Shloka 231

Devanagari script

सुखमात्यन्तिकं यत्तद्‌ बुद्धिग्राह्म॒मतीन्द्रियम्‌ । वेत्ति यत्र न चैवायं स्थितश्षलति तत्त्वत:

Transliteration

sukham ātyantikaṃ yat tad buddhi-grāhyam atīndriyam | vetti yatra na caivāyaṃ sthitaś calati tattvataḥ ||

Translation

ఏ ఆనందం పరమమైనదో—శుద్ధ బుద్ధితో గ్రహించదగినదో, ఇంద్రియాలకు అతీతమైనదో—అందులో (ఆత్మతత్త్వాన్ని) నిజంగా తెలుసుకుంటాడు; ఆ స్థితిలో నిలిచినవాడు తత్త్వం నుండి చలించడు.

Word by Word

सुखम्happiness, bliss

आत्यन्तिकम्ultimate, absolute

यत्which

तत्that

बुद्धिग्राह्यम्graspable by intellect

अतीन्द्रियम्beyond the senses

वेत्तिknows

यत्रwhere, wherein

नnot

चand

एवindeed, just

अयम्this (person)

स्थितःhaving become steady, abiding

चलतिmoves, wavers

तत्त्वतःin truth, truly, as it really is

Speaker

अर्जुन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Arjuna

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse defines the highest happiness as a suprasensory realization: it is known by refined intellect (buddhi) rather than sense-contact, and when one is firmly established in that truth, one does not fall away or become shaken by changing circumstances.

What is happening in the narrative?

Arjuna is speaking in the Bhishma Parva context, articulating (in a yogic-philosophical register) the nature of ultimate happiness and steadiness in truth—framing the ideal inner state that remains unmoved even amid the pressures of the impending war.