न प्रहृष्येत्प्रियं प्राप्य नोद्विजेत्प्राप्य चाप्रियम् |
स्थिरबुद्धिरसम्मूढो ब्रह्मविद् ब्रह्मणि स्थित: || 20||
na prahṛiṣhyet priyaṁ prāpya nodvijet prāpya chāpriyam
sthira-buddhir asammūḍho brahma-vid brahmaṇi sthitaḥ
na—neither; prahṛiṣhyet—rejoice; priyam—the pleasant; prāpya—obtaining; na—nor; udvijet—become disturbed; prāpya—attaining; cha—also; apriyam—the unpleasant; sthira-buddhiḥ—steady intellect; asammūḍhaḥ—firmly situated; brahma-vit—having a firm understanding of divine knowledge; brahmaṇi—established in God; sthitaḥ—situated
Translation:
The man of steady intellect, undeluded, knower of Brahman, established in Brahman, should not be elated having obtained the pleasant and should not be troubled having got the unpleasant.
Commentary:
Further attributes of the Jnani are mentioned here. The wise and the ignorant could easily be distinguished by their conduct, in the same way as we could distinguish a blind man by his gait. The knower of Brahman is untroubled by the occurrence of unpleasant things, nor is he elated when good things come to him. His intellect does not waver in wear and woe.
He knows by direct vision that worldly life as we see and live it with a deluded mind and confused intellect, is a dream that has no reality about it. He knows that it is a mirage, appearing to be full of water and beautiful, but only a sandy desert. Those who know the mirage are no longer deluded by its apparent attraction. In the same way, to the knower of Brahman the world is unreal (Midhya) from the spiritual point of view. So he is not moved by joy or sorrow by the diverse pattern of human existence.
Of steady intellect, not deluded (sthirabudhih – asammudhar): The purified intellect of the knower of Brahman is firm and immovable, because it has transcended all fictitious notions of the world, pleasures and pains, etc. The intellect of the ignorant man is shrouded in delusion, and so, like a weather-cock it is unsteady and turns round and round by every gust of wind. The light of Atma illumines the whole universe and the wise man knows what is real and what is unreal with absolute clearness.
From this, we understand that the aspirant who practises steadiness of mind, who keeps his intellect equal and balanced, unites himself with Brahman.
Question: What are the attributes of the knower of Brahman?
Answer: He does not rejoice when good things happen and he is not troubled when bad things occur. He is steady in mind, and free from delusion.
Bhagavad Gita: Chapter 5 🔻 (29 Verses)
