saṅgrāmaṁ na kariṣhyasi | tataḥ svadharmaṁ kīrtiṁ cha hitvā pāpam avāpsyasi || 2.33 || But if you will not fight this righteous battle, then, having abandoned your own duty and reputation, you will incur sin. → Shloka 34 Dishonor Is Worse Than Death for a Respected Person akīrtiṁ chāpi bhūtāni kathayiṣhyanti te 'vyayām | sambhāvitasya chākīrtir maraṇād atirichyate || 2.34 || People will also speak of your lasting dishonor, and for one who has been honored, dishonor is worse than death. → Shloka 35 The Great Warriors Will Think You Left Out of Fear bhayād raṇād uparataṁ maṁsyante tvāṁ mahārathāḥ | yeṣhāṁ cha tvaṁ bahumato bhūtvā yāsyasi lāghavam || 2.35 || The great warriors will think that you withdrew from the battle out of fear. And you, who were highly esteemed by them, will fall into low esteem. → Shloka 36 Enemies Will Say Unspeakable Things: What Could Be More Painful? avāchyavādāṁśh cha bahūn vadiṣhyanti tavāhitāḥ | nindantas tava sāmarthyaṁ tato duḥkhataraṁ nu kim || 2.36 || Your enemies will speak many unspeakable words, ridiculing your capability. What could be more painful than that? → Shloka 37 Either Heaven or Earth: Arise with a Firm Resolve hato vā prāpsyasi svargaṁ jitvā vā bhokṣhyase mahīm | tasmād uttiṣhṭha kaunteya yuddhāya kṛitaniśhchayaḥ || 2.37 || Either, being slain, you will attain heaven, or, being victorious, you will enjoy the earth. Therefore, arise, O son of Kunti, resolved to fight. → Shloka 38 Treat Pleasure and Pain, Gain and Loss, Victory and Defeat Alike sukhaduḥkhe same kṛitvā lābhālābhau jayājayau | tato yuddhāya yujyasva naivaṁ pāpam avāpsyasi || 2.38 || Treating pleasure and pain, gain and loss, victory and defeat alike, then engage in battle. Thus you will not incur sin. → Shloka 39 From Sankhya to Yoga: Understanding That Frees from the Bondage of Karma eṣhā te 'bhihitā sāṅkhye buddhir yoge tv imāṁ śhṛiṇu | buddhyā yukto yayā pārtha karmabandhaṁ prahāsyasi || 2.39 || This understanding has been explained to you from the viewpoint of Sankhya (analytical knowledge). Now hear it from the viewpoint of Yoga (the practice of action). Endowed with this understanding, O Partha, you will cast off the bondage of karma. → Shloka 40 On the Path of Karma Yoga No Effort Is Lost and Even a Little Protects from Great Fear nehābhikramanāśho 'sti pratyavāyo na vidyate | svalpam apy asya dharmasya trāyate mahato bhayāt || 2.40 || On this path there is no loss of effort and no adverse result. Even a little of this discipline protects one from great fear. → Shloka 41 The Resolute Intellect Is Single; the Intellects of the Irresolute Are Endless vyavasāyātmikā buddhir ekeha kurunandana | bahuśhākhā hy anantāśh cha buddhayo 'vyavasāyinām || 2.41 || On this path, O descendant of Kuru, the resolute intellect is single. The intellects of the irresolute are many-branched and endless. → Shloka 42 The Flowery Words of the Unwise Who Are Attached to Ritual Talk yām imāṁ puṣhpitāṁ vāchaṁ pravadanty avipaśhchitaḥ | vedavādaratāḥ pārtha nānyad astīti vādinaḥ || 2.42 || Those of limited understanding, who delight in the words of the Vedas and say, "There is nothing else," speak these flowery words, O Partha. → Shloka 43 Desire-Driven Rituals Aimed at Heaven, Enjoyment and Power kāmātmānaḥ svargaparā janmakarmaphalapradām | kriyāviśeṣhabahulāṁ bhogaiśhvaryagatiṁ prati || 2.43 || Those whose minds are full of