So after that in next two verses Krishna will answer how such a person will speak:
BG 2.56
SYNONYMS
duhkheshu — in the threefold miseries; anudvigna–manah — without being agitated in mind; sukheshu — in happiness; vigata–sprihah — without being interested; vita — free from; raga — attachment; bhaya — fear; krodhah — and anger; sthita–dhih — whose mind is steady; munih — a sage; ucyate — is called.
TRANSLATION
One who is not disturbed in mind even amidst the threefold miseries or elated when there is happiness, and who is free from attachment, fear and anger, is called a sage of steady mind.
Duhkheshv anudvigna-manah, dvigna means agitated or dejected. Duhkheshv, so when there is misery, one doesn’t get dejected. Sukheshu vigata-sprihah, in happiness, one doesn’t have more desires. Let me explain what Srila Baladev Vidyabhusan Thakur and Srila Viswanath Chakravarthi Thakur have taught us practically. If a renunciate goes to someone’s house and that person offers a lot of opulent food, the renunciate shouldn’t become delighted and start wishing for a happy family life or other material desires. Similarly, when the opposite happens to him, he should not curse. Instead, he should be content with whatever comes—duhkheshv anudvigna-manah, sukheshu vigata-sprihah.
It is interesting in this verse that both dukha and sukha will be present as long as we are in material existence. We will experience both misery and happiness. But generally, when we experience happiness, we want more of it. If someone praises us, we want to hear more. And when miseries come, we question why they have come to us and become agitated. However, a transcendentalist is not affected by happiness or distress.
Regarding speech, Krishna will address that in the next verse. But for now, Krishna is talking about the sthita-prajna or sthita-dhih Munih, the person with a steady mind. Some people may speak in a very sweet and polite way, but internally, they may harbor negative thoughts or duplicity. They may think, ‘I want to beat you to death,’ while externally saying, ‘Oh, you are a very nice person. I will implement the corrections you suggested in my material life.’ However, Krishna will discuss how a person should truly speak in the next verse. But before that, He emphasizes the mentality of the person. The mentality is such that when happiness and distress come, one is not unduly excited or agitated by them. Many times, we may not speak our internal thoughts, but our mind speaks internally. For example, in the early morning when the alarm clock rings, the mind tells us to go back to sleep, even though we may not hear it physically but we can hear the mind’s voice. However, Krishna is saying that for a transcendentalist, even the voice of the mind changes—duhkheshv anudvigna-manah.”
sukheshu vigata-sprihah.
“According to Srila Prabhupada’s purport, the word ‘muni’ refers to one who engages in mental speculation without coming to a factual conclusion. It is said that every muni has a different angle of vision, and unless a muni differs from other munis, they cannot be considered true munis. Nāsāv ṛṣir yasya mataṁ na bhinnam (Mahābhārata, Vana-parva 313.117)[1].
Essentially, a muni is a speculator who tries to determine the cause and effect of various events. For example, if there is a fruit on a tree and a bird lands on the branch, and at the same time, the fruit falls down and the bird flies away, observers and speculators may try to understand the relationship between these events. They may consider whether the bird caused the fruit to fall, or if the falling fruit frightened the bird, or if the two occurrences are unrelated. They may also consider if the presence of the fruit attracted the bird, and when the fruit fell, the bird flew away. However, determining the actual reality and cause of such events can be challenging. In fact, the entire concept of causality is a mental construct. For instance, when I hold a glass and drop it, it falls and breaks. I may attribute this cause and effect connection to the glass being brittle and breaking upon impact with the floor. While this explanation may suffice within a certain framework, in real life, there are often multiple factors involved. If we attempt to observe every effect and determine all the causes, the analysis can become infinite.
