Transcendental Knowledge
Verse 2.71
विहाय कामान्यः सर्वान्पुमांश्चरति निःस्पृहः। निर्ममो निरहंकारः स शांतिमधिगच्छति।।2.71।।
vihāya kāmān yaḥ sarvān pumānśh charati niḥspṛihaḥ nirmamo nirahankāraḥ sa śhāntim adhigachchhati
Word Meanings
vihāya—giving up; kāmān—material desires; yaḥ—who; sarvān—all; pumān—a person; charati—lives; niḥspṛihaḥ—free from hankering; nirmamaḥ—without a sense of proprietorship; nirahankāraḥ—without egoism; saḥ—that person; śhāntim—perfect peace; adhigachchhati—attains
Translation · English
That person attains peace who, abandoning all desires, moves about without longing, without the sense of ownership, and without egoism.
Deep Meaning · English
In this verse, Bhagavan Krishna delineates the culmination of the path of selfless action (Nishkama Karma) leading to the state of a sthitaprajna, or one of steady wisdom. The instruction goes beyond the simple renunciation of objects; it mandates a fundamental shift in the architecture of the human ego. By demanding the removal of 'mama' (the sense of 'mine' or proprietorship) and 'aham' (the sense of 'I' or the illusory self), Krishna strikes at the very root of human suffering, which is the projection of the self onto the transient world of phenomena. It is an invitation to move from a state of 'being a seeker of results' to 'being the witness of existence.' When the grip of individual desire is loosened, the turbulent ripples of the mind settle, revealing the inherent, ever-present peace (shanti) that resides at the core of the Atman. This peace is not an achievement to be gained, but the natural state discovered once the obstacles of ego-identification are removed. Krishna teaches that one who walks through the world without the burden of 'possessing' or 'becoming' becomes an empty vessel, entirely filled by the Divine presence. This is the ultimate freedom: to act in the world with total intensity, yet to remain untouched by its dualities because the 'I' that claims the result has dissolved into the infinite silence of the Self.
True peace is not the absence of external activity, but the internal dissolution of the possessive ego and the craving for outcomes.
Connected Verses
Emphasizes the necessity of being free from the sense of mine-ness and ego to become dear to the Divine.
Provides the imagery of a lamp in a windless place, reflecting the unshakable serenity of the person who has mastered the self.
Describes the inner state of one who remains unmoved by desires, acting as the foundation for the peace mentioned in 2.71.
The quintessential mandate for performing action without attachment to the fruit, which is the practical application of 2.71.
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