Notes

Text 54
अजन
ुर् उवाच
ि थतप्रज्ञ य का भाषा समािध थ य केशव।
ि थतधीः िकं प्रभाषेत िकमासीत जेत िकम ्।।2.54।।

arjuna uvaca
sthita-prajnasya ka bhasa
samadhi-sthasya keshava
sthita-dhih kim prabhaseta
kim asita vrajeta kim

Translation by Srila Prabhupad

Arjuna said: O Krishna, what are the symptoms of one whose consciousness
is thus merged in transcendence? How does he speak, and what is his
language? How does he sit, and how does he walk?
Summary Commentary by Sri Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur
Arjuna has asked four questions to Krishna:
(1) What qualities can describe the sthiti prajna (ka bhasa)? What are the
qualities of the person situated in samadhi, samadhi stha?
Actually the terms sthita prajna and samadhi stha both refer to the
jivan mukta.
(2) What will that person say in the face of happiness and distress,
respect and disrespect, praise and condemnation (kim prabhaseta)?
What will he say, either loudly or to himself?
(3) In what way will his senses remain unresponsive to the external
objects (kim asita)?
(4) In what way will his senses respond to the objects (vrajeta kim)?
Text 55
ी भगवानुवाच
प्रजहाित यदा कामान ् सवार्न ् पाथर् मनोगतान ्।
आ म येवा मना तु टः ि थतप्रज्ञ तदो यते।।2.55।।

sri-bhagavan uvaca
prajahati yada kaman
 sarvan partha mano-gatan
atmany evatmana tustah
sthita-prajnas tadocyate

Translation by Srila Prabhupad

The Supreme Personality of Godhead said: O Partha, when a man gives up

all varieties of desire for sense gratification, which arise from mental
concoction, and when his mind, thus purified, finds satisfaction in the self
alone, then he is said to be in pure transcendental consciousness.

Summary Commentary by Sri Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur

Step by step, Krishna answers each of the four questions, from this verse
until the end of the chapter. (This verse answers the first question: What is
the nature of the jivan mukta?)
This verse answers the first question about the qualities of person who is
situated in samadhi.
(1) He gives up all desires for any object because they belong to the
mind (manogatan); they are not the intrinsic quality of the soul. If they
were the intrinsic quality of the soul, they could not be given up,
Xample - just as fire never gives up heat. The cause for this is
stated.
(2) He is satisfied by the soul whose very nature is bliss (atmana tustah),
in the mind (atmani) which has withdrawn from sense objects. The
sruti says:
yada sarve pramucyante kama ye 'sya hrdi sritah atha martyo 'mrto bhavaty
atra brahma samasnute
When all the desires situated in the heart are cleared away, the mortal
becomes immortal and enjoys brahman. Katha Upanisad 6.14
Summary Commentary by Ramanujacharya
Ramanujacharya categorize the four solkas from this onwards as four stages
of Samadhi. This sloka represent the first stage of Samadhi and it is the
highest one where living entity have no material desire at all and he is
satisfied with the bliss of atman.
Sloka 55 – First and highest stage of Samadhi
Sloka 56 – Second highest stage of Samadhi
Sloka 57 – Third highest stage of Samadhi
Sloka 58 – Fourth highest stage of Samadhi
My Comments
The person who has given up all the desire which get birth at the level of
mind he is in real state of Samadhi here word manogatan is very significant
because all real desires take birth at the level of soul but the same desire
get reflected in perverted way by the contaminated mind by help of polluted
consciousness or chitta. Mind has special role of accepting the things or
rejecting the things but he get all his decisions are based on the past
memories accumulated in the chitta. Chitta is place of collected memory
from all the previous lives in the form of faint remembrances and
samskaras. So Krishna is asking here to give-up the material desire getting
birth at the level of mind but not to the desire at the level of soul as of
enjoying the service of Lord in intimate relation to him. Accepting and acting
according to the real desires at the level of soul is our real and eternal
engagement. Those person are situated on the highest level of Samadhi
they are busy in serving Krishna at level of their soul and so also mind
body and words so they don’t associates with material desires and so
neither with material happiness nor with material misery. Everything thing is
transcendental at that level.

