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Chapter 2 · Contents of the Gītā Summarized · 72 verses

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Mind & yogaChapter 2 · Contents of the Gītā Summarized
2.542.56

Bhagavad-gītā As It Is · Text 2.55

Qualities of steady wisdom and sense regulation

श्रीभगवानुवाच

प्रजहाति यदा कामान्सर्वान्पार्थ मनोगतान् ।

आत्मन्येवात्मना तुष्टः स्थितप्रज्ञस्तदोच्यते ॥ ५५ ॥

śrī-bhagavān uvāca

prajahāti yadā kāmān

sarvān pārtha mano-gatān

ātmany evātmanā tuṣṭaḥ

sthita-prajñas tadocyate

Translation

The Supreme Personality of Godhead said: O Pārtha, 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.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

What this verse is saying, and where it sits in the story.

Satisfied in Devotional Service

  1. 1A person in pure transcendental consciousness gives up all desires for sense pleasure born from mental invention and finds satisfaction in the self alone.
  2. 2Sense desires cannot be stopped artificially. They naturally subside through Kṛṣṇa consciousness, or devotional service to the Lord.
  3. 3The spiritually advanced person remains happy by knowing himself as the Supreme Lord’s eternal servant and serving Him.

Where we are

In the story

Chapter 2, Contents of the Gītā Summarized: qualities of steady wisdom and sense regulation.

What it teaches

Theme summary

A disciplined mind is one's best friend.

2

Key ideas in this verse

The spiritual concepts this verse connects to.

Key ideas: manas, indriya, yoga.

3

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

What does BG 2.55 establish in Śrīla Prabhupāda's translation and purport, and how does it connect to mind & yoga?

Practice

Sit quietly for ten minutes and gently return the mind.

4

Related verses

Keep going: verses that carry this teaching further.

BG 2.56Qualities of steady wisdom and sense regulationBG 2.57Qualities of steady wisdom and sense regulationBG 6.35Practice and detachment

Study notes are editorial summaries, not the translation. Confirm them in the original text and purport.

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Ask about BG 2.55 — get a simple answer linked to related ideas and verses.

Back to step 3The key ideasNext · Step 5 of 7 · 5 minLive the teachingsBring it into your day with a practice and a question, straight from Prabhupāda's purports.