Chapter 5, Verse 23 (Bhagavad Gita 5.23)
Chapter 5: Karm Sanyās Yog – Path of Renunciation
Sanskrit Shloka
शक्नोतीहैव यः सोढुं प्राक्शरीरविमोक्षणात्। कामक्रोधोद्भवं वेगं स युक्तः स सुखी नरः
Transliteration
śhaknotīhaiva yaḥ soḍhuṁ prāk śharīra-vimokṣhaṇāt kāma-krodhodbhavaṁ vegaṁ sa yuktaḥ sa sukhī naraḥ
Word Meanings
śhaknoti—is able; iha eva—in the present body; yaḥ—who; soḍhum—to withstand; prāk—before; śharīra—the body; vimokṣhaṇāt—giving up; kāma—desire; krodha—anger; udbhavam—generated from; vegam—forces; saḥ—that person; yuktaḥ—yogi; saḥ—that person; sukhī—happy; naraḥ—person
Translation
He who is able to withstand the force of desire and anger here on earth, before the shedding of the body, is a yogi and a happy person.
Meaning & Commentary
This verse reveals that true spiritual mastery is not about escaping the world, but about conquering the reactive impulses of the mind while living within it. Desire and anger are the two primary tides of the ego that disturb our inner equilibrium; learning to endure these urges without acting upon them creates a space of profound freedom. When one transcends these emotional upheavals, they attain a state of 'Yoga,' or union with the divine, which is independent of external circumstances. This psychological mastery is the ultimate source of human happiness, as it replaces volatility with an unshakable, internal peace. The teaching emphasizes that the goal is not post-mortem liberation alone, but the active cultivation of a liberated consciousness right here in the present life.