Step 4 of 7 · 5 min

Study a Verse

Pick any verse to see what it means and how to use it in your life.

  1. 1Tap a chapter, then a verse
  2. 2Read what it means
  3. 3Try the practice
700 verses37 detailed
Or browse by chapter
Chapter

Chapter 2 · Contents of the Gītā Summarized · 72 verses

123456789101112131415161718192021222324252627282930313233343536373839404142434445464748495051525354555657585960616263646566676869707172

Deep profile← → keys move between verses

Mind & yogaChapter 2 · Contents of the Gītā Summarized
2.582.60

Bhagavad-gītā As It Is · Text 2.59

Qualities of steady wisdom and sense regulation

विषया विनिवर्तन्ते निराहारस्य देहिनः ।

रसवर्जं रसोऽप्यस्य परं दृष्ट्वा निवर्तते ॥ ५९ ॥

viṣayā vinivartante

nirāhārasya dehinaḥ

rasa-varjaṁ raso ’py asya

paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate

Translation

Though the embodied soul may be restricted from sense enjoyment, the taste for sense objects remains. But, ceasing such engagements by experiencing a higher taste, he is fixed in consciousness.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

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

Experiencing a Higher Taste

  1. 1Restricting sense enjoyment leaves the desire for it, but a higher taste removes that desire and steadies consciousness.
  2. 2Rules alone are like a sick person's food restrictions: they limit enjoyment without removing the taste for it.
  3. 3By tasting Lord Kṛṣṇa's beauty in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, one naturally loses the taste for material things.

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 2.59 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

The story behind it

Mahābhārata episodes and stories from the purports that shed light on this verse.

All stories for chapter 2 ›
5

Related verses

Keep going: verses that carry this teaching further.

BG 2.55Qualities of steady wisdom and sense regulationBG 2.56Qualities 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.

Ask the study guide

Ask about BG 2.59 — 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.