Chapter 2, Verse 70 (Bhagavad Gita 2.70)
Chapter 2: Sānkhya Yog – Transcendental Knowledge
Sanskrit Shloka
आपूर्यमाणमचलप्रतिष्ठं समुद्रमापः प्रविशन्ति यद्वत्। तद्वत्कामा यं प्रविशन्ति सर्वे स शान्तिमाप्नोति न कामकामी
Transliteration
āpūryamāṇam achala-pratiṣhṭhaṁ samudram āpaḥ praviśhanti yadvat tadvat kāmā yaṁ praviśhanti sarve sa śhāntim āpnoti na kāma-kāmī
Word Meanings
āpūryamāṇam—filled from all sides; achala-pratiṣhṭham—undisturbed; samudram—ocean; āpaḥ—waters; praviśhanti—enter; yadvat—as; tadvat—likewise; kāmāḥ—desires; yam—whom; praviśhanti—enter; sarve—all; saḥ—that person; śhāntim—peace; āpnoti—attains; na—not; kāma-kāmī—one who strives to satisfy desires
Translation
As the ocean remains calm and undisturbed even though waters flow into it from all sides, so the person who remains unmoved when all desires enter them attains peace, not the one who craves for fulfillment of desires.
Meaning & Commentary
This verse presents the metaphor of the 'Sthitaprajna' or the person of steady wisdom, whose consciousness is like the vast ocean. Just as the ocean absorbs rivers without overflowing or changing its level, the enlightened soul experiences the world's temptations without losing their inner equilibrium. It teaches that peace is not found by suppressing desires, but by cultivating a state of being so grounded and vast that desires lose the power to agitate the mind. Ultimately, it highlights the distinction between the passive consumption of worldly objects and the active realization of inner completeness. True peace arrives when one is no longer a seeker of external validation, but a container of the infinite.