A core teaching · grounding in mood · a little context helps
“Freedom begins where pain and pleasure stop controlling you.”
The wise person who is not shaken by these, and remains equal in pain and pleasure, becomes fit for freedom.
The verse in reading order — each Sanskrit word with its meaning beneath. Hover a word to focus on it.
Read literallywhom · indeed · not · disturb · these · person · best among men · equal in pain and pleasure · steadfast one · that one · for immortality · is fit
A steady person who stays even through pleasure and pain is not thrown off by changing experiences and becomes ready for inner freedom.
Krishna speaks this verse, on the battlefield of Kurukshetra, in the chapter titled "Sankhya Yoga" (The Yoga of Knowledge).
Verse 15 sits in Chapter 2 of the Bhagavad Gita — Sankhya Yoga, "The Yoga of Knowledge". The chapter has 72 verses in total.
Your phone lights up with bad news, then a compliment, then another crisis. The mind jerks in every direction. This verse asks for a steadier center that does not collapse with each swing.
Did you like this verse?
It shifts the mind from chasing comfort and avoiding pain to holding both with equal steadiness.
What this verse means
A steady person who stays even through pleasure and pain is not thrown off by changing experiences and becomes ready for inner freedom.
Context & commentary
On Kurukshetra, Arjuna is still reeling from grief and confusion. Krishna has already said the body changes and sensations pass. Now he shows the next step: the person who stays even through pleasure and pain is the one ready for freedom.
Why this verse still matters
Your phone lights up with bad news, then a compliment, then another crisis. The mind jerks in every direction. This verse asks for a steadier center that does not collapse with each swing.
“You do not need to be ruled by every high and low. Steadiness itself becomes strength.”
Explore related themes: equanimity (23 verses)