desires and who regard heaven as the highest goal speak words that give rebirth as the result of actions, and that are full of many specific rites for the attainment of enjoyment and power. → Shloka 44 Attachment to Enjoyment and Power Blocks the Resolute Intellect bhogaiśhvaryaprasaktānāṁ tayāpahṛitachetasām | vyavasāyātmikā buddhiḥ samādhau na vidhīyate || 2.44 || For those who are strongly attached to enjoyment and power, and whose minds are carried away by such words, the resolute intellect is not formed in steady contemplation. → Shloka 45 Rise Above the Three Modes of Nature traiguṇyaviṣhayā vedā nistraiguṇyo bhavārjuna | nirdvandvo nityasattvastho niryogakṣhema ātmavān || 2.45 || The Vedas deal with the three modes of nature. O Arjuna, rise above these three modes, free from dualities, ever established in sattva (purity), free from the thought of acquiring and preserving, and established in the Self. → Shloka 46 To the Knower, All the Vedas Are Like a Small Well in a Flood yāvān artha udapāne sarvataḥ samplutodake | tāvān sarveṣhu vedeṣhu brāhmaṇasya vijānataḥ || 2.46 || As much use as there is in a small well when there is a flood of water on all sides, so much is there in all the Vedas for a knower of Brahman who has realised the Truth. → Shloka 47 You Have a Right to Action Alone, Never to Its Fruits karmaṇy evādhikāras te mā phaleṣhu kadāchana | mā karmaphalahetur bhūr mā te saṅgo 'stv akarmaṇi || 2.47 || You have a right to perform your prescribed duty, but you are never entitled to the fruits of action. Never consider yourself the cause of the results of your activities, and never be attached to inaction. → Shloka 48 Equanimity in Success and Failure Is Called Yoga yogasthaḥ kuru karmāṇi saṅgaṁ tyaktvā dhanañjaya | siddhyasiddhyoḥ samo bhūtvā samatvaṁ yoga uchyate || 2.48 || Established in yoga, O Dhananjaya, perform your actions, abandoning attachment and remaining equal in success and failure. Such equanimity is called yoga. → Shloka 49 Action with Wisdom Is Far Superior to Action Driven by Results dūreṇa hy avaraṁ karma buddhiyogād dhanañjaya | buddhau śharaṇam anvichchha kṛipaṇāḥ phalahetavaḥ || 2.49 || Action done with desire for results is far inferior to action done with the yoga of wisdom, O Dhananjaya. Seek refuge in wisdom; those who are motivated by the fruits of action are wretched. → Shloka 50 Yoga Is Skill in Action buddhiyukto jahātīha ubhe sukṛitaduṣhkṛite | tasmād yogāya yujyasva yogaḥ karmasu kauśhalam || 2.50 || One endowed with wisdom casts off both good and bad deeds in this life itself. Therefore strive for yoga; yoga is skill in action. → Shloka 51 The Wise Renounce Fruits of Action and Reach the State Free from Suffering karmajaṁ buddhiyuktā hi phalaṁ tyaktvā manīṣhiṇaḥ | janmabandhavinirmuktāḥ padaṁ gachchhanty anāmayam || 2.51 || The wise, endowed with wisdom, renouncing the fruits born of action and freed from the bondage of birth, attain the state that is free from all suffering. → Shloka 52 When the Intellect Crosses the Thicket of Delusion yadā te mohakalilaṁ buddhir vyatitariṣhyati | tadā gantāsi nirvedaṁ śhrotavyasya śhrutasya cha || 2.52 || When your intellect crosses beyond the thicket of delusion, then you will become indifferent to what is yet to be heard and to what has been heard. → Shloka 53 When the Intellect Stands Firm in Samadhi, You Attain Yoga śhrutivipratipannā