Shloka 23
भीमसेननादः तथा प्रथमसंमर्दः
Bhīmasena’s Roar and the First Clash
उदासीनवदासीनोः गुणैयों न विचाल्यते । गुणा वर्तन्त इत्येव योडवतिष्ठति नेज़ते
udāsīnavad āsīno guṇair yo na vicālyate | guṇā vartanta ity eva yo 'vatiṣṭhati neṅgate ||
هو الذي يجلس كأنّه غيرُ معنيّ—لا تهزّه صفاتُ الطبيعة—ويفهم: «إنّ الغونات وحدها تتحرّك بين الغونات»، ويثبت على هذه البصيرة بلا تزلزل؛ فذلك قائمٌ مقامَ الشاهد، راسخٌ في ضبط النفس ووضوح السداد الأخلاقي وسط كلّ ما يتبدّل.
अजुन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Stability comes from discerning that the changing forces of prakṛti (the guṇas) are what act and react; the wise person abides as a steady witness, not being inwardly shaken by those fluctuations.
In the midst of the Kurukṣetra teaching dialogue, Arjuna asks about the marks of one who has transcended the guṇas; this verse describes such a person’s unshakable, witness-like steadiness.