Sanskrit
रागद्वेषवियुक्तैस्तु विषयानिन्द्रियैश्चरन् । आत्मवश्यैर्विधेयात्मा प्रसादमधिगच्छति ॥
rāgadveṣaviyuktais tu viṣayān indriyaiś caran ātmavaśyair vidheyātmā prasādam adhigacchati
Translation
But the disciplined self, moving among sense-objects with senses free from attraction and repulsion, mastered by the Self, goeth to peace.
Annie Besant · The Bhagavad-Gita, translated by Annie Besant (4th ed., 1922) — Wikisource · Public Domain
Explanation
The direct counterweight to verses 62–63’s chain of ruin, and an important clarification: the disciplined person still moves among sense-objects — this was never a teaching about withdrawal from the world. What differs is the absence of attraction and repulsion at the point of contact, which is exactly the step where verse 62’s chain begins to run. Remove that first link, and the same objects lead to peace instead of destruction. Caran — “moving about,” engaging — is the key word: the sage is in traffic with the world, not out of it. The intervention is surgical, aimed only at rāga-dveṣa, the like/dislike reflex, and its result has a name the next verses develop: prasāda.
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Word by word
- rāgadveṣaviyuktaisरागद्वेषवियुक्तैस्
- with [senses] freed from attraction and aversion (rāga-dveṣa-viyuktaiḥ)
- tuतु
- but
- viṣayān indriyaiś caranविषयान् इन्द्रियैश् चरन्
- moving among objects with the senses (viṣayān + indriyaiḥ + caran)
- ātmavaśyairआत्मवश्यैः
- [senses] under control (ātma-vaśyaiḥ)
- vidheyātmāविधेयात्मा
- self disciplined (vidheya-ātmā)
- prasādamप्रसादं
- serenity
- adhigacchatiअधिगच्छति
- attains
Commentary
Site Commentary
This verse doesn’t undo the tortoise image from verse 58 — it clarifies it. The disciplined person still moves among sense-objects; the teaching was never about leaving the world. What differs is only the absence of attraction and repulsion at the exact point where verse 62’s chain begins, one link removed and the whole cascade doesn’t start.
Original commentary written for this site · © Amit Singh — original commentary
Concepts
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Lessons
Personal
- You don't need to remove yourself permanently from a triggering situation to be free of it — the real work happens at the point of contact, the instant reaction, not at the level of how much exposure you allow yourself.
Professional
- Staying in a demanding role or environment isn't itself the problem if you can change your reaction at the point of contact with what triggers you — leaving isn't the only form of discipline available.
Family & Social
- Staying present at a difficult family gathering while changing your reaction in the moment of contact is the actual practice — avoiding the gathering sidesteps the discipline rather than building it.
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