Bhagavad Gita 2.69या निशा सर्वभूतानां तस्यां जागर्ति संयमी।यस्यां जाग्रति भूतानि सा निशा पश्यतो मुनेः ॥
yā niśhā sarva-bhūtānāṁ tasyāṁ jāgarti sanyamī
yasyāṁ jāgrati bhūtāni sā niśhā paśhyato muneḥ
Sanskrit recitation
A steady mind in a noisy world · 2.54–2.72 · Teaching
Translation
That which is night to all beings, in that the self-controlled man is awake; when all beings are awake, that is night for the sage who sees.
Hindi translation
सम्पूर्ण प्राणियों की जो रात (परमात्मासे विमुखता) है, उसमें संयमी मनुष्य जागता है, और जिसमें सब प्राणी जागते हैं (भोग और संग्रहमें लगे रहते हैं), वह तत्त्वको जाननेवाले मुनिकी दृष्टिमें रात है।
Meaning
That which is real for the wordlyminded people is illusion for the sage, and vice versa. The sage lives in the Self. This is day for him. He is unconscious of the wordly phenomena. They are night for him, as it were. The ordinary man is unconscious of his real nature. Life in the spirit is night for him. He is experiencing the objects of sensual enjoyment. This is day for him. The Self is a nonentity for him For a sage this world is a nonentity.The wordlyminded people are in utter darkness as they have no knowledge of the Self. What is darkness for them is all light for the sage. The Self, Atman or Brahman is night for the worldlyminded persons. But the sage is fully awake. He is directly cognising the supreme Reality, the Light of lights. He is full of illumination and AtmaJnana or knowledge of the Self.
After Swami Sivananda
A steady mind in a noisy world· 2.54–2.72→
Teachers usually read this idea across several verses together, one shared reflection covers the whole unit.
- 2.54Arjuna said, "O Krishna, what is the description of one who has steady wisdom and is…
- 2.55The Blessed Lord said, "When a man completely casts off, O Arjuna, all the desires of the…
- 2.56He whose mind is not shaken by adversity, who does not long for pleasures, and is free…
- 2.57He who is everywhere without attachment, upon encountering anything good or bad, neither…
- 2.58When, like the tortoise which withdraws all its limbs on all sides, he withdraws his…
- 2.59The objects of the senses turn away from the abstinent man, leaving the longing behind;…
- 2.60The turbulent senses, O Arjuna, can violently carry away the mind of a wise person, even…
- 2.61Having restrained them all, he should sit steadfast, intent on Me; his wisdom is steady…
- 2.62When one thinks of objects, attachment to them arises; from attachment, desire is born;…
- 2.63Anger leads to delusion, which causes loss of memory; this, in turn, leads to the…
- 2.64But the self-controlled man, moving among objects with the senses restrained and free from…
- 2.65In that peace, all pains are destroyed; for the intellect of the tranquil-minded soon…
- 2.66There is no knowledge of the Self for the unsteady, and no meditation is possible for the…
- 2.67For the mind, which follows in the wake of the wandering senses, carries away his…
- 2.68Therefore, O mighty-armed Arjuna, his knowledge is steady whose senses are completely…
2.69That which is night to all beings, in that the self-controlled man is awake; when all…
- 2.70He attains peace into whom all desires enter, just as waters enter the ocean which, filled…
- 2.71That person attains peace who, abandoning all desires, moves about without longing,…
- 2.72O son of Pritha, this is the eternal state, the Brahmic seat. Attaining this, one is not…
Word-by-word→
- sā
- that
- yā
- which
- muneḥ
- sage
- niśhā
- night
- tasyām
- in that
- yasyām
- in which
- jāgarti
- is awake
- jāgrati
- are awake
- sanyamī
- self-controlled
- bhūtāni
- creatures
- paśhyataḥ
- see
- sarva-bhūtānām
- of all living beings
Related verses
- 14.23He who, seated like one unconcerned, is not moved by the dualities, and who, knowing that…
- 13.10Non-attachment, non-identification of the Self with son, wife, home, and the rest, and…
- 5.20Resting in Brahman, with a steady intellect and undeluded, the knower of Brahman neither…
- 2.19He who takes the Self to be the slayer and he who thinks it is slain, neither of them…