A core teaching · grounding in mood · a little context helps
“Freedom begins where pain and pleasure stop controlling you.”
The wise person who is not shaken by these, and remains equal in pain and pleasure, becomes fit for freedom.
The verse in reading order — each Sanskrit word with its meaning beneath. Tap a word to focus on it.
Read literallywhom · indeed · not · disturb · these · person · best among men · equal in pain and pleasure · steadfast one · that one · for immortality · is fit
A steady person who stays even through pleasure and pain is not thrown off by changing experiences and becomes ready for inner freedom.
Krishna speaks this verse, on the battlefield of Kurukshetra, in the chapter titled "Sankhya Yoga" (The Yoga of Knowledge).
Verse 15 sits in Chapter 2 of the Bhagavad Gita — Sankhya Yoga, "The Yoga of Knowledge". The chapter has 72 verses in total.
A cook in a busy dhaba who stays the same whether customers praise or complain keeps the food steady. Krishna says the person who stays even through pleasure and pain becomes ready for freedom.
Did you like this verse?
Krishna names the person fit for freedom: the one who stays the same in pain and pleasure.
What this verse means
A steady person who stays even through pleasure and pain is not thrown off by changing experiences and becomes ready for inner freedom.
Context & commentary
Arjuna is still reeling from grief and confusion. Krishna has already said the body changes and sensations pass. Now he shows the next step: the person who stays even through pleasure and pain is the one ready for freedom.
What it looks like today
A cook in a busy dhaba who stays the same whether customers praise or complain keeps the food steady. Krishna says the person who stays even through pleasure and pain becomes ready for freedom.
“You do not need to be ruled by every high and low. Steadiness itself becomes strength.”
Explore related themes: equanimity (23 verses)