Shloka 23
अक्षरब्रह्मयोग (Akṣara-Brahma-Yoga) — Knowledge of the Imperishable, Prakṛti, and Devotion
शकक््नोतीहैव य: सोढुं प्राक् शरीरविमोक्षणात् । कामक्रोधोद्धवं वेगं स युक्त: स सुखी नर:,जो साधक इस मनुष्यशरीरमें, शरीरका नाश होनेसे पहले-पहले हीः काम-क्रोधसे उत्पन्न होनेवाले वेगको सहन करनेमें समर्थ हो जाता है,* वही पुरुष योगी है और वही सुखी है
śaknotīhaiva yaḥ soḍhuṃ prāk śarīra-vimokṣaṇāt | kāma-krodhodbhavaṃ vegaṃ sa yuktaḥ sa sukhī naraḥ ||
Arjuna said: The person who, while still living in this very body—before it is cast off—can endure the surging impulse born of desire and anger, that person is truly disciplined in yoga and is genuinely happy. The ethical point is self-mastery: inner victory over passion and wrath is presented as the mark of real spiritual steadiness, even amid the pressures of life and conflict.
अर्जुन उवाच
Educational Q&A
True yoga is demonstrated by the capacity to withstand the powerful impulses arising from desire and anger while still alive; such self-mastery is identified with genuine happiness and inner integration.
In the Bhīṣma Parva’s dialogue setting, Arjuna speaks a reflective verse emphasizing ethical discipline: the real measure of a yogin is not external status but the inner ability to restrain passion and wrath before the end of life.