Bhagavad Gita — Sankhya Yoga, Shloka 64
Sankhya Yoga
रागद्वेषवियुक्तैस्तु विषयानिन्द्रियैश्चरन् । आत्मवश्यैर्विधेयात्मा प्रसादमधिगच्छति ॥ २.६४ ॥
rāga-dveṣa-viyuktais tu viṣayān indriyaiś caran | ātma-vaśyair vidheyātmā prasādam adhigacchati || 2.64 ||
But moving among sense-objects with senses under one’s control, free from attachment and aversion, the disciplined one attains serenity of mind.
परन्तु राग-द्वेष से रहित और अपने वश में की हुई इन्द्रियों के द्वारा विषयों में विचरता हुआ, संयत-मनुष्य प्रसन्नता (चित्त-प्रसाद) को प्राप्त होता है।
But moving among sense-objects with senses free from attachment and aversion, and under one’s control, the self-disciplined person attains clarity/serenity (prasāda).
‘Prasāda’ is variously translated as serenity, clarity, grace, or tranquil lucidity. The verse allows engagement with the world (‘moving among objects’) while maintaining non-reactivity—distinct from total withdrawal.
FAQs
It proposes a middle path: not avoidance of life, but regulated engagement without compulsive liking/disliking, yielding calm clarity.
Serenity (prasāda) signals a mind suitable for insight into the Self; non-reactivity reduces obscurations that disturb discernment.
After warning about the escalation from rumination to downfall, it offers the constructive alternative leading to mental lucidity.
Engage responsibilities and pleasures with mindful limits and reduced polarization, cultivating steadier mood and clearer judgment.