But how will one practically do this? So now Sri Krishna will describe a process, so set of verses from here are both descriptive and prescriptive

 

Bg 5.20

na prahṛṣyet priyaṁ prāpya
nodvijet prāpya cāpriyam
sthira-buddhir asammūḍho
brahma-vid brahmaṇi sthitaḥ

Word for word: 

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.

Translation: 

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.

 

na prahṛṣyet priyaṁ prāpya ->When one get something dear to one priyaṁ prāpya, na prahṛṣyet, one does not delight
nodvijet prāpya cāpriyam -> When one get something apriya i.e. undesirable one doesn’t become nodvijet, one doesn’t become dejected. So one doesn’t become elated when one get the desirable and one doesn’t become dejected when doesn’t get undesirable.

How is that sthira-buddhir, the intelligence is fixed, and the person is asammūḍho,  mudha is a person who thinks this is pleasurable and this is not pleasurable, this is miserable, one doesn’t think like that, that person is Sammudha, the person has gone beyond illusion of this world and such a person is brahma-vid and more of brahmaṇi sthitaḥ, brahma-vid – such a person is known as knower of Brahman, such a person is not only knower of Brahman, such a person is also situated in Brahman. brahma-vid brahmaṇi sthitaḥ. So in this way the person moved forward so Sri Krishna is telling how someone comes to Brahman platform by practice of spiritual life which involves the Sadhana by which one becomes equipoised with material things and slowly with spiritual intelligence situate oneself on spiritual platform.

So Srila Prabhupada said that Brahman realization is we have to go to Brahman-> Parmatama -> Bhagvan. When one comes to Bhagvan realization that is complete realization of such a person is brahma-vid brahmaṇi sthitaḥ.

So to be equipoised amidst happiness and stress this theme Sri Krishna has spoken repeatedly in BG. That indicates basically transcendence. Just like a person is watching and some people are mad after watching a particular sports, in India it is cricket, in ameria it is rug bee, in Europe it is soccer,  which people are completely infatuated with, one team is in ecstasy because they win and other team is in agony because they have lost, we can see this duality in tennis match one person who has won is jumping up and down and other person is sinking in the grass of miseries so this is the dualities, so this is the duality that characterize existence as long as one is infatuated and attached. But say a person is not emotionally attached in the sports match then that person is na prahṛṣyet priyaṁ prāpya, nodvijet prāpya cāpriyam. Yes the match has happened and one side won and one side lost but the person who is not emotionally involved the person is not emotionally affected also. So like that when one is purified one is no longer affected and that is the test of spiritual advancement that is the test of authentic growth in spiritual life. What is the test, the test is that one is able to steadily move forward and attain the real life of spirit as contrasted with the conditioned life which one is practicing in this life. This is called Brahman realization Srila Prabhupada is saying.

So what is required for this kind of na prahṛṣyet priyaṁ prāpya, nodvijet prāpya cāpriyam, that Sri Krishna will describe in next verse how one should be detached from external things

BG 05.20- BG05.29 describe characteristics:

  1. Naturally possessed by siddha
  2. Consciously cultivated by sadhaka

Siddha means those who are perfected, they naturally are detached like this. And those who are practitioner, Sadhaka, will consciously cultivate this.

So they are descriptive for those who already have these characteristics and they are prescriptive, which means like Dr. gives a prescription like do this do that. They are prescriptive like act in this way, we may get existed about certain things but ultimately devotees think that OK ultimately as long as keep serving Sri Krishna nothing matters. Let me not get too much exited. So that way we stay detached we stay focused we stay calm and we move forward in our spiritual life, so consciously cultivated by Sadhaka.

 

So from 05.20 to 05.29 are descriptive and prescriptive, 

O5.20 talks about how we can remain equipoised.