Bhagavad Gita BG 2.54
Chapter 2, Verse 54 — Meaning, Translation & Explanation
अर्जुन उवाच । स्थितप्रज्ञस्य का भाषा समाधिस्थस्य केशव । स्थितधीः किं प्रभाषेत किमासीत व्रजेत किम् ॥ ५४ ॥
arjuna uvāca sthita-prajñasya kā bhāṣā samādhi-sthasya keśava sthita-dhīḥ kiṃ prabhāṣeta kim āsīta vrajeta kim
Meaning
Arjuna said: O Keshava, what is the description of one who has stabilised transcendental knowledge and is situated in trance? How does he speak, and what is his language? How does he sit, and how does he walk?
Understanding
Arjuna asks the practical question that opens the famous 'Sthitaprajna' section (v.55-72): what does a person who has achieved steady wisdom actually look and act like? 'Sthita-prajña' — one of steady wisdom; 'samādhi-stha' — established in samādhi. Four questions: what is their language? how do they speak? how do they sit? how do they walk? These are not merely curious questions — they are requests for a practical model, a living portrait of the spiritually accomplished person.
Word by Word
| Word | IAST | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| स्थितप्रज्ञस्य | sthita-prajñasya | of one of steady wisdom / of one whose wisdom is firm |
| भाषा | bhāṣā | language / description / characteristic speech |
| समाधिस्थस्य | samādhi-sthasya | of one established in samādhi |
| स्थितधीः | sthita-dhīḥ | one of steady intelligence / the person of stable mind |
| प्रभाषेत | prabhāṣeta | would speak / how would they speak |
| आसीत | āsīta | would sit / how do they sit |
| व्रजेत | vrajeta | would walk / how do they walk |
| अर्जुन उवाच | arjuna uvāca | Arjuna said (speaker attribution) |
| का | kā | what (description) / how |
| केशव | keśava | O Keshava — Krishna (slayer of demon Keshi) |
| किम् | kim | how / what (manner — repeated for each quality) |