Text 56
दःु खे वनु िवग्नमनाः सख
ु ेषु िवगत पह
ृ ः।
वीतरागभयक्रोधः ि थतधीमिुर् न यते।।2.56।।

duhkhesv anudvigna-manah
sukhesu vigata-sprhah
vita-raga-bhaya-krodhah
sthita-dhir munir ucyate

Translation by Srila Prabhupad

One who is not disturbed in mind even amidst the threefold miseries or
elated when there is happiness, and who is free from attachment, fear and
anger, is called a sage of steady mind.
 Summary Commentary by Sri Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur
This verse and the next verse (verse 56-57), the Lord answers the question
"How does he speak?" means how he response to the external and internal
stimulations such as misries, respect, disrespect an al.
Person who is in state of samadhi is free from all the three miseries
namely:
(1) Adhyatmika suffering - miseries born from self, mind or body as
disease, dipression, uncontrolled lust greed and anger.
(2) Adhibhautika suffering – miseries coming from other living entities as
tiger, snake and all
(3) Adhidaivika suffering - arising from natural calamities as excessive rain,
sunami, earthquake and all beyond the control of humans.
Summary Commentary by Ramanujacharya
This is the second stage of Samadhi but little lower than the previous stage.
(1) He is free from attachment and fear-
Even when there are reasons for grief like separation from beloved
ones, his mind is not perturbed, an aggrieved. He has no longing to
enjoy pleasures, i.e., even though the things which he likes are near
him.
(2) He is free from desire and anger-
Desire is longing for objects not yet obtained; he is free from this.
Fear is affliction produced from the knowledge of the factors which
cause separation from the beloved or from meeting with that which is
not desirable; he is free from this. Anger is a disturbed state of one's
own mind which produces affliction and which is aimed at another
sentient being who is the cause of separation from the beloved or of
confrontation with what is not desirable. He is free from this.
(3) A sage of this sort, who constantly meditates on the self, is said to
be of firm wisdom. Then, the next state below this is described:
My Comments:
He is not agitated with any suffering (duhkhesv anudvigna manah) rather he
takes these sufferings and enjoyments as the results of (prabdha karmas)
karmas in previous lives. Lord has used raga-bhaya-krodhah these three
words in a sequence to explain the roots of all our miseries. Since this
person is devoid of any attachment (raga) he is free from any fear (bhaya)
and anger because when raga is satisfied it turns in to greed and greed
naturally followed by fear (bhaya) of losing the things for which greed is
developed and if raga is not fulfilled then it turns in to wrath or anger
(krodhah) but if a person don’t have attachment (raga) in very first place the
he don’t have to go through any suffering of fear and anger. Like Srila
vishvanath Chakravarti Thakur gives example of Jada Bharat, He didn’t have
attachment to life so he was free from the fear of death and anger on the
foolish chandals who wanted to kill him such is a stage of person in
Samadhi.
Srila Ramanujacharya has taken the meaning of sthita-prajna as one who
meditates on the self and striving for the self relization.
Text 57
यः सवर्त्रानिभ नेह त त प्रा य शभ
ु ाशभ
ु म ्।
नािभन दित न वेि ट त य प्रज्ञा प्रिति ठता।।2.57।।
yah sarvatranabhisnehas
tat tat prapya subhasubham
nabhinandati na dvesti
tasya prajna pratisthita
Translation by Srila Prabhupad
In the material world, one who is unaffected by whatever good or evil he
may obtain, neither praising it nor despising it, is firmly fixed in perfect
knowledge.
Summary Commentary by Sri Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur
In this verse again the Lord answers the question "How does he speak?"
That person is without affections which are subject to conditions
(anabhisneha).
(1) On receiving something favorable to himself (subham), through respect
or feeding for instance, he does not approve, Like He does not say,
"Oh, you are so religious, serving a great devotee. I bless you with
happiness."
(2) On receiving disrespect (asubham), such as a punch of the fist, he
does not disapprove. He dosn’t curse the disrespectful person saying,
"Go to hell, you sinful creature."
He is prajna pratisthita, situated in samadhi (samadhim prati sthita), or well
situated in prajna or samadhi.
Summary Commentary by Ramanujacharya
He, who, has no love for all pleasing objects, i.e., who is indifferent to them,
and who does not feel attraction or repulsion when he is united with or
separated from attractive or repulsive objects respectively, who neither
rejoices at the former, nor hates the latter --- he also is of firm wisdom. Sri
