Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 2, Verse 58

यदा संहरते चायं कूर्मोऽङ्गानीव सर्वशः । इन्द्रियाणीन्द्रियार्थेभ्यस्तस्य प्रज्ञा प्रतिष्ठिता

yadā saṃharate cāyaṃ kūrmo'ṅgānīva sarvaśaḥ | indriyāṇīndriyārthebhyastasya prajñā pratiṣṭhitā

Translation

When he completely withdraws the senses from sense-objects, as the tortoise (withdraws) its limbs from all sides, his knowledge is steady.

— Alladi Mahadeva Sastri

Word meanings

yadā

when

saṃharate

draws in

ca

and

ayam

this one

kūrmaḥ

tortoise

aṅgāni

limbs

iva

as like

sarvaśaḥ

everywhere

indriyāṇi

the senses

indriyārthebhyaḥ

of the senses, from the objects

tasya

of him

prajñā

the intelligence

pratiṣṭhitā

(is) established

Śaṅkarācārya's commentary

When, like the tortoise that draws in its limbs from every side, he withdraws the senses from sense-objects on every side, his knowledge is steady. The tortoise withdraws not in flight but in self-possessed mastery; just so the wise man withdraws not because he is overcome by objects but because he is in full command of his senses.