Develop Steady Wisdom with the Srimad Gita App
Study the complete Sthitaprajna teaching and all 700 verses of the Bhagavad Gita with the Srimad Gita App. Features Sanskrit text, transliterations, multiple translations, and expert commentary.
Krishna's portrait of the enlightened being - characteristics, conduct, and the path to establishment in wisdom
Arjuna's question about the Sthitaprajna - the person of steady wisdom - elicits one of the most profound and practical teachings in the Bhagavad Gita. In verses 2.54 through 2.72, Krishna paints a detailed portrait of the enlightened being: how such a person thinks, speaks, sits, walks, and relates to the world. This teaching serves as both a description of the goal and a roadmap for the journey. Understanding the Sthitaprajna illuminates what spiritual maturity looks like in practice.
After Krishna's profound teaching on the eternal nature of the Self and the importance of performing duty without attachment, Arjuna asks a deeply practical question:
अर्जुन उवाच ।
स्थितप्रज्ञस्य का भाषा समाधिस्थस्य केशव ।
स्थितधीः किं प्रभाषेत किमासीत व्रजेत किम् ॥
arjuna uvacha
sthita-prajnasya ka bhasha samadhi-sthasya keshava
sthita-dhih kim prabhasheta kim asita vrajeta kim
Dharma in the Bhagavad Gita represents one's sacred duty, moral law, and righteous path. Krishna explains that dharma includes personal duties (svadharma), universal ethics, and cosmic order. Following one's dharma, even imperfectly, is superior to perfectly performing another's duty.
Karma in the Bhagavad Gita means action performed with mindful intention. Lord Krishna teaches that karma encompasses all physical, mental, and verbal actions, and their inevitable consequences. True karma yoga involves performing duties without attachment to results, dedicating all actions to the Divine.
Arjuna's question reveals his practical orientation. He wants to know:
This question asks for both the internal state (sthita-prajna - established in wisdom) and external manifestation (speech, sitting, walking) of enlightenment. Krishna's response spans 18 verses, providing one of the most complete portraits of spiritual realization in world literature.
Krishna's opening response establishes the fundamental characteristic of the Sthitaprajna:
श्रीभगवानुवाच ।
प्रजहाति यदा कामान्सर्वान्पार्थ मनोगतान् ।
आत्मन्येवात्मना तुष्टः स्थितप्रज्ञस्तदोच्यते ॥
sri-bhagavan uvacha
prajahati yada kaman sarvan partha mano-gatan
atmany evatmana tushtah sthita-prajnas tadochyate
"The Blessed Lord said: When one completely abandons all desires of the mind, O Partha, and is satisfied in the Self by the Self alone - then one is called a person of steady wisdom." - Bhagavad Gita 2.55
This verse contains the essence of the Sthitaprajna state:
The Sthitaprajna is not one who has obtained all desires but one who has transcended the need for external fulfillment. Like the ocean that remains full regardless of rivers entering it, such a person remains content regardless of circumstances.
Krishna next describes the emotional stability of the Sthitaprajna:
दुःखेष्वनुद्विग्नमनाः सुखेषु विगतस्पृहः ।
वीतरागभयक्रोधः स्थितधीर्मुनिरुच्यते ॥
duhkheshv anudvigna-manah sukheshu vigata-sprihah
vita-raga-bhaya-krodhah sthita-dhir munir uchyate
"One whose mind is unperturbed by sorrow, who has no craving for pleasure, who is free from attachment, fear, and anger - such a sage is called one of steady wisdom." - Bhagavad Gita 2.56
This verse outlines freedom from the five major emotional disturbances:
Such a person is called a "muni" - a sage whose wisdom is reflected in emotional mastery. This is not coldness or detachment from life but freedom from the tyranny of emotional reactions.
यः सर्वत्रानभिस्नेहस्तत्तत्प्राप्य शुभाशुभम् ।
नाभिनन्दति न द्वेष्टि तस्य प्रज्ञा प्रतिष्ठिता ॥
yah sarvatranabhisnehah tat tat prapya shubhashubham
nabhinandati na dveshti tasya prajna pratishthita
"One who is without attachment on all sides, who neither rejoices on obtaining good nor grieves on obtaining evil - that one's wisdom is established." - Bhagavad Gita 2.57
This verse describes perfect equanimity toward all outcomes:
The wisdom of such a person is "pratishthita" - firmly established, unshakable, rooted deeply in understanding. External events cannot destabilize this inner foundation.
