Contacts with the senses, O son of Kunti, bring heat and cold, pleasure and pain. They come and go; they are impermanent. Endure them, O Bharata.
— Krishna
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Bhagavad Gita · 2.14
Hindi · हिन्दी
हे कुन्तीनन्दन इन्द्रियोंके जो विषय जड पदार्थ हैं, वो तो शीत अनुकूलता और उष्ण प्रतिकूलता के द्वारा सुख और दुःख देनेवाले हैं तथा आनेजानेवाले और अनित्य हैं । हे भरतवंशोद्भव अर्जुन उनको तुम सहन करो ॥
The verse in reading order — each Sanskrit word with its meaning beneath. Tap a word to focus on it.
मात्रास्पर्शाःsense-contactsतुindeedकौन्तेयO son of Kuntiशीतोष्णसुखदुःखदाःgiving cold-heat, pleasure-painआगमापायिनःcoming and goingअनित्याःimpermanentतान्themतितिक्षस्वendureभारतO Bharata
Read literallysense-contacts · indeed · O son of Kunti · giving cold-heat, pleasure-pain · coming and going · impermanent · them · endure · O Bharata
Understanding the verse
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Heat and cold, pleasure and pain come and go, Krishna says, so Arjuna must learn to endure them.
Built ontitiksha
01
In plain words
What this verse means
Pleasure and pain from the senses are temporary. They come and go, so you should learn to bear them without being shaken.
02
On the battlefield
Context & commentary
After teaching that the self does not die, Krishna turns to the body’s changing experiences and says they are temporary, so Arjuna must endure them.
03
In your life
What it looks like today
A farmer cannot stop a cold wave or a scorching May, but he learns to work through both. Krishna asks Arjuna to treat pleasure and pain the same way: they come, they go, he endures.
The takeaway
“You do not have to be ruled by every sensation. Calm endurance gives you room to choose wisely.”
Pleasure and pain from the senses are temporary. They come and go, so you should learn to bear them without being shaken.
Who speaks Bhagavad Gita 2.14?
Krishna speaks this verse, on the battlefield of Kurukshetra, in the chapter titled "Sankhya Yoga" (The Yoga of Knowledge).
Which chapter of the Bhagavad Gita contains verse 2.14?
Verse 14 sits in Chapter 2 of the Bhagavad Gita — Sankhya Yoga, "The Yoga of Knowledge". The chapter has 72 verses in total.
Why does Bhagavad Gita 2.14 matter today?
A farmer cannot stop a cold wave or a scorching May, but he learns to work through both. Krishna asks Arjuna to treat pleasure and pain the same way: they come, they go, he endures.
Heat and cold, pleasure and pain come and go, Krishna says, so Arjuna must learn to endure them.
What this verse means
Pleasure and pain from the senses are temporary. They come and go, so you should learn to bear them without being shaken.
Context & commentary
After teaching that the self does not die, Krishna turns to the body’s changing experiences and says they are temporary, so Arjuna must endure them.
What it looks like today
A farmer cannot stop a cold wave or a scorching May, but he learns to work through both. Krishna asks Arjuna to treat pleasure and pain the same way: they come, they go, he endures.
“You do not have to be ruled by every sensation. Calm endurance gives you room to choose wisely.”
Explore related themes: equanimity (23 verses)