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BG 02.57 yah sarvatranabhisnehas... cited

Expressions researched:
"is firmly fixed in perfect knowledge" |"nabhinandati na dvesti" |"neither praising it nor despising it" |"one who is unaffected by whatever good or evil he may obtain" |"tasya prajna pratisthita" |"tat tat prapya subhasubham" |"yah sarvatranabhisnehas"

Notes from the compiler: VedaBase query: "2.57" or "is firmly fixed in perfect knowledge" or "nabhinandati na dvesti" or "neither praising it nor despising it" or "one who is unaffected by whatever good or evil he may obtain" or "tasya prajna pratisthita" or "tat tat prapya subhasubham" or "yah sarvatranabhisnehas"

Bhagavad-gita As It Is

BG Chapters 1 - 6

BG 2.57, Translation and Purport:

In the material world, one who is unaffected by whatever good or evil he may obtain, neither praising it nor despising it, is firmly fixed in perfect knowledge.

There is always some upheaval in the material world which may be good or evil. One who is not agitated by such material upheavals, who is unaffected by good and evil, is to be understood to be fixed in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. As long as one is in the material world there is always the possibility of good and evil because this world is full of duality. But one who is fixed in Kṛṣṇa consciousness is not affected by good and evil, because he is simply concerned with Kṛṣṇa, who is all-good absolute. Such consciousness in Kṛṣṇa situates one in a perfect transcendental position called, technically, samādhi.

Lectures

Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures

Lecture on BG 2.46-62 -- Los Angeles, December 16, 1968:

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: "And for the service of the Lord he is always daring and active and is not influenced by attachment or detachment. Attachment means accepting things for one's own sense gratification, and detachment is the absence of such sensual attachment. But one fixed in Kṛṣṇa consciousness has neither attachment or detachment because his life is dedicated in the service of the Lord. Consequently he is not at all angry even when his attempts are unsuccessful. A Kṛṣṇa conscious person is always steady in his determination." 57: "He who is without affection either for good or evil is firmly fixed in perfect knowledge (BG 2.57)." Purport: "There is always some upheaval in the material world which may be good or evil. One who is not agitated by such material upheavals, who is without affection for the good or evil, is to be understood as fixed in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. As long as one is in the material world, there is always the possibility of good and evil because this world is full of duality. But one who is fixed in Kṛṣṇa consciousness is not affected by good and evil because he is simply concerned with Kṛṣṇa, who is all-good absolute. Such consciousness in Kṛṣṇa situates one in the perfect transcendental position called, technically, samādhi." 58: "One who is able to withdraw his senses from sense objects as the tortoise draws his limbs within the shell is to be understood as truly situated in knowledge (BG 2.58)." 59: "The embodied soul may be restricted from sense enjoyment though the taste for sense objects remains, but ceasing such engagements by experiencing a higher taste, he is fixed in consciousness (BG 2.59)." 60: "The senses are so strong and impetuous, O Arjuna, that they forcibly carry away the mind even of the man of discrimination who is endeavoring to control them (BG 2.60)." 61: "One who restrains his senses and fixes his consciousness upon Me is known as a man of steady intelligence (BG 2.61)."

Prabhupāda: This is the conclusion of all symptoms. There are others also?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: One more.

Prabhupāda: Oh, yes. Read it.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: 62: "While contemplating the objects of the senses, a person develops attachment for them, and from such attachment lust develops, and from lust anger arises (BG 2.62)." Oh, a new (indistinct). There's a purport.

Prabhupāda: Stop there. So if there is any question you can discuss.

Lecture on BG 2.55-58 -- New York, April 15, 1966:

So one who is free from the conception of body, his demands, his āhāra, his nidrā, or his eating, his sleeping, his fear, and his sex desire, will automatically decrease. That is the situation. That is the situation of, of pure consciousness. Vīta-rāga-bhaya-krodhaḥ sthita-dhīr munir ucyate (BG 2.56). Sthita dhīr munir ucyate. Even he is not affected by the greatest allurement. Greatest allurement.

