Bhagavad Gita BG 2.15
Chapter 2, Verse 15 — Meaning, Translation & Explanation
यं हि न व्यथयन्त्येते पुरुषं पुरुषर्षभ । समदुःखसुखं धीरं सोऽमृतत्वाय कल्पते ॥ १५ ॥
yaṃ hi na vyathayanty ete puruṣaṃ puruṣarṣabha sama-duḥkha-sukhaṃ dhīraṃ so 'mṛtatvāya kalpate
Meaning
O best among men, the person who is not disturbed by happiness and distress and is steady in both is certainly eligible for liberation.
Understanding
This verse describes the goal: 'amṛtatvāya kalpate' — becoming eligible for immortality (liberation, moksha). Who is eligible? The person who is 'sama-duḥkha-sukham' — equal in sorrow and happiness — and 'dhīram' — steady. This is not indifference but deep inner stability. The person who can face both joy and sorrow without being shaken by either has achieved a profound inner freedom — and this inner freedom is the doorway to liberation.
Word by Word
| Word | IAST | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| न व्यथयन्ति | na vyathayanti | do not disturb / do not torment |
| पुरुषर्षभ | puruṣarṣabha | O best among men / bull among men |
| समदुःखसुखम् | sama-duḥkha-sukham | equal in sorrow and happiness |
| धीरम् | dhīram | the steady / wise one |
| अमृतत्वाय | amṛtatvāya | for immortality / for liberation |
| कल्पते | kalpate | is eligible / is fit / is qualified |
| यम् | yam | whom / the person whom |
| हि | hi | certainly / indeed (causal) |
| एते | ete | these (miseries and contacts) |
| पुरुषम् | puruṣam | a person / a man |
| सः | saḥ | he (that steady person) |