Rejection of mental desires and satisfaction in the self define the self-realized
śrī-bhagavān uvāca
prajahāti yadā kāmān
sarvān pārtha mano-gatān
ātmany evātmanā tuṣṭaḥ
sthita-prajñas tadocyate (Bg 2.55)
Word-for-word:
śrī-bhagavān uvāca — the Supreme Personality of Godhead said; prajahāti — gives up; yadā — when; kāmān — desires for sense gratification; sarvān — of all varieties; pārtha — O son of Pṛthā; manaḥ-gatān — of mental concoction; ātmani — in the pure state of the soul; eva — certainly; ātmanā — by the purified mind; tuṣṭaḥ — satisfied; sthita-prajñaḥ — transcendentally situated; tadā — at that time; ucyate — is said.
Translation:
The Supreme Personality of Godhead said: O Pārtha, when a man gives up all varieties of desire for sense gratification, which arise from mental concoction, and when his mind, thus purified, finds satisfaction in the self alone, then he is said to be in pure transcendental consciousness.
Explanation:
This verse (Bhagavad-gītā 2.55) is spoken by Kṛṣṇa in response to Arjuna’s question about the characteristics of an enlightened person. Specifically, Kṛṣṇa is addressing Arjuna’s first question: sthita-prajñasya kā bhāṣā (Bhagavad-gītā 2.54).
Here, Kṛṣṇa says “sthita-prajñas tadocyate”—such a person is called a sthita-prajña. It is a direct, one-to-one correspondence between question and answer, at least in this initial part.
prajahāti yadā kāmān: One who gives up all desires.
sarvān pārtha mano-gatān: all of them, O Pārtha, which arise from the mind,
ātmany evātmanā tuṣṭaḥ: one who finds satisfaction within, in the self alone; who turns inward and finds happiness within,
sthita-prajñas tadocyate: such a person is called a sthita-prajña (one of steady intelligence).
Essentially, Kṛṣṇa is giving two characteristics here:
1. Firstly, one rejects desires for external pleasure born of the mind—prajahāti yadā kāmān sarvān pārtha mano-gatān.
2. Since no one can live without pleasure, where does one get pleasure from? Ātmany evātmanā tuṣṭaḥ—one turns inward and finds joy within the self.
The essential point is that such a person looks inward and derives happiness from within.
All of us are always seeking happiness. Where we seek that happiness depends on our conception of life. If we think of ourselves as a product of matter—or if we identify ourselves with the body—then naturally, we will seek pleasure at the level of the body, in matter. Matter exists all around us in attractive forms—hence, we seek pleasure in material things. That is simply a natural consequence of being situated in a materialistic understanding of life.
In contrast, if we understand ourselves to be spiritual beings, we will seek happiness at the spiritual level. The soul exists within, and God—the Supreme Soul—also resides within. Therefore, we will naturally turn inward in our search for happiness.
We may call ourselves spiritualists, but if we are still seeking pleasure in material things, then in practice, we are actually materialists. In contrast, we may consider some people to be materialists, but if they are genuinely reflecting on the meaning and purpose of life—and have arrived at a materialistic conclusion only due to a lack of proper information—then they may, in fact, be more qualified for spiritual growth than superficial or nominal spiritualists.
No doubt, there are subtleties in making such distinctions. The broad point, however, is this—one who seeks happiness internally is a spiritualist; one who seeks happiness externally is a materialist.
Kṛṣṇa states that the characteristic of a sthita-prajña is that he seeks happiness internally and rejects external happiness.
Prajahāti yadā kāmān sarvān pārtha mano-gatān—It is interesting that what is rejected is not the action itself, but the desires. “Sarvān” refers to all desires being rejected—not all desires in total, but specifically those desires born of the mind (mano-gatān). The mind is filled with conditionings such as lust, anger, greed, envy, pride, and illusion. These conditionings influence our actions in various ways. In fact, these very conditionings are the source of bondage and illusion, and they need to be relinquished.
We can act at the material level in this world, and we may have desires to accomplish various things. Devotees often have many desires. Śrīla Prabhupāda himself had numerous desires—not just related to the spiritual world, but also concerning this material world—building temples, distributing books, and sharing Kṛṣṇa consciousness with everyone. All of these were activities within the material realm.
However, while these desires were enacted at the material level, they did not originate from the material mind—they were not “mano-gatān”. Rather, they were spiritual desires—expressions of the soul’s devotion to Kṛṣṇa, channeled through material means and directed toward achieving spiritual goals in the material world.
Therefore, a self-realized soul does not reject everything material, but rejects desires for material enjoyment—those born from the mind that promise happiness at the material level.
One might argue that if we give up desire, what happiness will remain in life? This argument is based on the assumption that desires lead us to happiness. For example, we may desire to eat a particular item, thinking it will make us happy. As a result, we assume that desire is the pathway to happiness.
However, the flaw in this reasoning is that we often desire the undesirable—we long for things that ultimately bring us misery. In this way, we become entangled. The way out of this entanglement is by recognizing that worldly desires bind us to the material world. Though they promise pleasure, they deliver entanglement and suffering.
That is why we must rise above such desires and aim for a higher fulfillment. The path to that higher fulfillment is inward. The enlightened person understands that they are the soul—and therefore, they seek happiness within.
Kṛṣṇa has not yet introduced Himself in the Gītā; therefore, at this point, He is not speaking about the soul seeking happiness through devotion to Him. Instead, He speaks of ātmany evātmanā tuṣṭaḥ—finding satisfaction in the self alone.
The mind, when purified, can experience happiness within. At present, however, it is filled with desires for external pleasures. When we begin to reject these desires, the process of purification begins. When we repeatedly decline the mind’s external desires, the mind gradually becomes quiet. It turns inward—because it still seeks pleasure. As our consciousness becomes focused on the inner reality, we begin to experience genuine happiness.
Even the simple awareness that we are sac-cid-ānanda ātmā—eternal, full of knowledge and bliss—brings a sense of joy, fulfillment, and satisfaction. And when we further understand that we are parts of Kṛṣṇa, we naturally begin to love and serve Him. That loving service brings the highest satisfaction.
The test of a self-realized person lies in the rejection of desires born from the mind and in finding satisfaction within the self. These are qualities we, too, can aspire for. In one sense, perfection is also the aspiration of the seeker of perfection.
For example, if a particular batsman plays in a distinctive and successful way, and is recognized as a champion, other batsmen will naturally try to emulate him. Similarly, in any field, when a speaker communicates effectively, others try to learn from that style. They may not imitate it exactly, but they understand the underlying principles and apply them.
In the same way, when we understand what constitutes the perfection of an enlightened person, we can adopt that as our aspiration. We begin to turn away from, or consciously reject, the mind’s schemes and dreams for pleasure in external things.
We reject the kāmān—desires—and the mano-gatān—those born of the mind—and instead seek happiness within. We turn our attention to things connected with our spiritual nature, those that bring genuine fulfillment. By focusing on them and deepening our connection with them, we begin to relish a higher kind of happiness.
Thus, through the steady practice of rejecting external pleasures and seeking satisfaction in the soul, we too can gradually—but certainly—progress toward the perfection of self-realization.
Thank you.
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