Chapter 2, Verse 64
रागद्वेषवियुक्तैस्तु विषयानिन्द्रियैश्चरन् । आत्मवश्यैर्विधेयात्मा प्रसादमधिगच्छति ॥
rāga-dveṣa-viyuktais tu viṣayān indriyaiś caran ātma-vaśyair vidheyātmā prasādam adhigacchati
Meaning
But a person of self-mastery, moving among sense objects with senses free from attachment and aversion and under the control of the Self, attains the grace of the Divine.
Word-by-Word Meaning
Explanation & Commentary
This verse makes an important correction to any misinterpretation of the previous teachings. Krishna is not prescribing total withdrawal from the world or an ascetic avoidance of all sense experience. The sthitaprajna does not live in a cave cut off from sensory life. Rather, they move freely among sense objects ('viṣayān caran') — they engage with the world fully — but do so with senses governed by the Self rather than driven by the ego's habitual likes and dislikes.
The key phrase is 'rāga-dveṣa-viyuktaiḥ' — freed from raga (attraction) and dvesha (aversion). These two are the twin distorters of perception and action. When we experience raga, we rush toward objects with craving and cling to them desperately. When we experience dvesha, we recoil, resist, and judge. The wise person, by contrast, encounters the world with a quality of clear, open attention that is neither grasping nor rejecting.
The fruit of this mode of being is 'prasāda' — a word that carries multiple resonances: grace, clarity, serenity, and even a brightness or cheerfulness of countenance. Prasāda is not achieved through technique alone but flows naturally when inner turbulence subsides. It is simultaneously the hallmark of divine grace received and the natural radiance of a balanced and liberated consciousness. This verse thus reveals that genuine renunciation is not absence from the world but freedom within it.
💡 Key Takeaway
The self-mastered person who moves among sense objects free from attachment and aversion attains divine grace and inner clarity.
Related Verses
दूरेण ह्यवरं कर्म बुद्धियोगाद्धनञ्जय । बुद्धौ शरणमन्विच्छ कृपणाः फलहेतवः ॥
dūreṇa hy avaraṃ karma buddhi-yogād dhanañjaya buddhau śaraṇam anviccha kṛpaṇāḥ phala-hetavaḥ
O Dhananjaya, keep all inferior works far away from the yoga of intelligence. Seek refuge in divine intelligence. Those who are motivated by the fruits of their action are misers.
बुद्धियुक्तो जहातीह उभे सुकृतदुष्कृते । तस्माद्योगाय युज्यस्व योगः कर्मसु कौशलम् ॥
buddhi-yukto jahātīha ubhe sukṛta-duṣkṛte tasmād yogāya yujyasva yogaḥ karmasu kauśalam
One who is endowed with the yoga of intelligence abandons both good and evil deeds even in this life. Therefore, strive for yoga — yoga is skill in action.
कर्मजं बुद्धियुक्ता हि फलं त्यक्त्वा मनीषिणः । जन्मबन्धविनिर्मुक्ताः पदं गच्छन्त्यनामयम् ॥
karma-jaṃ buddhi-yuktā hi phalaṃ tyaktvā manīṣiṇaḥ janma-bandha-vinirmuktāḥ padaṃ gacchanty anāmayam
The wise, endowed with intelligence, having abandoned the fruits born of action, are freed from the bondage of birth and death and attain a state beyond all miseries.