When this one draws the senses fully back from sense-objects, like a tortoise withdrawing its limbs, wisdom is steady.
— Krishna
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Bhagavad Gita · 2.58
Hindi · हिन्दी
जिस तरह कछुआ अपने अङ्गोंको सब ओरसे समेट लेता है, ऐसे ही जिस कालमें यह कर्मयोगी इन्द्रियोंके विषयोंसे इन्द्रियोंको सब प्रकारसे समेट लेता हटा लेता है, तब उसकी बुद्धि प्रतिष्ठित हो जाती है ॥
The verse in reading order — each Sanskrit word with its meaning beneath. Hover a word to focus on it.
यदाwhenसंहरतेwithdrawsचandअयम्this oneकूर्मःtortoiseअङ्गानिlimbsइवlikeसर्वशःfrom all sidesइन्द्रियाणिthe sensesइन्द्रियार्थेभ्यःfrom sense-objectsतस्यof that oneप्रज्ञाwisdomप्रतिष्ठिताsteadfast
Read literallywhen · withdraws · and · this one · tortoise · limbs · like · from all sides · the senses · from sense-objects · of that one · wisdom · steadfast
Understanding the verse
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It shifts the mind from constant reaching to deliberate withdrawal from distraction.
Wisdom becomes stable when the senses are pulled back from the things they chase, just as a tortoise draws in its limbs.
02
On the battlefield
Context & commentary
On Kurukshetra, Arjuna is frozen between duty and grief. Krishna has been describing the person whose understanding no longer wavers. Here he gives the image: like a tortoise, the wise one draws the senses away from their objects, and the mind becomes steady.
03
In your life
Why this verse still matters
You open your phone to check one message, then three more tabs, then a video you did not mean to watch. The day starts leaking away the moment your attention keeps reaching outward.
The takeaway
“You do not need to chase every attraction. Real steadiness begins when attention comes home.”
Wisdom becomes stable when the senses are pulled back from the things they chase, just as a tortoise draws in its limbs.
Who speaks Bhagavad Gita 2.58?
Krishna speaks this verse, on the battlefield of Kurukshetra, in the chapter titled "Sankhya Yoga" (The Yoga of Knowledge).
Which chapter of the Bhagavad Gita contains verse 2.58?
Verse 58 sits in Chapter 2 of the Bhagavad Gita — Sankhya Yoga, "The Yoga of Knowledge". The chapter has 72 verses in total.
Why does Bhagavad Gita 2.58 matter today?
You open your phone to check one message, then three more tabs, then a video you did not mean to watch. The day starts leaking away the moment your attention keeps reaching outward.
It shifts the mind from constant reaching to deliberate withdrawal from distraction.
What this verse means
Wisdom becomes stable when the senses are pulled back from the things they chase, just as a tortoise draws in its limbs.
Context & commentary
On Kurukshetra, Arjuna is frozen between duty and grief. Krishna has been describing the person whose understanding no longer wavers. Here he gives the image: like a tortoise, the wise one draws the senses away from their objects, and the mind becomes steady.
Why this verse still matters
You open your phone to check one message, then three more tabs, then a video you did not mean to watch. The day starts leaking away the moment your attention keeps reaching outward.
“You do not need to chase every attraction. Real steadiness begins when attention comes home.”
Explore related themes: indriya nigraha (14 verses)