Bhagavad Gita BG 2.55
Chapter 2, Verse 55 — Meaning, Translation & Explanation
श्रीभगवानुवाच । प्रजहाति यदा कामान्सर्वान्पार्थ मनोगतान् । आत्मन्येवात्मना तुष्टः स्थितप्रज्ञस्तदोच्यते ॥ ५५ ॥
śrī bhagavān uvāca prajahāti yadā kāmān sarvān pārtha mano-gatān ātmany evātmanā tuṣṭaḥ sthita-prajñas tadocyate
Meaning
The Blessed Lord said: O Partha, when a man gives up all desires lodged in the mind and is content in the self by the self alone — then he is called one of steady wisdom.
Understanding
Krishna begins the portrait of the sthita-prajña (person of steady wisdom). Two defining characteristics: (1) 'prajahāti kāmān sarvān mano-gatān' — has abandoned all desires (kāma) that arise in the mind (mano-gatān), every single one (sarvān); (2) 'ātmany evātmanā tuṣṭaḥ' — is satisfied (tuṣṭa) in the self (ātman) alone, by the self alone. Self-satisfaction — not from external things but from the self itself — is the hallmark of steady wisdom.
Word by Word
| Word | IAST | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| प्रजहाति | prajahāti | completely abandons / gives up |
| कामान् सर्वान् | kāmān sarvān | all desires |
| मनोगतान् | mano-gatān | arising in the mind / dwelling in the mind |
| आत्मनि | ātmani | in the self |
| तुष्टः | tuṣṭaḥ | satisfied / content / pleased |
| स्थितप्रज्ञः | sthita-prajñaḥ | one of steady wisdom / one with stable intelligence |
| श्रीभगवान् उवाच | śrī bhagavān uvāca | The Blessed Lord said (speaker attribution) |
| यदा | yadā | when / at the time when |
| पार्थ | pārtha | O Partha (Arjuna) |
| एव | eva | alone / only (in the self alone) |
| आत्मना | ātmanā | by the self / through oneself |
| तदा उच्यते | tadocyate | then he is called / then said to be |