Chapter 5, Verse 24
योऽन्तःसुखोऽन्तरारामस्तथान्तर्ज्योतिरेव यः | स योगी ब्रह्मनिर्वाणं ब्रह्मभूतोऽधिगच्छति ||५-२४||
yo.antaḥsukho.antarārāmastathāntarjyotireva yaḥ . sa yogī brahmanirvāṇaṃ brahmabhūto.adhigacchati ||5-24||
Meaning
5.24 He who is happy within, who rejoices within, and who is illuminated within, that Yogi attains absolute freedom or Moksha, himself becoming Brahman.
Word-by-Word Meaning
Explanation & Commentary
Krishna describes the inward-turned yogi through three beautiful phrases. He is antah-sukha, finding happiness within rather than in outer objects; antar-arama, taking his recreation and delight within rather than in external diversions; and antar-jyoti, lit by an inner light, guided by the radiance of the Self rather than by external supports.
Such a one, having turned the whole of life inward, attains brahma-nirvana — the supreme peace and freedom of Brahman — and indeed becomes Brahman (brahma-bhutah). The repeated word antar, 'within,' is the key. The ordinary person looks outward for joy, stimulation, and direction, and is forever dependent on fluctuating conditions. The yogi has found all three — happiness, delight, and illumination — within his own being, and so becomes self-sufficient and free. This inwardness is the gateway to liberation itself.
💡 Key Takeaway
Find your happiness, delight, and guiding light within — that inward self-sufficiency is the very gateway to liberation.
Related Verses
ज्ञानेन तु तदज्ञानं येषां नाशितमात्मनः | तेषामादित्यवज्ज्ञानं प्रकाशयति तत्परम् ||५-१६||
jñānena tu tadajñānaṃ yeṣāṃ nāśitamātmanaḥ . teṣāmādityavajjñānaṃ prakāśayati tatparam ||5-16||
5.16 But to those whose ignorance is destroyed by the knowledge of the Self, like the sun, knowledge reveals the Supreme (Brahman).
तद्बुद्धयस्तदात्मानस्तन्निष्ठास्तत्परायणाः | गच्छन्त्यपुनरावृत्तिं ज्ञाननिर्धूतकल्मषाः ||५-१७||
tadbuddhayastadātmānastanniṣṭhāstatparāyaṇāḥ . gacchantyapunarāvṛttiṃ jñānanirdhūtakalmaṣāḥ ||5-17||
5.17 Their intellect absorbed in That, their self being That, established in That, with That for their supreme goal, they go whence there is no return, their sins dispelled by knowledge.
बाह्यस्पर्शेष्वसक्तात्मा विन्दत्यात्मनि यत्सुखम् | स ब्रह्मयोगयुक्तात्मा सुखमक्षयमश्नुते ||५-२१||
bāhyasparśeṣvasaktātmā vindatyātmani yatsukham . sa brahmayogayuktātmā sukhamakṣayamaśnute ||5-21||
5.21 With the self unattached to external contacts he finds happiness in the Self; with the self engaged in the meditation of Brahman he attains to the endless happiness.