Sankhya Yoga · Verse 56

Bhagavad Gita 2.56

Steadiness remains when pleasure and pain lose their grip.

Wisdom translation, edited by Ankur Shukla. Commentary AI-drafted, human-reviewed. Reviewed June 2026. Methodology →

दुःखेष्वनुद्विग्नमनाः सुखेषु विगतस्पृहः ।
वीतरागभयक्रोधः स्थितधीर्मुनिरुच्यते ॥
Hindi · हिन्दी
दुःखोंकी प्राप्ति होनेपर जिसके मनमें उद्वेग नहीं होता और सुखोंकी प्राप्ति होनेपर जिसके मनमें स्पृहा नहीं होती तथा जो राग, भय और क्रोधसे सर्वथा रहित हो गया है, वह मननशील मनुष्य स्थिरबुद्धि कहा जाता है ॥
English
The steady-minded sage is unshaken by sorrow, free from craving in joy, and beyond attachment, fear, and anger.

What this verse means

A truly steady person stays calm in hardship, does not chase pleasure, and is free from attachment, fear, and anger.

Context & commentary

On the Kurukshetra battlefield, Arjuna has asked what a person of steady understanding looks like. Krishna answers with a portrait of inner balance: the sage is not shaken by pain, does not chase pleasure, and is no longer driven by attachment, fear, or anger.

Why this verse still matters

You get a painful message, then a flattering one, then another setback. Your mood whiplashes with each ping. This verse points to a steadier way: let events pass through without letting them seize the mind.

The takeaway

You do not have to be ruled by every rise and fall. Calm can remain while life changes.

Word-by-word translation

दुःखेषु (in sorrows) / अनुद्विग्न-मनाः (mind not agitated) / सुखेषु (in pleasures) / विगत-स्पृहः (free from craving) / वीत-राग-भय-क्रोधः (gone beyond attachment, fear, and anger) / स्थित-धीः (steady-minded) / मुनिः (sage) / उच्यते (is called)

Explore related themes: sattva (26 verses), equanimity (23 verses), attachment (20 verses)

Share this verse X WhatsApp

Related verses