Bhagavad Gita Chapter 2, Verse 44

Chapter 2 – Sankhya Yoga · Speaker: Krishna

Sanskrit verse

भोगैश्वर्यप्रसक्तानां तयापहृतचेतसाम् ।
व्यवसायात्मिका बुद्धिः समाधौ न विधीयते ॥

Transliteration

bhogaiśvaryaprasaktānāṃ tayāpahṛtacetasām .
vyavasāyātmikā buddhiḥ samādhau na vidhīyate ॥

Meaning

For those deeply attached to pleasure and power, whose minds are carried away by such words, the resolute intellect is not established in samadhi.

Word meanings

भोगैश्वर्यप्रसक्तानाम् – of those attached to pleasure and power
तया – by that (speech)
अपहृतचेतसाम् – whose minds are carried away
व्यवसायात्मिका – resolute
बुद्धिः – intellect
समाधौ – in samadhi, in the Supreme
न विधीयते – is not established

Anvaya (word order)

भोगैश्वर्यप्रसक्तानां तया (वाचा) अपहृतचेतसां व्यवसायात्मिका बुद्धिः समाधौ न विधीयते ।

Explanation

The sentence begun in 2.42 is completed here. Krishna concludes: those attached to pleasure and power, whose minds have been stolen by flowery words, can never have a focused, resolute intellect, nor can it settle in samadhi — in the supreme truth.

‘Apahrita-chetasam’ — whose minds are carried away — is a precise phrase. As a thief steals something precious, the lure of pleasure steals a person's discernment. A mind always chasing the next pleasure or the next achievement can never turn inward.

‘Samadhau na vidhiyate’ — is not established in samadhi. Shankara takes ‘samadhi’ here as the inner instrument (antahkarana), in which all is gathered for the experience of the self; for such people, resolute understanding does not even arise in the mind. Other teachers take samadhi as concentration on the Supreme. The sense is the same: a mind attached to pleasure cannot attain spiritual steadiness.

The verse links back to the ‘vyavasayatmika buddhi’ of 2.41. There we were told the yogi's intellect is single; here we learn that the pleasure-seeker's intellect can never become single. In today's consumer age, when attractive advertisements and temptations pull at the mind from every side, this verse is strikingly relevant.

Context

Verses 2.42–2.43 described the speech and desires of pleasure-seekers. Here is the conclusion: their intellect is not established in samadhi. In the next verse (2.45) Krishna urges Arjuna to rise above the three gunas.

Life lesson

When the mind is bound by the lure of comforts and achievements, it can never become deeply focused. Stay alert to temptations, so that your discernment remains in your own hands.

Key terms

Apahrita-cheta: one whose mind (discernment) has been stolen
Prasakta: deeply attached
Samadhi: complete absorption of mind; abiding in the Supreme