Bhagavad Gita Chapter 2, Verse 15

Chapter 2 – Sankhya Yoga · Speaker: Krishna

Sanskrit verse

यं हि न व्यथयन्त्येते पुरुषं पुरुषर्षभ ।
समदुःखसुखं धीरं सोऽमृतत्वाय कल्पते ॥

Transliteration

yaṃ hi na vyathayantyete puruṣaṃ puruṣarṣabha .
samaduḥkhasukhaṃ dhīraṃ so.amṛtatvāya kalpate ॥

Meaning

O best among men, the steady person who remains the same in pleasure and pain, and whom these do not disturb, becomes fit for immortality.

Word meanings

यम् – whom
हि – indeed
न व्यथयन्ति – do not disturb, do not afflict
एते – these (sense contacts)
पुरुषम् – the person
पुरुषर्षभ – O best of men
समदुःखसुखम् – equal in pain and pleasure
धीरम् – steady, wise
सः – he
अमृतत्वाय – for immortality, liberation
कल्पते – becomes fit

Anvaya (word order)

पुरुषर्षभ, एते यं समदुःखसुखं धीरं पुरुषं न हि व्यथयन्ति, सः अमृतत्वाय कल्पते ।

Explanation

In the previous verse Krishna urged Arjuna to endure the pairs of opposites; now He reveals the fruit of that endurance. The person who remains even in pleasure and pain, and whom such experiences do not disturb, becomes fit for ‘amritatva’, immortality — freedom from the cycle of birth and death.

‘Sama-duhkha-sukham’, the same in pain and pleasure, does not mean that such a person feels nothing. He feels, but he is not swept away. Pleasure does not intoxicate him, pain does not break him. His inner steadiness does not depend on outer circumstances. The word ‘dhira’ appears again, reminding us that this evenness is born of discernment.

The verse lifts forbearance from a moral virtue to a spiritual means. Shankara explains that the one who bears these opposites while remaining established in the knowledge of the Self is the one fit for liberation. Endurance purifies and steadies the mind, and it is in a steady mind that Self-knowledge shines.

By calling Arjuna ‘Purusharshabha’, bull among men, Krishna reminds him that he is no ordinary person; he has the capacity to attain this equanimity. The address is both encouragement and a reminder of responsibility.

In daily life the verse teaches emotional balance. One who does not overreact to every event, large or small, is not only happier but also able to decide with greater clarity.

Context

In 2.14 Krishna called pleasure and pain impermanent and urged endurance. Here He gives the fruit of this equanimity — immortality. In the next verse (2.16) He sets out the philosophical distinction between the real (sat) and the unreal (asat).

Life lesson

Avoid both being carried away by pleasure and being shattered by pain. The one who stays balanced in both attains true freedom and peace.

Key terms

Sama-duhkha-sukha: even-minded in pain and pleasure
Amritatva: immortality, liberation from birth and death
Purusharshabha: best among men — Arjuna