Krsna now mentions the next lower state.
Text 58
यदा संहरते चायं कूम ऽङ्गानीव सवर्शः।
इि द्रयाणीि द्रयाथ य त य प्रज्ञा प्रिति ठता।।2.58।।
yada samharate cayam
kurmo ’nganiva sarvasah
indriyanindriyarthebhyas
tasya prajna pratisthita
Translation by Srila Prabhupad
One who is able to withdraw his senses from sense objects, as the tortoise
draws its limbs within the shell, is firmly fixed in perfect consciousness.
Commentary by Sri Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur
This verse answers the question, "How does he sit?" (kim asita)
(1) He withdraws his senses from the objects of the senses.
(2) He Don’t respond them positively or negatively.
This is the "sitting" of the person situated in prajna. An example is given as
withdrawing ears from the material sound. He does so, just as the turtle
fixes his senses such as mouth and eyes within himself by his will.
Summary Commentary by Ramanujacharya
According to ramanujacharya sthita-prajnas means firm devotion to
knowledge. He is in firm wisdom who
(1) Is able to draw the senses away from the sense-objects on every side
when the senses try to contact the sense-objects, just as a tortoise
draws in its limbs.
(2) Is capable of fixing his mind on the self --- he too is of firm wisdom.
Thus there are four stages of devotion to knowledge, each stage being
perfected through the succeeding stage.
Now Sri Krsna speaks of the difficulty of the attainment of firm devotion to
knowledge and the means of that attainment.
Text 59
िवषया िविनवतर् ते िनराहार य दे िहनः।
रसवजर्ं रसोऽ य य परं वा िनवतर्ते।।2.59।।
visaya vinivartante
niraharasya dehinah
rasa-varjam raso ’py asya
param drishtva nivartate
Translation by Srila Prabhupad
The embodied soul may be restricted from sense enjoyment, though the
taste for sense objects remains. But, ceasing such engagements by
experiencing a higher taste, he is fixed in consciousness.
Commentary by Sri Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur
Now Question is that - "Even the fool is able to stop the movement of his
senses by fasting or by being under the influence of sickness." So how to
know who is really in state of Samadhi?
Answer: For one who stops eating (niraharasya), the objects of the senses
disappear, except for the desire for objects (rasa varjam). The desire (rasa)
for objects does not disappear. For the person situated in prajna however,
having seen the paramatma, the desire for objects does disappear. He does
not deviate from his qualities. This implies that the ability to realize the soul
directly is something that has to be attained through practice, not something
that is naturally possible for everyone (such as the ignorant person fasting.)
Summary Commentary by Ramanujacharya
The sense objects are the food of the senses because there is some taste
in them or relishment. Two point has to be learned here:
(1) The hankering for the sense-objects does not go away by abstinence
alone.
(2) This hankering will go away, when one sees that the essential nature
of the self is superior to the sense-objects and that the realisation of
this self gives greater happiness than the enjoyment of sense-objects.
 Text 60
यततो यिप कौ तेय पु ष य िवपि चतः।
इि द्रयािण प्रमाथीिन हरि त प्रसभं मनः।।2.60।।
yatato hy api kaunteya
purushasya vipascitah
indriyani pramathini
haranti prasabham manah
Translation by Srila Prabhupad
The senses are so strong and impetuous, O Arjuna, that they forcibly carry
away the mind even of a man of discrimination who is endeavoring to
control them.
Commentary by Sri Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur
The effort at the stage of sadhana is very great, without power to turn back
the senses completely. Pramathini means "causing agitation."
Summary Commentary by Ramanujacharya
Except by the experience of the self, the hankering for objects will not go
away. When the hankering for the sense-objects does not go away, the
senses of even a wise man, though he is ever striving to subdue them,
become refractory, i.e., become violent and carry away perforce the mind.
Thus, the subduing of the senses depends on the vision of the self, and
the vision of the self depends on the subduing of the senses.
Consequently, i.e., because of this mutual dependence, firm devotion to
knowledge is difficult to achieve.
Text 61
तािन सवार्िण संय य युक्त आसीत म परः।
वशे िह य येि द्रयािण त य प्रज्ञा प्रिति ठता।।2.61।।
tani sarvani samyamya
yukta asita mat-parah
vase hi yasyendriyani
tasya prajna pratisthita
Translation by Srila Prabhupad
One who restrains his senses, keeping them under full control, and fixes his
consciousness upon Me, is known as a man of steady intelligence.
Commentary by Srila Prabhupada
That the highest conception of yoga perfection is Krishna consciousness is
