back to questions
Bhagavad-Gītā with Śaṅkara's bhāṣya · 2.55
yo hy ādita eva saṃnyasya karmāṇi jñāna-yoga-niṣṭhāyāṃ pravṛttaḥ, yaś ca karma-yogena, tayoḥ prajahāti ity ārabhya ā adhyāya-parisamāpteḥ sthita-prajña-lakṣaṇaṃ sādhanaṃ copadiśyate | sarvatraiva hi adhyātma-śāstre kṛtārtha-lakṣaṇāni yāni tāny eva sādhanāni upadiśyante, yatna-sādhyatvāt | yāni yatna-sādhyāni sādhanāni lakṣaṇāni ca bhavanti tāni śrī-bhagavān uvāca-- prajahāti yadā kāmān sarvān pārtha mano-gatān | ātmany evātmanā tuṣṭaḥ sthita-prajñas tadocyate
Translation. When, O Pārtha, he completely relinquishes
all desires (kāma) that have entered the mind,
content in the Self (ātman) alone, by his own self,
then he is called one of established wisdom (sthita-prajña).
Grammar check: 13 words pass / 0 flagged / 0 beyond the checkerPāṇini-verified
Every word's claimed grammar is re-derived with vidyut-prakriya, software implementing Pāṇini's rules. Flags are shown, never hidden; some are the text taking epic or Vedic liberties the classical rules do not generate.
Word by word
| surface | lemma | grammar |
|---|
| prajahāti | hā | pass |
| yadā | yadā | pass |
| kāmān | kāma | pass |
| sarvān | sarva | pass |
| pārtha | pārtha | pass |
| mano-gatān | mano-gata | pass |
| ātmani | ātman | pass |
| eva | eva | pass |
| ātmanā | ātman | pass |
| tuṣṭaḥ | tuṣṭa | pass |
| sthita-prajñaḥ | sthita-prajña | pass |
| tadā | tadā | pass |
| ucyate | vac | pass |
How the commentary settled it
Where the verse alone is ambiguous, the reading follows Śaṅkara's commentary; the deciding lines are quoted below each decision.
Translate prajahāti as ‘completely relinquishes,’ taking pra- as intensive rather than rendering the verb merely ‘leaves’; yadā introduces the time at which this occurs.→ completely relinquishes
gita [1]prajahāti prakarṣeṇa jahāti parityajati yadā yasmin kāle
‘Prajahāti’: he leaves intensively, he abandons; ‘yadā’: at whatever time.
Construe kāmān as varieties of desire, sarvān as exhaustive, and mano-gatān as a locative tatpuruṣa qualifying those desires: they have entered or are situated in the mind.→ all desires that have entered the mind
gita [1]sarvān samastān kāmān icchā-bhedān he pārtha, mano-gatān manasi
‘Sarvān’ means all; ‘kāmān’ means varieties of desire; O Pārtha, ‘mano-gatān’ means [those] in the mind.
Keep the two forms of ātman distinct: ātmani is the locative ‘in the inward Self alone,’ while ātmanā is instrumental, ‘by his own self.’ Eva restricts the former, and the construction excludes dependence on external acquisition.→ content in the Self alone, by his own self
gita [2]ātmany eva pratyag-ātma-svarūpe eva ātmanā svenaiva bāhya-lābha-nirapekṣas
‘In the Self alone’ means precisely in the essential nature of the inward Self; ‘by the self’ means by his own self alone, independent of external acquisition.
Render tuṣṭaḥ as genuine contentment, not mere passivity or irrational inactivity: Śaṅkara grounds it in realization of ultimate truth and freedom from seeking satisfaction elsewhere.→ content, independently of external acquisition
gita [2]bāhya-lābha-nirapekṣas
Independent of external acquisition.
gita [2]paramārtha-darśanāmṛta-rasa-lābhena anyasmād alaṃ-pratyayavān
Through obtaining the nectar-like essence of the vision of ultimate reality, he has the conviction ‘enough’ regarding anything else.
Analyze sthita-prajña as a bahuvrīhi denoting a learned person whose wisdom is established. The wisdom is specifically born of discrimination between Self and not-Self.→ one whose wisdom is established
gita [2]sthita-prajñaḥ sthitā pratiṣṭhitā ātmānātma-vivekajā prajñā yasya saḥ sthita-prajñaḥ
A ‘sthita-prajña’ is one whose wisdom—born from discrimination between Self and not-Self—is standing, firmly established.
gita [3]tyakta-putra-vitta-lokaiṣaṇaḥ saṃnyāsī ātmārāma
He is a renunciant who has abandoned the desires for offspring, wealth, and worlds, and who delights in the Self.
Take tadā as the correlative ‘then’ answering yadā, and ucyate as a passive of designation: at that time the learned person is called sthita-prajña.→ then he is called
gita [2]sthita-prajñaḥ vidvān tadā ucyate
The learned person is then called ‘sthita-prajña.’
Śaṅkara's commentary on this unit
1prajahāti prakarṣeṇa jahāti parityajati yadā yasmin kāle sarvān samastān kāmān icchā-bhedān he pārtha, mano-gatān manasi praviṣṭāan hṛdi praviṣṭān |
2sarva-kāma-parityāge tuṣṭi-kāraṇābhāvāt śarīra-dhāraṇa-nimitta-śeṣe ca sati unmatta-pramattasyeva pravṛttiḥ prāptā, ity ata ucyate --- ātmany eva pratyag-ātma-svarūpe eva ātmanā svenaiva bāhya-lābha-nirapekṣas tuṣṭāḥ paramārtha-darśanāmṛta-rasa-lābhena anyasmād alaṃ-pratyayavān sthita-prajñaḥ sthitā pratiṣṭhitā ātmānātma-vivekajā prajñā yasya saḥ sthita-prajñaḥ vidvān tadā ucyate |
3tyakta-putra-vitta-lokaiṣaṇaḥ saṃnyāsī ātmārāma ātma-krīḍāḥ sthita-prajña ity arthaḥ ||bhgs_2.55||
4kiṃ ca --