Chapter 5, Verse 20 (Bhagavad Gita 5.20)
Chapter 5: Karm Sanyās Yog – Path of Renunciation
Sanskrit Shloka
न प्रहृष्येत्प्रियं प्राप्य नोद्विजेत्प्राप्य चाप्रियम्। स्थिरबुद्धिरसम्मूढो ब्रह्मविद्ब्रह्मणि स्थितः
Transliteration
na prahṛiṣhyet priyaṁ prāpya nodvijet prāpya chāpriyam sthira-buddhir asammūḍho brahma-vid brahmaṇi sthitaḥ
Word Meanings
na—neither; prahṛiṣhyet—rejoice; priyam—the pleasant; prāpya—obtaining; na—nor; udvijet—become disturbed; prāpya—attaining; cha—also; apriyam—the unpleasant; sthira-buddhiḥ—steady intellect; asammūḍhaḥ—firmly situated; brahma-vit—having a firm understanding of divine knowledge; brahmaṇi—established in God; sthitaḥ—situated
Translation
Resting in Brahman, with a steady intellect and undeluded, the knower of Brahman neither rejoices upon obtaining what is pleasant nor grieves upon obtaining what is unpleasant.
Meaning & Commentary
This sloka describes the state of 'Sthitaprajna,' where the individual transcends the dualities of worldly existence. By anchoring one's consciousness in the eternal Brahman, the practitioner ceases to be tossed by the waves of sensory pleasure and pain. This inner transformation is not an expression of cold indifference, but rather the attainment of profound equanimity born from the realization of one's true nature. When the ego identifies with the infinite rather than the transient, the external circumstances lose their power to disturb the soul's serenity. Ultimately, it teaches that true peace is found not by changing the world, but by shifting one's core identity from the body to the changeless spirit.