clearly explained in this verse. And unless one is Krishna conscious it is not
at all possible to control the senses. As cited above, the great sage
Durvasa Muni picked a quarrel with Maharaja Ambarisha, and Durvasa Muni
unnecessarily became angry out of pride and therefore could not check his
senses. On the other hand, the king, although not as powerful a yogi as the
sage, but a devotee of the Lord, silently tolerated all the sage’s injustices
and thereby emerged victorious. The king was able to control his senses
because of the following qualifications, as mentioned in the Srimad-
Bhagavatam (9.4.18–20):
sa vai manah krishna-padaravindayor
vacamsi vaikuntha-gunanuvarnane
karau harer mandira-marjanadisu
shrutim cakaracyuta-sat-kathodaye
mukunda-lingalaya-darsane drsau
tad-bhritya-gatra-sparse ’nga-sangamam
ghranam ca tat-pada-saroja-saurabhe
srimat-tulasya rasanam tad-arpite
padau hareh kshetra-padanusarpane
siro hrishikesha-padabhivandane
kamam ca dasye na tu kama-kamyaya
yathottama-sloka-janasraya ratih
“King Ambarisha fixed his mind on the lotus feet of Lord Krishna, engaged
his words in describing the abode of the Lord, his hands in cleansing the
temple of the Lord, his ears in hearing the pastimes of the Lord, his eyes in
seeing the form of the Lord, his body in touching the body of the devotee,
his nostrils in smelling the flavor of the flowers offered to the lotus feet of
the Lord, his tongue in tasting the tulasi leaves offered to Him, his legs in
traveling to the holy place where His temple is situated, his head in offering
obeisances unto the Lord, and his desires in fulfilling the desires of the
Lord... and all these qualifications made him fit to become a mat-para
devotee of the Lord.”
The word mat-para is most significant in this connection. How one can
become mat-para is described in the life of Maharaja Ambarisha. Srila
Baladeva Vidyabhushana, a great scholar and acarya in the line of the mat-
para, remarks, mad-bhakti-prabhavena sarvendriya-vijaya-purvika svatma-
drstih sulabheti bhavah. “The senses can be completely controlled only by
the strength of devotional service to Krishna.” Also, the example of fire is
sometimes given: “As a blazing fire burns everything within a room, Lord
Vishnu, situated in the heart of the yogi, burns up all kinds of impurities.”
The Yoga-sutra also prescribes meditation on Vishnu, and not meditation on
the void. The so-called yogis who meditate on something which is not on
the Vishnu platform simply waste their time in a vain search after some
phantasmagoria. We have to be Krishna conscious—devoted to the
Personality of Godhead. This is the aim of the real yoga.
Commentary by Sri Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur
Two important point has to be learned here that-
(1)Mat parah means my devotee. Without devotion to me, one cannot
conquer the senses. This will be seen everywhere in later verses of
the Gita. Uddhava has also said:
prayasah pundarikaksa yunjanto yogino manah visidanty asamadhanan
mano-nigraha-karsitah athata ananda-dugham padambujam hamsah srayeran
O lotus-eyed Lord, generally those yogis who try to steady the mind
experience frustration because of their inability to perfect the state of
trance. Thus they weary in their attempt to bring the mind under
control. Therefore, O lotus-eyed Lord of the universe, swanlike men
happily take shelter of your lotus feet, the source of all transcendental
ecstasy. SB 11.29.2-3
(2) The person whose senses have been brought under control (vase
hi) is the sthita prajna. This distinguishes him from the sadhaka, the person
attempting to do so.
Summary Commentary by Ramanujacharya
With a desire to overcome this mutual dependence between the subduing of
the senses and vision of the self, for this two things has to be done:
(1) One has to conquer the senses by focussing the mind on Me who
am the only auspicious object for meditation, then such a mind,
purified by the burning away of all impurities and devoid of
attachment to the senses, is able to control the senses.
 (2) Then the mind with the senses under control will be able to
experience the self. As said in Visnu Purana, 'As the leaping fire
fanned by the wind burns away a forest of dry trees, so Visnu, who
is in the hearts of all the Yogins, destroys all the sins.'
Sri Krsna teaches the same here: 'He whose senses are under control, his
knowledge is firmly set. Sri Krsna says: 'One who endeavours to subdue the
senses, depending on one's own exertions, and does not focus the mind on
Me in this way, becomes lost.'
Text 62
यायतो िवषया पुंसः सङ्ग तेषूपजायते।
सङ्गात ् संजायते कामः कामा क्रोधोऽिभजायते।।2.62।।
dhyayato visayan pumsah
sangas tesupajayate
sangat sanjayate kamah