Krishna offers a memorable analogy for the Sthitaprajna's relationship with the senses:
यदा संहरते चायं कूर्मोऽङ्गानीव सर्वशः ।
इन्द्रियाणीन्द्रियार्थेभ्यस्तस्य प्रज्ञा प्रतिष्ठिता ॥
yada samharate chayam kurmo 'nganiva sarvashah
indriyanindriyarthebhyas tasya prajna pratishthita
"When, like a tortoise withdrawing its limbs into its shell, one can withdraw the senses from their objects on all sides - that one's wisdom is firmly established." - Bhagavad Gita 2.58
The tortoise analogy beautifully illustrates sense mastery:
This is not about permanent sensory deprivation but about having the freedom to engage or disengage at will. The senses are tools to be used consciously, not masters that drag the mind around.
Krishna reveals the dangerous chain reaction that begins with dwelling on sense objects:
ध्यायतो विषयान्पुंसः सङ्गस्तेषूपजायते ।
सङ्गात्सञ्जायते कामः कामात्क्रोधोऽभिजायते ॥
क्रोधाद्भवति सम्मोहः सम्मोहात्स्मृतिविभ्रमः ।
स्मृतिभ्रंशाद् बुद्धिनाशो बुद्धिनाशात्प्रणश्यति ॥
dhyayato vishayan pumsah sangas teshupajayate
sangat sanjayate kamah kamat krodho 'bhijayate
krodhad bhavati sammohah sammohat smriti-vibhramah
smriti-bhransad buddhi-nasho buddhi-nashat pranashyati
"When one dwells on sense objects, attachment arises. From attachment springs desire. From desire arises anger. From anger comes delusion. From delusion, confusion of memory. From confusion of memory, destruction of intellect. From destruction of intellect, one perishes." - Bhagavad Gita 2.62-63
This devastating chain shows why sense control matters:
This chain can be observed in countless lives ruined by addiction, obsession, and uncontrolled passion. The Sthitaprajna breaks this chain at the very first link by not dwelling obsessively on sense objects.
Another powerful analogy describes the Sthitaprajna's relationship with desires:
आपूर्यमाणमचलप्रतिष्ठं
समुद्रमापः प्रविशन्ति यद्वत् ।
तद्वत्कामा यं प्रविशन्ति सर्वे
स शान्तिमाप्नोति न कामकामी ॥
apuryamanam achala-pratishtham
samudram apah pravishanti yadvat
tadvat kama yam pravishanti sarve
sa shantim apnoti na kama-kami
"As the ocean, filled from all sides by rivers, remains unmoved and still - so one into whom all desires enter similarly attains peace, not one who chases desires." - Bhagavad Gita 2.70
The ocean analogy reveals the paradox of desire:
This verse teaches that peace comes not from eliminating experiences but from the inner fullness that remains unaffected by them.
One of the Gita's most paradoxical and memorable verses:
या निशा सर्वभूतानां तस्यां जागर्ति संयमी ।
यस्यां जाग्रति भूतानि सा निशा पश्यतो मुनेः ॥
ya nisha sarva-bhutanam tasyam jagarti samyami
yasyam jagrati bhutani sa nisha pashyato muneh
"What is night for all beings, therein the disciplined one is awake. What all beings are awake to, that is night for the seeing sage." - Bhagavad Gita 2.69
This verse describes the complete reversal of orientation between the ordinary person and the sage:
This does not mean the sage is unable to function in the world. Rather, their center of gravity has shifted. They live in the world but are rooted in that which transcends it. Their priorities, interests, and source of fulfillment are fundamentally different from the worldly person's.
