या निशा सर्वभूतानां तस्यां जागर्ति संयमी ।
यस्यां जाग्रति भूतानि सा निशा पश्यतो मुनेः ॥
यस्यां जाग्रति भूतानि सा निशा पश्यतो मुनेः ॥
Hindi · हिन्दी
सम्पूर्ण प्राणियों की जो रात परमात्मासे विमुखता है, उसमें संयमी मनुष्य जागता है, और जिसमें सब प्राणी जागते हैं भोग और संग्रहमें लगे रहते हैं, वह तत्त्वको जाननेवाले मुनिकी दृष्टिमें रात है ॥
English
What is night for all beings is wakefulness for the self-controlled one. What all beings wake toward is night for the seer who knows the real.
What this verse means
Ordinary people chase pleasure and possessions, but the disciplined seeker sees through that pull. What seems valuable to most becomes empty to the one who knows the real.
Context & commentary
On the battlefield, Arjuna is frozen between action and collapse. Krishna explains that the wise do not move by the same cravings that drive everyone else. The world’s obsession is their darkness; inner clarity is their wakefulness.
Why this verse still matters
Everyone around you is refreshing, comparing, buying, and chasing the next hit of approval. You pause, and the whole game looks strangely dim. That pause is not weakness; it is seeing.
The takeaway
You can stop measuring life by what the crowd wants and begin seeing what actually matters.
Word-by-word translation
या (that) / निशा (night) / सर्वभूतानां (of all beings) / तस्याम् (in that) / जागर्ति (is awake) / संयमी (the self-controlled one) / यस्याम् (in which) / जाग्रति (are awake) / भूतानि (beings) / सा (that) / निशा (night) / पश्यतः (of the seer) / मुनेः (of the sage)
This verse is part of Bhagavad Gita Chapter 2: Sankhya Yoga — The Yoga of Knowledge, which contains 72 verses.
Explore related themes: vairagya (51 verses)