A core teaching · grounding in mood · a little context helps
“Freedom comes when desire and anger no longer govern the mind.”
For those free from desire and anger, with disciplined minds and self-knowledge, freedom in the supreme reality is near on both sides.
The verse in reading order — each Sanskrit word with its meaning beneath. Tap a word to focus on it.
Read literallyfor those free from desire and anger · for disciplined renouncers · for those with controlled minds · on both sides · freedom in the supreme reality · is present · for those who know the true self
When desire and anger no longer control the mind, and a person knows the true self, inner freedom is close whether alive or after death.
Krishna speaks this verse, on the battlefield of Kurukshetra, in the chapter titled "Karma Sanyasa Yoga" (The Yoga of Renunciation).
Verse 26 sits in Chapter 5 of the Bhagavad Gita — Karma Sanyasa Yoga, "The Yoga of Renunciation". The chapter has 29 verses in total.
A shop owner whose rival opens across the street stops seething and stops scheming, and goes back to serving customers well. Krishna says that freedom from desire and anger brings release close, even in this life.
Did you like this verse?
For those free of desire and anger who know the self, freedom in Brahman is near, in life and after.
What this verse means
When desire and anger no longer control the mind, and a person knows the true self, inner freedom is close whether alive or after death.
Context & commentary
Krishna explains the state of one who has gone beyond craving and rage. This verse continues the teaching on inner release: the person who knows the true self can rest in freedom even before the body falls.
What it looks like today
A shop owner whose rival opens across the street stops seething and stops scheming, and goes back to serving customers well. Krishna says that freedom from desire and anger brings release close, even in this life.
“Let go of desire and anger, and freedom is close, now and later.”
Explore related themes: kama (23 verses), krodha (11 verses)