Impulse control is a direct path to happiness.
Krishna speaks to Arjuna
शक्नोतीहैव यः सोढुं प्राक्शरीरविमोक्षणात् |कामक्रोधोद्भवं वेगं स युक्तः स सुखी नरः ||५-२३||
śaknotīhaiva yaḥ soḍhuṃ prākśarīravimokṣaṇāt . kāmakrodhodbhavaṃ vegaṃ sa yuktaḥ sa sukhī naraḥ ||5-23||
Use this verse when an impulse feels urgent.
Meaning
One who can withstand the force born of desire and anger before leaving the body is a yogi and a happy person.
Translation: Gita Guidance (original English rendering).
In plain words
Happiness comes from mastering the impulses of desire and anger.
Word-by-word meaning
Tap a word to see its meaning.
Explanation
This is a core self-mastery verse. Krishna says liberation must be practiced here, in this life, before death. The urgent work is to withstand the surge of desire and anger without obeying it. This applies to angry messages, cravings, impulsive buying, lust, jealousy, and revenge.
Read the traditional commentary
Krishna gives a wonderfully concrete measure of spiritual attainment. The true yogi is the one who, while still living in the body (iha eva, before death), can withstand (sodhum) the vega — the surging impulse, the sudden pressure — that arises from kama (desire) and krodha (anger). To hold steady against that inner storm is the mark of the genuinely harmonized person.
Notice the realism here. Krishna does not ask that desire and anger never arise; he asks that one be able to bear their force without being swept away. This is a practice available right now, in everyday life — not a distant ideal reserved for the afterlife.
And the reward is immediate: sa sukhi narah, 'he is a happy man.' Mastery over these two great disturbers of peace yields tangible, present happiness. The capacity to pause and endure the surge, rather than act on it, is itself liberation in miniature.
In daily life
Do not act immediately under desire or anger.
An angry employee can wait before sending a harsh resignation message.
Try this today
Use a ten-minute delay before acting on desire or anger.
I can withstand desire and anger with strength.Reflect
Which impulse do I need to withstand today?
Private — only you can see this
Quick check
What does ‘प्राक् शरीरविमोक्षणात्’ mean in this verse?
Krishna on anger, in other chapters
- Verse 3.37The real enemy within is insatiable desire, which sours into anger — name it clearly, for an enemy understood can be conquered.
- Verse 2.62The chain from desire to suffering begins with where we choose to dwell with our attention — wisdom lies in managing attention before desire manages us.
- Verse 16.12Unchecked craving binds us with a hundred invisible cords and quietly persuades us that any means is justified.
- Verse 14.6Even peace and wisdom can quietly bind you if you cling to them as possessions rather than passing gifts.
Swipe left for 5.24 · Inner light is the source of lasting peace.
Questions about Bhagavad Gita 5.23
Who says Bhagavad Gita 5.23, and to whom?
Krishna speaks to Arjuna in verse 5.23, in Chapter 5, Karma Sannyas Yoga (Karma Sannyas Yoga).
What does Bhagavad Gita 5.23 mean?
One who can withstand the force born of desire and anger before leaving the body is a yogi and a happy person. (Translation: Gita Guidance (original English rendering).)
What is the lesson of Bhagavad Gita 5.23 for daily life?
Do not act immediately under desire or anger. An angry employee can wait before sending a harsh resignation message.
What do the Sanskrit words in Bhagavad Gita 5.23 mean?
शक्नोति इह एव — is able, here in this life; यः सोढुम् — he who can withstand / endure; प्राक् शरीरविमोक्षणात् — before release from the body (death); कामक्रोधोद्भवम् — arising from desire and anger; वेगम् — the impulse / force.
Where does verse 5.23 come in the Bhagavad Gita?
It is verse 23 of 29 in Chapter 5, Karma Sannyas Yoga. The next verse is 5.24.