Shloka 20
अक्षरब्रह्मयोग (Akṣara-Brahma-Yoga) — Knowledge of the Imperishable, Prakṛti, and Devotion
१९ ।। न प्रह्ृष्येत् प्रियं प्राप्प नोद्धिजेत् प्राप्प चाप्रियम् । स्थिरबुद्धिरसम्मूढो ब्रह्म॒विद् ब्रह्म॒णि स्थित:
na prahṛṣyet priyaṁ prāpya nodvijet prāpya cāpriyam | sthirabuddhir asammūḍho brahmavid brahmaṇi sthitaḥ ||
जो पुरुष प्रिय को पाकर हर्षित नहीं होता और अप्रिय को पाकर उद्विग्न नहीं होता—वह स्थिरबुद्धि, असम्मूढ़, ब्रह्मवेत्ता पुरुष ब्रह्म में स्थित रहता है।
अर्जुन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches equanimity: a disciplined person does not become euphoric when pleasant outcomes arise nor distressed when unpleasant ones occur. Such steadiness indicates clarity (absence of delusion) and is a mark of one established in Brahman—acting rightly without being driven by emotional swings.
In the Bhīṣma Parva’s battlefield instruction setting, Arjuna is engaged in a dialogue about right conduct and inner stability amid war. This verse articulates the ideal mental state needed to uphold dharma in crisis: remaining composed regardless of favorable or unfavorable experiences.