Path of Renunciation
Verse 5.23
शक्नोतीहैव यः सोढुं प्राक्शरीरविमोक्षणात्। कामक्रोधोद्भवं वेगं स युक्तः स सुखी नरः।।5.23।।
śhaknotīhaiva yaḥ soḍhuṁ prāk śharīra-vimokṣhaṇāt kāma-krodhodbhavaṁ vegaṁ sa yuktaḥ sa sukhī naraḥ
Word Meanings
śhaknoti—is able; iha eva—in the present body; yaḥ—who; soḍhum—to withstand; prāk—before; śharīra—the body; vimokṣhaṇāt—giving up; kāma—desire; krodha—anger; udbhavam—generated from; vegam—forces; saḥ—that person; yuktaḥ—yogi; saḥ—that person; sukhī—happy; naraḥ—person
Translation · English
He who is able, while still here in this world, to withstand the impulse born out of desire and anger before the liberation from the body, he is a Yogi, and he is a happy man.
Deep Meaning · English
In this verse, Krishna defines the ultimate victory of the seeker: the ability to maintain internal equilibrium before the soul departs the body. The 'vegam' or impulse arising from desire (kama) and anger (krodha) acts as a powerful current that drags the human consciousness toward material identification. To 'withstand' this is not merely to suppress these emotions, but to observe them with the steady gaze of the Atman, preventing them from destabilizing the inner sanctum of the heart. By conquering these impulses while still embodied, one transforms the battlefield of life into a sanctuary of yoga. This practice is the hallmark of the 'yukta'—the one who is joined with the Divine. Krishna emphasizes that happiness (sukhi) is not a destination achieved after death, but a present-tense reality for the one who has mastered the self. When desire and anger no longer dictate one's reactions, the veil of the ego thins, revealing the natural bliss inherent in the soul. Thus, the verse serves as a crucial bridge between the path of action and the path of transcendence, showing that true renunciation is a psychological victory that frees the individual from the enslavement of their own reactive nature.
True happiness is found in the stillness of the spirit, which remains unshaken by the turbulent waves of desire and anger while one is still alive.
Connected Verses
Compares the steady mind of a yogi to a flame in a windless place, reflecting the control mentioned in 5.23.
Reinforces the necessity of being free from desire, fear, and anger to attain liberation.
Identifies desire and anger as the insatiable, sinful enemies of the seeker that must be controlled.
Describes how peace comes to one who remains unmoved by desires, just as the ocean remains unmoved by the incoming rivers.
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