The next position is:

yaḥ sarvatrānabhisnehas
tat tat prāpya śubhāśubham
nābhinandati na dveṣṭi
tasya prajñā pratiṣṭhitā
(BG 9.57)

Now, our affection between ourself is due to this body. Now, I am Indian. I am Indian. Suppose I find some gentleman in the street of New York, an Indian, oh, I am very much anxious to ask him, "Oh, are you Indian? Which province you are coming? I want to..." The affection is there. What is that affection? Due to this body. That's all. Because I am thinking that "My body is Indian, and here, there is another body whose body is also Indian. Oh, let me have some talks with him." This is affection. Similarly, all our affection. There are thousands and millions of women loitering in the street, but there is one woman, oh, with whom I am very much intimately connected because I have got bodily relation. Leaving aside all the women, I call one particular one, "Oh, he's my, she's my wife." Or the wife says, "She's my husband." Why? This bodily relation. So this bodily... One who does not identify with this body, therefore his bodily affection also diminishes. His bodily affection also diminishes.

Lecture on BG 2.55-58 -- New York, April 15, 1966:

And the whole practice, whole idea, should be to detach myself from this misconception of life. So one of the symptom is that,

yaḥ sarvatrānabhisnehas
tat tat prāpya śubhāśubham
nābhinandati na dveṣṭi
tasya prajñā pratiṣṭhitā
(BG 9.57)

Now, na, na abhinandati. Now, suppose one has done very marvelous work. So we should not be very much enthusiastic to praise for such work. What is that work? That work is material. It will vanish. Nābhinandati. Neither, when it is vanished, he is also sorry for that. These symptoms are for a person who is situated in the pure consciousness platform. Tasya prajñā pratiṣṭhitā. His prajñā, his intelligence... You mind that. Intelligence is above the mind. The first stage is... The general stage of our life is the activities of the senses. Those who are ordinary persons, without any knowledge, they are acting, whole day and night to satisfy the senses. That's all.

Lecture on BG 2.55-58 -- New York, April 15, 1966:

So Bhagavad-gītā teaches on the platform of pure knowledge. Of course, that is also recommended. But that is recommended for persons who cannot concentrate on the platform of the knowledge. Those who are too much addicted with bodily conception of life, the yoga system, the yoga, I mean to say, practices, that is recommended, especially for them. That we shall come, later on.

Now, here it is said,

yadā saṁharate cāyaṁ
kūrmo 'ṅgānīva sarvaśaḥ
indriyāṇīndriyārthebhyas
tasya prajñā pratiṣṭhitā
(BG 9.58)

Tasya prajñā pratiṣṭhitā. No. A very good example is given here. What is that? Tortoise. You have seen tortoise? The tortoise, they, when they like, they close their hands and mouth and everything within this body and become a lump, tortoise. You see? Similarly, we must know that our senses, they are meant for some particular purpose, and that particular purpose I have already explained, that hṛṣīkeṇa hṛṣīkeśa-sevanaṁ bhaktir ucyate (CC Madhya 19.170).

Lecture on BG 2.58-59 -- New York, April 27, 1966:

Prabhupāda:

yadā saṁharate cāyaṁ
kūrmo 'ṅgānīva sarvaśaḥ
indriyāṇīndriyārthebhyas
tasya prajñā pratiṣṭhitā
(BG 2.58)

How we shall know that one is situated in the pure consciousness? Simple imagination that "I am situated in pure consciousness"? No. Everything must be proved by symptoms. Everything must be proved by symptoms. Just like a patient is cured means there is subsidence of the fever, for example; similarly, the, we are just trying to separate ourself from the material conception of life to our exact position. I am spirit soul, and consciousness is the symptom. And I have to be situated in pure consciousness, dovetailing myself with the supreme consciousness. That is the whole program. Now, how that program are to be executed, that will be discussed in the Third Chapter.

Lecture on BG 2.58-59 -- New York, April 27, 1966:

They think that "If, from the C-class prisoner's life, I can become an A-class prisoner..." Just like in the prison life there are some classes, A-class prisoner, B-class prisoner, C-class prisoner, similarly, our endeavor is going on in this material life to become A-class prisoner. The program is not for getting out of the prison life, but we want to become A-class prisoner. That is ignorance. That is ignorance.

