One who remains like an indifferent witness, unmoved by the three qualities, stands firm and does not stir, knowing only that the qualities are acting among themselves.
— Krishna
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Bhagavad Gita · 14.23
Hindi · हिन्दी
जो उदासीनकी तरह स्थित है और जो गुणोंके द्वारा विचलित नहीं किया जा सकता तथा गुण ही गुणोंमें बरत रहे हैं इस भावसे जो अपने स्वरूपमें ही स्थित रहता है और स्वयं कोई भी चेष्टा नहीं करता ॥
The verse in reading order — each Sanskrit word with its meaning beneath. Tap a word to focus on it.
उदासीनवद्like one indifferentआसीनःseated, remainingगुणैःby the qualitiesयःwhoनnotविचाल्यतेis shakenगुणाःthe qualitiesवर्तन्तेare actingइतिthusएवonlyयःwhoअवतिष्ठतिremains establishedनnotईङ्गतेmoves
Read literallylike one indifferent · seated, remaining · by the qualities · who · not · is shaken · the qualities · are acting · thus · only · who · remains established · not · moves
Understanding the verse
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Like a witness sitting apart, the steady one stays unmoved, knowing the gunas are acting among themselves.
A wise person stays steady, not shaken by the three qualities, and sees that they are only moving among themselves.
02
On the battlefield
Context & commentary
Arjuna asks how a person rises beyond the three qualities. Krishna answers with a mark of inner maturity: the wise one sits like an uninvolved witness, while the qualities keep moving around them. This verse sharpens that answer.
03
In your life
What it looks like today
At a heated family meeting about the ancestral house, one aunt listens, watches tempers rise and fall, and stays steady. Krishna describes that stance: seeing the qualities move among themselves without being pulled along.
The takeaway
“You can stop identifying with every passing mood and impulse. That creates a quiet kind of freedom.”
Explore related themes: gunas(47 verses), equanimity(23 verses)
Common questions
What does Bhagavad Gita 14.23 mean?
A wise person stays steady, not shaken by the three qualities, and sees that they are only moving among themselves.
Who speaks Bhagavad Gita 14.23?
Krishna speaks this verse, on the battlefield of Kurukshetra, in the chapter titled "Gunatraya Vibhaga Yoga" (The Three Modes of Material Nature).
Which chapter of the Bhagavad Gita contains verse 14.23?
Verse 23 sits in Chapter 14 of the Bhagavad Gita — Gunatraya Vibhaga Yoga, "The Three Modes of Material Nature". The chapter has 27 verses in total.
Why does Bhagavad Gita 14.23 matter today?
At a heated family meeting about the ancestral house, one aunt listens, watches tempers rise and fall, and stays steady. Krishna describes that stance: seeing the qualities move among themselves without being pulled along.
Like a witness sitting apart, the steady one stays unmoved, knowing the gunas are acting among themselves.
What this verse means
A wise person stays steady, not shaken by the three qualities, and sees that they are only moving among themselves.
Context & commentary
Arjuna asks how a person rises beyond the three qualities. Krishna answers with a mark of inner maturity: the wise one sits like an uninvolved witness, while the qualities keep moving around them. This verse sharpens that answer.
What it looks like today
At a heated family meeting about the ancestral house, one aunt listens, watches tempers rise and fall, and stays steady. Krishna describes that stance: seeing the qualities move among themselves without being pulled along.
“You can stop identifying with every passing mood and impulse. That creates a quiet kind of freedom.”
Explore related themes: gunas (47 verses), equanimity (23 verses)