kamat krodho ’bhijayate
Translation by Srila Prabhupad
While contemplating the objects of the senses, a person develops
attachment for them, and from such attachment lust develops, and from lust
anger arises.
Text 63
क्रोधाद्भवित संमोहः संमोहा मिृ तिवभ्रमः।
मिृ तभ्रंशा बुिद्धनाशो बुिद्धनाशा प्रण यित।।2.63।।
krodhad bhavati sammohah
sammohat smriti-vibhramah
smriti-bhramsad buddhi-naso
buddhi-nasat pranasyati
Translation
From anger, complete delusion arises, and from delusion bewilderment of
memory. When memory is bewildered, intelligence is lost, and when
intelligence is lost one falls down again into the material pool.
Commentary by Srila Prabhupada
Srila Rupa Gosvami has given us this direction:
prapancikataya buddhya
hari-sambandhi-vastunah
 mumuksubhih parityago
vairagyam phalgu kathyate
(Bhakti-rasamrita-sindhu 1.2.258)
By development of Krishna consciousness one can know that everything has
its use in the service of the Lord. Those who are without knowledge of
Krishna consciousness artificially try to avoid material objects, and as a
result, although they desire liberation from material bondage, they do not
attain to the perfect stage of renunciation. Their so-called renunciation is
called phalgu, or less important. On the other hand, a person in Krishna
consciousness knows how to use everything in the service of the Lord;
therefore he does not become a victim of material consciousness. For
example, for an impersonalist, the Lord, or the Absolute, being impersonal,
cannot eat. Whereas an impersonalist tries to avoid good eatables, a
devotee knows that Krishna is the supreme enjoyer and that He eats all that
is offered to Him in devotion. So, after offering good eatables to the Lord,
the devotee takes the remnants, called prasadam. Thus everything becomes
spiritualized, and there is no danger of a downfall. The devotee takes
prasadam in Krishna consciousness, whereas the nondevotee rejects it as
material. The impersonalist, therefore, cannot enjoy life, due to his artificial
renunciation; and for this reason, a slight agitation of the mind pulls him
down again into the pool of material existence. It is said that such a soul,
even though rising up to the point of liberation, falls down again due to his
not having support in devotional service.
Commentary by Sri Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur
The sthita prajna controls also the mind. That indeed is the cause of control
of the senses. If one does not have control of the mind at all, please hear
the result.
A person who thinks of the sense objects develops attachment (sanga) to
them. And by that attachment, he develops strong desire (kama) for those
objects. From desire, anger develops due to obstruction to fulfilling the
desire from someone or something. From anger develops absence of
discrimination of what should be done and what should not be done
(sammohah). From bewilderment develops loss of remembrance of one’s
own benefit derived from the instructions of scriptures (smrti vibhramah).
From that comes a destruction of resolve for spiritual practices (buddhi
nasa). Then one falls into the well of samsara.
Summary Commentary by Ramanujacharya on sloka (62-63)
Whose mind is not focussed on me, even though he controls the senses,
contemplation on sense-objects is unavoidable on account of the impressions
of sins from time immemorial. Again attachment increases fully in 'a man
who thinks about sense-objects'. There are sequential stages as:
(1) From attachment arises desire
What is called 'desire' is the further stage of attachment. After
reaching that stage, it is not possible for a man to stay without
experiencing the sense-objects.
(2) From such desire arises anger
When a desire exists without its object being nearby, anger arises
against persons nearby under the following. 'Our desire is thwarted by
these persons.
(3) From anger there comes delusion
Delusion is want of discrimination between what ought to be done and
what ought not to be done. Not possessing that discrimination one
does anything and everything.
(4) From delusion comes failure of memory
Impressions of the earlier efforts of sense control, when one strives
again to control the senses.
(5) From the loss of memory there comes the destruction of
discrimination
The meaning is that there will be destruction of the effect of efforts
made earlier to attain the knowledge of the self. From the destruction
of discrimination, one becomes lost, i.e., is sunk in Samsara or
worldliness.
 My Comments

Sanga (Attachment)

Kama (Desire to get)

Krodh (Anger due to unfulfilled desire)

Sammohah (Delusion)

Smrti vibhramah (Forgetfulness of knowledge)

Buddhi nasa (destruction of spiritual practice)

Pranasyati (falls into the well of samsara)