So here the Lord says that
yadā saṁharate cāyaṁ
kūrmo 'ṅgānīva sarvaśaḥ
indriyāṇīndriyārthebhyas
tasya prajñā pratiṣṭhitā
(BG 9.58)

And what are the shackles of this prison life? The shackles of prison life... Just like in ordinary prison, prisoner... Of course, I do not know what is the case here of prison life, but I have seen. Sometimes in New Delhi I was invited to give some good lessons to the prisoners. So I have seen so many prisoners. They were shackled with iron chains, iron chains. So we are also chained up here, and what is that chain? That is our sense enjoyment. Yes. We are chained in this material world by sense enjoyment. That's all. So if we want to cut our prison life, then the first symptom will be to minimize this sense enjoyment or to regulate the sense enjoyment. Here the Lord says that yadā saṁharate cāyaṁ kūrmo 'ṅgānīva sarvaśaḥ. The example is given just like the tortoise. The tortoise can close up, wind up his senses as he likes. That means he becomes the master of the senses. He does not like to be the servant of the senses. So this, I mean to say, verse, we have already discussed. So indriyāṇīndriyārthebhyas tasya prajñā pratiṣṭhitā. One who is practiced to control his senses... Senses are not to be stopped. They are to be used at proper time, but not at the dictation of the senses. When one comes to that standard of life, that he is not dictated by the senses but he uses senses when it is properly required... Senses are not to be stopped. That is not prescribed. That is not prescribed. Somebody says that sense control means to use, to stop the action of the senses. No. Senses, action of the senses, cannot be stopped. Simply it has to be purified.

Lecture on BG 2.59-69 -- New York, April 29, 1966:

You haven't got to restrain yourself completely, but if you dovetail yourself, nirbandhaḥ, when it is in relation with Kṛṣṇa, then your vairāgya, your detachment, is approved. Only thing is that don't do it for your sense gratification, but do it for the satisfaction of the Supreme. That's all. That should be the motto of our life, that "I shall not do anything for my sense satisfaction, but I shall do everything for the satisfaction of the Supreme." That penance, that sacrifice, will make me perfect spiritualized and perfectly on the spiritual platform and my life becomes perfect. Vaśe hi yasyendriyāṇi tasya prajñā pratiṣṭhitā. In this way one has control. The simple thing is control. Vaśe. Vaśe means under control. Vaśe hi yasyendriyāṇi. Anyone who has got his senses under control, he, he is spiritually perfect. So how senses under control? Just engage the senses under the control or under the direction of the Supreme. Then you become perfectly spiritual. Vaśe hi yasyendriyāṇi tasya prajñā pratiṣṭhitā, pratiṣṭhitā.

Lecture on BG 2.59-69 -- New York, April 29, 1966:

And if you let loose your senses, unrestricted, then you cannot fix up your intelligence. Just like a boat on the river and there is wind, I mean to..., high wind. At the same time, the boat... That is not possible to keep it restful. It is always tottering. Similarly, if we don't control our senses, dovetailing them in the service of the Lord, then always they'll be disturbed, just like a boat on the river, and persuaded by, I mean to say, heavy wind. Vāyur nāvam ivāmbhasi.

tasmād yasya mahā-bāho
nigṛhītāni sarvaśaḥ
indriyāṇīndriyārthebhyas
tasya prajñā pratiṣṭhitā
(BG 2.68)

So a spiritually perfect man is he who? Tasmād yasya mahā-bāho nigṛhītāni sarvaśaḥ. Indriyāṇi. One who has controlled his senses perfectly in this way. Then he's to be understood that he's spiritually perfect. Tasmād yasya mahā-bāho nigṛhītāni sarvaśaḥ. Nigṛhītāni means completely restrained, not to use the senses for any other purpose except in the service of the Lord. That is called self really control, really purified senses. Tasmād yasya mahā-bāho nigṛhītāni sarvaśaḥ, indriyāṇi indriyārthebhyaḥ. Indriya, the senses, shall not be let loose to act freely. It should be restricted in such a way that my senses cannot work without in the service of the..., without being engaged in the service of the Lord. That is called sense control. Indriyāṇīndriyārthebhyas tasya prajñā pratiṣṭhitā.

Page Title:BG 02.57 yah sarvatranabhisnehas... cited
Compiler:MadhuGopaldas
Created:23 of Feb, 2011
Totals by Section:BG=1, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=8, Con=0, Let=0
No. of Quotes:9