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 ||
好ましきものを得ても歓喜に溺れず、好ましからぬものに遭っても心乱れぬ者—理解は堅固で迷妄なき者—その梵を知る者は、梵に確乎として住する。
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.