Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 2, Verse 55

श्रीभगवानुवाच । प्रजहाति यदा कामान्सर्वान्पार्थ मनोगतान् । आत्मन्येवात्मना तुष्टः स्थितप्रज्ञस्तदोच्यते

śrībhagavānuvāca | prajahāti yadā kāmānsarvānpārtha manogatān | ātmanyevātmanā tuṣṭaḥ sthitaprajñastadocyate

Translation

When a man, satisfied in the Self alone by himself, completely casts off all the desires of the mind, then is he said to be one of steady knowledge.

— Alladi Mahadeva Sastri

Word meanings

prajahāti

(he) throws away

yadā

when

kāmān

desires

sarvān

all

pārtha

O Pārtha

manogatān

to the mind, gone

ātmani

in the Self

eva

only

ātmanā

by the Self

tuṣṭaḥ

satisfied

sthitaprajñaḥ

steadfast in mind

tadā

then

ucyate

(he) is called

Śaṅkarācārya's commentary

When a man, finding contentment in the Self (ātmany eva ātmanā tuṣṭaḥ), completely casts off all the desires that come into the mind, then he is said to be a sthita-prajña — one of steady knowledge. This verse describes the highest sannyāsin who has renounced everything except the Self. The mark of right knowledge is the falling away of desire; while desire persists, the inward gaze has not yet steadied.