On the other hand, a ‘sthita-dhīr muni’ is a person who has transcended such speculation and reached a conclusion. Srila Prabhupada quotes from Stotra-ratna 43 (from Yamuna Acharya) where it is stated, ‘Bhavan Meva Charan Nirantarah,’ meaning, ‘I am continuously following Your lotus feet, O Lord.’ The verse continues, ‘Praśānta-niḥśeṣa-mano-rathāntara,’ signifying that the mind, likened to a chariot, becomes calm and peaceful. The devotee then questions, ‘Kada He Kant Nitya Kinkarah?’ which means, ‘When, O Lord, will I realize that I am Your one-pointed servant, akantik kinkara?’ The devotee constantly inquires, ‘kim a karoti?’ meaning, ‘What should I do?’ This constant inquiry characterizes the nature of a servant, kinkara. The devotee desires to become an eternal, one-pointed servant, akantik, and states, ‘Kada Akantik Nitya Kinkarah.’ The devotee further expresses, ‘Praharshesyami Snathe Jivitam,’ indicating that they will be forever satisfied upon realizing their eternal relationship with the Lord. In this material world, we often seek various things, thinking that they will bring us happiness. However, a devotee understands that having a relationship with Krishna alone is a source of supreme happiness. They realize that they do not need anything else and feel fortunate to have a relationship with Krishna. Once a devotee becomes fixed in the understanding that Krishna is their ultimate goal, their mind no longer wanders. Therefore, Srila Prabhupada refers to such a person as ‘sthita-dhīr muni,’ as their mind becomes firmly fixed on Krishna.
Then Prabhupada has talked about ‘duhkheshv anudvigna-manah.’ Generally, when we face troubles in life, our default assumption is that we don’t deserve them. This raises the question of why these difficulties are happening. Looking at things from a karmic perspective, we can objectively see that there are instances where we receive undeserved good fortune, just as there are times when we don’t receive what we think we deserve. For example, in exams, students may feel that they studied well but didn’t achieve good marks, while sometimes the opposite happens—they may not have studied much but still get good marks. Destiny operates in both ways—favorable and unfavorable. Devotees understand that ultimately, these experiences are due to their past karma. When suffering arises, devotees adopt the attitude described by Lord Brahma in his prayers in SB 10.14: ‘tate nu kampam su-samiksha mano bhunjan evatma-kripa-vikakam.’ They recognize that it is their own karma manifesting, but they also acknowledge that the Lord has minimized the intensity of their suffering. By perceiving the Lord’s mercy in minimizing their suffering, devotees do not become overly agitated by the tribulations they face (‘duhkheshv anudvigna-manah’).
In the subsequent paragraph, the phrase ‘sukheshu vigata-sprihah’ is explained. This means that when devotees find themselves in comfortable situations, they remain steadfast in their dedication to Krishna. They understand that Krishna has provided them with this comfort and use it as an opportunity to serve Him even more. They do not become attached to the comfortable position but continue to offer their service. This aspect can be observed in the exemplary life of Srila Prabhupada, who faced numerous challenges. He had a business that couldn’t sustain financially, experienced repeated failures, encountered conspiracies against him, and had to relinquish his place. He tried to run the magazine Back to Godhead but faced paper and financial shortages. When working with his godbrothers, their limited vision prevented him from expanding the vision to other magazines he was publishing. Basic facilities were often lacking, and he faced numerous obstacles. Despite all these situations (‘duhkheshv anudvigna-manah’), Prabhupada persisted. Later, when he finally obtained facilities, he did not become attached to the comfortable situation (‘sukheshu vigata-sprihah’). Instead, he constantly traveled and preached.
The phrase ‘vita-raga-bhaya-krodhah’ is then discussed. Prabhupada explained that devotees are always daring when it comes to serving the Lord, and they are not influenced by attachment and aversion. Attachment (‘vita-raga’) does not become a prerequisite for rendering service to Krishna. Devotees are always ready to engage in His service, regardless of the situation. Similarly, ‘bhaya’ refers to fear, and Srila Prabhupada had practically no fear at all. For instance, he traveled alone to America without any fear. True fearlessness does not arise merely from the absence of fear but from the awareness of the presence of the Supreme Lord, who dispels fear. Although we may have our own fears, fearlessness arises from realizing that Krishna is the supreme being, and whatever may cause distress in this world is insignificant compared to Him. Srila Prabhupada consistently maintained awareness of Krishna’s presence. Even when he was in a dangerous neighborhood, where people were carrying guns and shooting, he fearlessly continued to travel and preach.
Additionally, devotees are free from anger (‘krodhah’), as they understand that Krishna is in control. If Krishna desires, results will come; if He does not, they will not. Srila Prabhupada remained free from frustration or resentment, even in the face of multiple setbacks in his preaching endeavors. While it is true that Prabhupada would sometimes express anger toward the devotees he was training, a pure devotee is never controlled by anger. Prabhupada might occasionally display anger for a few moments, but he would quickly return to normal behavior, as anger never took control over him. Devotees may use anger as a means of training others, but they themselves are never governed by anger at any time.
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