Krishna concludes the Sthitaprajna teaching with the ultimate state:
विहाय कामान्यः सर्वान्पुमांश्चरति निःस्पृहः ।
निर्ममो निरहंकारः स शान्तिमधिगच्छति ॥
एषा ब्राह्मी स्थितिः पार्थ नैनां प्राप्य विमुह्यति ।
स्थित्वास्यामन्तकालेऽपि ब्रह्मनिर्वाणमृच्छति ॥
vihaya kaman yah sarvan pumamsh charati nihsprihah
nirmamo nirahankarah sa shantim adhigachchhati
esha brahmi sthitih partha nainam prapya vimuhyati
sthitvasyam anta-kale 'pi brahma-nirvanam richchhati
"One who abandons all desires and moves about without craving, free from possessiveness and ego - such a one attains peace. This is the Brahmic state, O Partha. Having attained it, one is never deluded. Established in it even at the time of death, one attains liberation in Brahman." - Bhagavad Gita 2.71-72
The final two verses summarize the Sthitaprajna state:
Compiling all the characteristics mentioned across verses 2.55-72, we can identify the following marks of steady wisdom:
While the Sthitaprajna state may seem lofty, the Gita indicates it is achievable through practice:
Regular meditation practice stabilizes the mind and develops the witnessing capacity. Over time, the ability to remain unshaken by mental fluctuations strengthens.
Consistently ask "Who am I?" to distinguish the unchanging Self from changing experiences. This develops the discrimination (viveka) that underlies steady wisdom.
Not harsh suppression but mindful reduction of sensory indulgence. Occasional fasting from media, food pleasures, or entertainment strengthens the will.
Action without attachment to results weakens the ego and develops equanimity. Do your best and release outcomes - this is practical Sthitaprajna training.
Spending time with those further along the path accelerates growth. Their presence transmits the state and inspires continued practice.
Regular reflection on teachings like the Sthitaprajna verses keeps the goal clear and provides guidance for the journey.
Sthitaprajna (sthita = steady, established; prajna = wisdom, intelligence) refers to a person whose wisdom is firmly established. In Bhagavad Gita 2.54-72, Krishna describes the characteristics of such a person. A Sthitaprajna has transcended the fluctuations of the mind, is content in the Self alone, and remains unshaken by pleasure, pain, or external circumstances.
In BG 2.54, Arjuna asks Krishna: "What is the description of one whose wisdom is steady (sthitaprajna), who is absorbed in samadhi (sthitadhi)? How does the one of steady wisdom speak? How does he sit? How does he walk?" Arjuna wants to know both the inner characteristics and outer behavior of such an enlightened person.
Key characteristics include: Contentment in the Self alone, freedom from attachment, fear, and anger, withdrawal of senses from objects like a tortoise, complete control over desires, freedom from possessiveness and ego, and attainment of Brahmic state. The Sthitaprajna is not moved by pairs of opposites.
Krishna gives the tortoise analogy (BG 2.58): just as a tortoise withdraws its limbs into its shell, the Sthitaprajna withdraws the senses from their objects at will. This is not suppression but mastery - the senses obey the wise person's will rather than dragging the mind outward. The taste for sense objects fades naturally when one experiences the higher taste of the Self.
Krishna describes a cascade effect: Dwelling on sense objects creates attachment, attachment breeds desire, desire leads to anger when obstructed, anger causes delusion, delusion destroys memory, loss of memory destroys discrimination, and loss of discrimination leads to complete ruin. This chain shows why sense control is essential for spiritual life.
Brahmi Sthiti (the state established in Brahman) is the culmination of the Sthitaprajna teaching. Having attained this state, one is never deluded. Established in it even at death, one attains Brahma-nirvana (liberation). It is complete identification with eternal reality rather than the temporary body-mind.
Development involves: Regular meditation to stabilize the mind, practice of witnessing thoughts without identification, gradual reduction of sensory indulgence, cultivation of contentment and acceptance, self-inquiry to discover the unchanging Self, service without attachment to results, and association with wise teachers and scriptures. Progress is gradual but steady practice leads to establishment.
BG 2.69 states: "What is night for all beings, therein the disciplined one is awake." The ordinary person is asleep to spiritual reality but awake to sensory pleasures. The sage is awake to the Self (the supreme reality) but disinterested in mere sensory pursuits. Their priorities are reversed.
Study the complete Sthitaprajna teaching and all 700 verses of the Bhagavad Gita with the Srimad Gita App. Features Sanskrit text, transliterations, multiple translations, and expert commentary.