na prahṛṣyet priyaḿ prāpya
nodvijet prāpya cāpriyam
sthira-buddhir asammūḍho
brahma-vid brahmaṇi sthitaḥ
Translation of Bhagavad Gita 5.20
A person who neither rejoices upon achieving something pleasant nor laments upon obtaining something unpleasant, who is self-intelligent, who is unbewildered, and who knows the science of God, is already situated in transcendence.
Commentary by Sri A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada of Gaudiya Sampradaya:
The symptoms of the self-realized person are given herein. The first symptom is that he is not illusioned by the false identification of the body with his true self. He knows perfectly well that he is not this body, but is the fragmental portion of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He is therefore not joyful in achieving something, nor does he lament in losing anything which is related to his body. This steadiness of mind is called sthira-buddhi, or self-intelligence. He is therefore never bewildered by mistaking the gross body for the soul, nor does he accept the body as permanent and disregard the existence of the soul. This knowledge elevates him to the station of knowing the complete science of the Absolute Truth, namely Brahman, Paramatma and Bhagavan. He thus knows his constitutional position perfectly well, without falsely trying to become one with the Supreme in all respects. This is called Brahman realization, or self-realization. Such steady consciousness is called Krishna consciousness.
Commentary by Sri Vishvanatha Chakravarthi Thakur of Gaudiya Sampradaya:
Such persons are equal in the face of objects both dear and not dear in this world. Attaining dear objects they do not rejoice and attaining unwelcome objects they do not become disturbed. The potential mood of prahrset and udvijet stands for the indicative present in this verse, or can mean that these persons should practice that mood during the stage of sadhana. (Attaining dear objects, they should not rejoice and attaining unwelcome objects they should not become disturbed.) They are not bewildered (asammudhah), since bewilderment arises only from identification with joy, lamentation and other emotions.
Commentary by Sri Ramanuja of Sri Sampradaya:
5.20 Whatever is experienced as pleasant by one staying in a body and remaining in a particular condition because of the subtle impressions of his old Karmas, and whatever is experienced as unpleasant — on attaining those two types of experiences, one should not feel joy or grief. How? By having the mind on that ‘Which is steadfast’ i.e., the self, ‘Undeluded,’ i.e., one must be free from the delusion of identity of the steadfast self with the transient body. And how can this be? He who knows Brahman and abides in Brahman, i.e., by becoming a knower of Brahman by instruction by the teachers — such a person abides steadily, engaged in the practices towards winning Brahman. What is said is this: From the instructions received from the sages who know the truth, one should learn what has to be learnt about the self. Endeavouring to actualise the same, one does not consider the body as the sefl and remains fixed in the joyous experience of the vision of the steadfast self. Let him not rejoice and grieve when he experiences pleasant and unpleasant things, as such experiences result from the Prakrti and are transient.
Commentary by Sri Sridhara Swami of Rudra Sampradaya:
The characteristics of one who has attained the Brahman or the spiritual substratum pervading all existence are being given now by Lord Krishna. Such a person is completely equipoise and not elated by what is pleasing nor dejected by what is displeasing. Such a persons mind is fixed in transcendence because one is free from the infatuation of delusion.
Commentary by Sri Madhvacharya of Brahma Sampradaya:
In the remaining verses of chapter five Lord Krishna explains renunciation, equanimity of actions and wisdom all together.
Commentary by Sri Keshava Kashmiri of Kumara Sampradaya:
Thus it is established that the cause of triumph over samsara or the perpetual cycle of birth and death is absolute equanimity of perception by beholding the reality that the eternal soul is equally situated in all naturally created beings. One who is also equiposed regarding the dualities and not elated by obtaining something pleasant thinking how lucky am I nor dejected by receiving something unpleasant thinking how unfortunate am I. Such a person endowed with firm resolution reflects that: I will steadfastly cross over the ocean of samsara through the knowledge of atma tattva or realisation of the soul. Such a person is free from all doubts and infatuation with delusion which is merely a tendency of the mind. Such a person becomes a knower of the Brahman or spiritual substratum pervading all existence after being instructed by a living knower of the Brahman. Such a person lives their life immersed in the atma or soul which is of the same absolute nature of the Brahman.
Commentary by Sri Adi Shankaracharya of Advaita Sampradaya:
5.20 Brahmavit, a knower of Brahman, as described; sthitah, who is established; brahmani in Brahman- who is not a performer of actions, i.e. one who has renounced all actions; sthira-buddhih, should have his intellect steady-the man of steady intellect is one who has the unwavering, firm conviction of the existence of the one and the same taintless Self in all beings; and further, asammudhah, he should not be deluded, he should be free from delusion. Na prahrsyet, he should not get delighted; prapya, by getting; priyam, what is desirable; na ca udvijet, and surely, neither should he become dejected; prapya, by getting; apriyam, what is undesirable-because the acquisition of the desirable and the undesirable are causes of [Ast.’s reading is ‘horsa-visadau kurvate, cause happiness and sorrow’ in place of ‘harsa-visada-sthane, sources of happiness and sorrow’, which (latter) reading occurs in G1. Pr. and A.A.-Tr.] happiness and sorrow for one who considers the body as the Self; not for the one who has realized the absolute Self, since in his case there can be no acquisition of desirable and undesirable objects. Further, the one who is established in Brahman-
Commentary by Sri Abhinavagupta of Kaula Tantra Sampradaya:
5.20 Na prahrsyet etc. In the case of this person, who habitually looks [upon all] alike, the classification of foes and friends is at the level of mundane business alone, and not internally, as he is firmly established in the Brahman.
Sanskrit Shloka Without Transliteration Marks:
na prahrsyet priyam prapya
nodvijet prapya capriyam
sthira-buddhir asammudho
brahma-vid brahmani sthitah
Sanskrit to English Word for Word Meanings:
na — never; prahṛṣyet — rejoices; priyam — the pleasant; prāpya — achieving; na — does not; udvijet — become agitated; prāpya — obtaining; ca — also; apriyam — the unpleasant; sthira-buddhiḥ — self-intelligent; asammūḍhaḥ — unbewildered; brahma-vit — one who knows the Supreme perfectly; brahmaṇi — in the transcendence; sthitaḥ — situated.
