Chapter 2, Verse 45 (Bhagavad Gita 2.45)
Chapter 2: Sānkhya Yog – Transcendental Knowledge
Sanskrit Shloka
त्रैगुण्यविषया वेदा निस्त्रैगुण्यो भवार्जुन। निर्द्वन्द्वो नित्यसत्त्वस्थो निर्योगक्षेम आत्मवान्
Transliteration
trai-guṇya-viṣhayā vedā nistrai-guṇyo bhavārjuna nirdvandvo nitya-sattva-stho niryoga-kṣhema ātmavān
Word Meanings
trai-guṇya—of the three modes of material nature; viṣhayāḥ—subject matter; vedāḥ—Vedic scriptures; nistrai-guṇyaḥ—above the three modes of material nature, transcendental; bhava—be; arjuna—Arjun; nirdvandvaḥ—free from dualities; nitya-sattva-sthaḥ—eternally fixed in truth; niryoga-kṣhemaḥ—unconcerned about gain and preservation; ātma-vān—situated in the self
Translation
The Vedas deal with the three modes of material nature; O Arjuna, become transcendental to these three modes, be free from all dualities and all anxieties for gain and safety, and be established in the Self.
Meaning & Commentary
This verse calls for a fundamental shift in consciousness from the external world of material conditioning to the inner stillness of the soul. By transcending the three gunas (Sattva, Rajas, and Tamas), one stops reacting to the polarities of pleasure and pain, success and failure. The instruction to be free from 'yoga-kshema'—the anxious pursuit of acquiring what we lack and preserving what we possess—invites a state of radical surrender and trust in the divine order. Ultimately, it teaches that true liberation is found not in religious rituals alone, but in stabilizing the mind in the awareness of the eternal Self. This state of inner equilibrium is the hallmark of a practitioner who has ceased to be a puppet of their own desires and fears.