raagadveshaviyuktaistu vishayaanindrayaishcharan |
aatmavashyairvidheyaatmaa prasaadamadhigachati || 64 ||
prasaade sarvaduhkhaanaam haanirasyopajaayate |
prasannachetaso hyaashu buddhih paryavatishthate || 65 ||
But, the one whose mind and senses are under control, is devoid of attraction or revulsion. He moves around objects and gains the state of tranquility.
Having gained tranquility, all of his sorrows are destroyed. His mind is joyful and his intellect soon becomes steady.
raagadvesha-viyuktaih : devoid of attraction or revulsion
tu : but
vishayaan : objects
indrayaih : through senses
charan : moves around
aatmavashyaih : subdued
vidheyaatmaa : one with a controlled mind
prasaadam : tranquility
adhigachati : gains
prasaade : gaining tranquility
sarva-duhkhaanaam : all sorrows
haanih : destroy
asya : of this individual
upajaayate : become
prasanna-chetasah : joyful mind
hi : surely
aashu : soon
buddhih : intellect
pari-avatishthate : steady
In the last shloka, Shri Krishna explained the "ladder of fall", or how constant thinking about material objects leads to a fall from equanimity. In this set of shlokas, he explains the exact opposite scenario, where bringing the senses and the mind under control brings us to a state of happiness. Here's the sequence of events:
Bring senses and mind under control -> one becomes devoid of attraction and revulsion -> he can experience the material world without any problem -> his mind becomes tranquil -> his intellect becomes steady -> he has no more sorrow -> he attains the state of happiness.
So, if one continues to pursue one's svadharma, and stay devoted to a higher ideal, one gets to a stage of equanimity. We have learned this in earlier shlokas. But then, what next? This set of shlokas tells us that performance of svadharma has a purifying effect - it is like a flame that burns away our vasanaas. As the vasanaas burn away, our minds remain situated in equanimity - and that's when our sorrows diminish.
We are always looking at quick fixes to be happy - new job, new friends, read a new book, move to a new place etc. But what comes across in these shlokas is that a long-term state of happiness cannot be found in a quick fix solution. All we can do is follow our svadharma, fix a higher goal, and keep at it.
The eight shlokas including this one comprise the answer to the fourth of Arjuna's four questions, "how does a person of steady wisdom walk", in other words, how does such a person control his mind?
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