Bhagavad Gita Chapter 2, Verse 57

Chapter 2 – Sankhya Yoga · Speaker: Krishna

Sanskrit verse

यः सर्वत्रानभिस्नेहस्तत्तत्प्राप्य शुभाशुभम् ।
नाभिनन्दति न द्वेष्टि तस्य प्रज्ञा प्रतिष्ठिता ॥

Transliteration

yaḥ sarvatrānabhisnehastattatprāpya śubhāśubham .
nābhinandati na dveṣṭi tasya prajñā pratiṣṭhitā ॥

Meaning

One who is without attachment everywhere, and who, meeting with this or that, good or bad, neither rejoices nor resents — his wisdom is firmly established.

Word meanings

यः – who
सर्वत्र – everywhere, in all things
अनभिस्नेहः – free from clinging attachment
तत् तत् – this or that (whatever comes)
प्राप्य – having obtained, meeting with
शुभ-अशुभम् – good and bad, pleasant and unpleasant
न अभिनन्दति – does not exult
न द्वेष्टि – does not hate or resent
तस्य – his
प्रज्ञा – wisdom, discerning insight
प्रतिष्ठिता – is firmly established

Anvaya (word order)

यः सर्वत्र अनभिस्नेहः, तत् तत् शुभ-अशुभं प्राप्य न अभिनन्दति न द्वेष्टि, तस्य प्रज्ञा प्रतिष्ठिता ।

Explanation

The previous verse described the sthitaprajna's inner response to the experience of pleasure and pain. Now Krishna deepens the point, describing how he conducts himself when he meets good and bad things or events. The verse has three elements: non-attachment everywhere, absence of exultation and absence of resentment.

‘Sarvatranabhisnehah’ — he is free from ‘abhisneha’ everywhere. The choice of word is subtle. Krishna does not reject ‘sneha’, affection, but ‘abhisneha’ — a clinging attachment that leaves us incomplete without its object. The sthitaprajna is not devoid of love and compassion; he holds all with affection but is bound by none. Shankara explains it as the absence of attachment even to one's own body, life and relatives. Like a lotus leaf that rests on water yet stays dry, he lives among all yet remains untouched.

‘Tat tat prapya shubhashubham’ — the repetition ‘tat tat’ suggests that all kinds of situations will keep arriving in turn: honour and insult, gain and loss. The wise man does not run from them; he receives and experiences them. But on meeting the good he ‘nabhinandati’ — does not leap up to celebrate it or rush to grab it; and on meeting the bad, ‘na dveshti’ — he does not hate it or curse it.

It is important to understand that this evenness is not dullness or insensitivity. The sthitaprajna knows perfectly well the difference between good and bad, and acts appropriately. The only difference is that events are no longer the masters of his inner peace. He responds to circumstances; he is not swept away in reaction to them.

In daily life this can be practised through small things — the weather, traffic, someone's passing remark. When we stop swelling at every small favour and fretting at every small annoyance, the mind gradually stays balanced even in great events. That is what it means for wisdom to be established.

Context

In 2.56 the sthitaprajna was described as unshaken in pleasure and pain and free from attachment, fear and anger. This verse clarifies the same evenness with regard to meeting good and bad. In the next verse (2.58) Krishna describes sense-control through the image of the tortoise.

Life lesson

Love, but do not cling. Be grateful for good fortune and patient in misfortune — treat both as passing guests in your life, not as its masters.

Key terms

Anabhisneha: free from clinging attachment
Shubhashubha: pleasant and unpleasant, good and bad
Abhinandana: exultant welcoming, rejoicing
Pratishthita prajna: firmly established wisdom