Path of Renunciation
Verse 5.20
न प्रहृष्येत्प्रियं प्राप्य नोद्विजेत्प्राप्य चाप्रियम्। स्थिरबुद्धिरसम्मूढो ब्रह्मविद्ब्रह्मणि स्थितः।।5.20।।
na prahṛiṣhyet priyaṁ prāpya nodvijet prāpya chāpriyam sthira-buddhir asammūḍho brahma-vid brahmaṇi sthitaḥ
Word Meanings
na—neither; prahṛiṣhyet—rejoice; priyam—the pleasant; prāpya—obtaining; na—nor; udvijet—become disturbed; prāpya—attaining; cha—also; apriyam—the unpleasant; sthira-buddhiḥ—steady intellect; asammūḍhaḥ—firmly situated; brahma-vit—having a firm understanding of divine knowledge; brahmaṇi—established in God; sthitaḥ—situated
Translation · English
Resting in Brahman, with a steady intellect and undeluded, the knower of Brahman neither rejoices upon obtaining what is pleasant nor grieves upon obtaining what is unpleasant.
Deep Meaning · English
This verse serves as a litmus test for the state of Sthitaprajna, or the steady-minded seeker who has moved beyond the duality of the phenomenal world. Krishna describes a state of spiritual equilibrium where the practitioner is no longer a puppet of external circumstances. By detaching the internal state of peace from the volatility of ‘pleasant’ and ‘unpleasant’ outcomes, the seeker ceases to define themselves through the lens of gain and loss. This is not a state of apathy or cold detachment, but rather a profound recognition that the Self is inherently distinct from the flickering shadows of the material realm. To be a 'Brahmavit'—a knower of Brahman—is to realize that the subject (the Atman) is never truly affected by the objects of the world. When one realizes that the core of their being is identical to the infinite, unchanging Reality, the mind naturally ceases to fluctuate. The stillness described here is the stillness of the ocean floor, which remains serene even while the surface is whipped into waves by the winds of karma. Krishna is guiding Arjuna toward this interior fortification, teaching him that true liberation is not found in changing the world, but in changing the vantage point from which the world is experienced.
Spiritual freedom is achieved when one’s internal consciousness is anchored in the changeless Absolute, rendering the fluctuating joys and sorrows of the world incapable of disturbing one's peace.
Connected Verses
It mirrors the theme of the devotee who is beyond agitation and who does not agitate others, reflecting the outward grace of an inward Brahman-situated state.
This verse reinforces that one who has conquered the self remains focused and tranquil amidst heat and cold, pleasure and pain.
This verse introduces the definition of Yoga as equanimity, forming the foundation for the stability described in 5.20.
It highlights the specific quality of remaining unperturbed in sorrow and indifferent to joy, which is the precursor to the state of Brahman-realization.
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