te yadā sthāsyati niśhchalā | samādhāv achalā buddhis tadā yogam avāpsyasi || 2.53 || When your intellect, which has been confused by many teachings, stands unshaken and firm in samadhi, then you will attain yoga. → Shloka 54 Arjuna Asks: How Does a Person of Steady Wisdom Speak, Sit and Walk? arjuna uvācha | sthitaprajñasya kā bhāṣhā samādhisthasya keśhava | sthitadhīḥ kiṁ prabhāṣheta kim āsīta vrajeta kim || 2.54 || Arjuna said: O Keshava, what is the description of one who is of steady wisdom and established in samadhi? How does the person of steady intellect speak, how does he sit, and how does he walk? → Shloka 55 The Person of Steady Wisdom Is Satisfied in the Self by the Self śhrī bhagavān uvācha | prajahāti yadā kāmān sarvān pārtha manogatān | ātmany evātmanā tuṣhṭaḥ sthitaprajñas tadochyate || 2.55 || The Blessed Lord said: O Partha, when a person completely casts off all desires of the mind and is satisfied in the Self by the Self alone, then he is said to be of steady wisdom. → Shloka 56 Free from Attachment, Fear and Anger: The Sage of Steady Wisdom duḥkheṣhv anudvignamanāḥ sukheṣhu vigataspṛihaḥ | vītarāgabhayakrodhaḥ sthitadhīr munir uchyate || 2.56 || One whose mind is not agitated in sorrow, who has no craving for pleasures, and who is free from attachment, fear and anger, is called a sage of steady intellect. → Shloka 57 Neither Rejoicing Nor Hating: Wisdom Firmly Established yaḥ sarvatrānabhisnehas tat tat prāpya śhubhāśhubham | nābhinandati na dveṣhṭi tasya prajñā pratiṣhṭhitā || 2.57 || One who is unattached everywhere, who neither rejoices nor hates on meeting whatever is good or bad, has wisdom that is firmly established. → Shloka 58 Withdraw the Senses Like a Tortoise Withdraws Its Limbs yadā saṁharate chāyaṁ kūrmo 'ṅgānīva sarvaśhaḥ | indriyāṇīndriyārthebhyas tasya prajñā pratiṣhṭhitā || 2.58 || When this person completely withdraws the senses from the sense objects, as a tortoise withdraws its limbs, his wisdom is firmly established. → Shloka 59 Even the Taste for Sense Objects Fades on Seeing the Supreme viṣhayā vinivartante nirāhārasya dehinaḥ | rasavarjaṁ raso 'py asya paraṁ dṛiṣhṭvā nivartate || 2.59 || Sense objects turn away from the embodied person who abstains from them, but the taste for them remains. Even this taste ceases on seeing the Supreme. → Shloka 60 The Turbulent Senses Carry Away Even the Mind of a Wise Striver yatato hy api kaunteya puruṣhasya vipaśhchitaḥ | indriyāṇi pramāthīni haranti prasabhaṁ manaḥ || 2.60 || O son of Kunti, the turbulent senses forcibly carry away the mind of even a wise person who is striving. → Shloka 61 Restrain the Senses and Be Devoted to Me: Wisdom Becomes Firmly Established tāni sarvāṇi saṁyamya yukta āsīta matparaḥ | vaśhe hi yasyendriyāṇi tasya prajñā pratiṣhṭhitā || 2.61 || Having restrained all of them, one should remain steadfast in yoga, devoted to Me. For one whose senses are under control, wisdom is firmly established. → Shloka 62 From Contemplating Sense Objects to Attachment, Desire and Anger dhyāyato viṣhayān puṁsaḥ saṅgas teṣhūpajāyate | saṅgāt sañjāyate kāmaḥ kāmāt krodho 'bhijāyate || 2.62 || While a person contemplates sense objects, attachment to them arises. From attachment, desire is born, and from desire, anger arises. → Shloka 63 From Anger to Delusion, Memory Loss, Loss of Intellect and Ruin krodhād bhavati sammohaḥ sammohāt smṛitivibhramaḥ | smṛitibhraṁśhād buddhināśho buddhināśhāt praṇaśhyati || 2.63 || From anger comes delusion; from delusion, confusion of memory; from confusion of memory, loss of intellect; and from loss of intellect, one is ruined. → Shloka 64 Moving Among Objects Without Attraction and Aversion Brings Tranquility rāgadveṣhavimuktais tu viṣhayān indriyaiśh charan | ātmavaśhyair vidheyātmā prasādam adhigachchhati || 2.64 || But one who moves among the sense objects with the senses free from attraction and aversion and under self-control attains tranquility. → Shloka 65 With Tranquility, All Sorrows End and the Intellect Becomes Steady prasāde sarvaduḥkhānāṁ hānir asyopajāyate | prasannachetaso hy āśhu buddhiḥ paryavatiṣhṭhate || 2.65 || When tranquility is attained, all his sorrows come to an end. For the intellect of one with a tranquil mind soon becomes firmly established. → Shloka 66 Without Harmony with the Self There Is No Peace and No Happiness nāsti buddhir ayuktasya na chāyuktasya bhāvanā | na chābhāvayataḥ śhāntir aśhāntasya kutaḥ sukham || 2.66 || One who is not in harmony with the Self has no steady intellect and no contemplation. One who does not contemplate has no peace, and for one without peace, how can there be happiness? → Shloka 67 The Mind That Follows the Wandering Senses Carries Away Wisdom Like a Wind on a Boat indriyāṇāṁ hi charatāṁ yan mano 'nuvidhīyate | tad asya harati prajñāṁ vāyur nāvam ivāmbhasi || 2.67 || The mind that follows the wandering senses carries away one's wisdom, just as a wind carries away a boat on water. → Shloka 68 Therefore, One Whose Senses Are Fully Restrained Has Firm Wisdom tasmād yasya mahābāho nigṛihītāni sarvaśhaḥ | indriyāṇīndriyārthebhyas tasya prajñā pratiṣhṭhitā || 2.68 || Therefore, O mighty-armed one, the person whose senses are completely restrained from their objects has wisdom that is firmly established. → Shloka 69 What Is Night for All Beings Is Wakefulness for the Sage yā niśhā sarvabhūtānāṁ tasyāṁ jāgarti saṁyamī | yasyāṁ jāgrati bhūtāni sā niśhā paśhyato muneḥ || 2.69 || What is night for all beings is the time of wakefulness for the self-controlled person; and that in which all beings are awake is night for the sage who sees. → Shloka 70 Like Rivers Entering a Still Ocean: Peace Comes to One Undisturbed by Desires āpūryamāṇam achalapratiṣhṭhaṁ samudram āpaḥ praviśhanti yadvat | tadvat kāmā yaṁ praviśhanti sarve sa śhāntim āpnoti na kāmakāmī || 2.70 || As waters enter the ocean that is ever being filled yet remains unmoved, so all desires enter the person who remains undisturbed. That person attains peace, not the one who craves desires. → Shloka 71 Abandon Desires, Possessiveness and Ego to Attain Peace vihāya kāmān yaḥ sarvān pumāṁśh charati niḥspṛihaḥ | nirmamo nirahaṅkāraḥ sa śhāntim adhigachchhati || 2.71 || The person who gives up all desires and lives free from longing, without a sense of possession and without ego, attains peace. → Shloka 72 The Brahmic State: Established in It Even at Death, One Attains Liberation eṣhā brāhmī sthitiḥ pārtha naināṁ prāpya vimuhyati | sthitvāsyām antakāle 'pi brahmanirvāṇam ṛichchhati || 2.72 || O Partha, this is the state of being established in the Supreme. Having attained it, one is no longer deluded. Being established in this state even at the time of death, one attains liberation in the Supreme. →