bhagavad-gitagitakrishnasankhya-yoga

Bhagavad Gita 2.69 — Ya Nisha Sarva-bhutanam

श्रीमद्भगवद्गीता २.६९ — या निशा सर्वभूतानां

🕉️ hindu·📿 11× repetitions·🕐 Early morning (Brahma Muhurta) or before meditation; also at night before sleep for reflection·📜 Bhagavad Gita Chapter 2, Verse 69

Also known as: ya nisha sarva bhutanam · ya nisha sarvabhutanam tasyam jagarti samyami · bhagavad gita 2.69 · gita 2 69 · sa nisha pashyato muneh · sthitaprajna verse

📜 Complete Lyrics 📖 Word-by-Word Meaning ✨ Benefits & How to Chant ⬇️ PDF Download

Read in your language / script

हिन्दी / देवनागरीతెలుగు தமிழ்ಕನ್ನಡ മലയാളം ગુજરાતી বাংলা ଓଡ଼ିଆ ਪੰਜਾਬੀ English සිංහල 𑌗𑍍𑌰𑌨𑍍𑌥

✦ Meaning

This profound verse describes the inner life of the realised sage (sthitaprajna). What ordinary beings ignore — the eternal Self and spiritual truth — is the very thing in which the wise one is fully 'awake' and absorbed. And what the world stays awake for — sense objects and worldly pursuits — is like 'night' to the sage, who finds no value in it. It reveals the complete reversal of vision that comes with self-knowledge.

Origin & Story

Bhagavad Gita Chapter 2, Verse 69 · Sage Veda Vyasa (Mahabharata, Bhishma Parva) · Ancient (text compiled c. 5th–2nd century BCE)

Toward the end of the second chapter, Sankhya Yoga, Krishna describes the sthitaprajna — the person of steady, established wisdom. This verse is part of that portrait, illustrating the inner reversal of vision in one who is established in Self-knowledge, awake to the eternal while detached from the fleeting world.

✦ As told in scripture

Sages say that one who truly grasps this verse begins to live a kind of 'waking sleep' in the world — present and active outwardly, yet inwardly absorbed in the changeless Self, untouched by the agitations that rob ordinary minds of peace.

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The Mantra

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या निशा सर्वभूतानां तस्यां जागर्ति संयमी। यस्यां जाग्रति भूतानि सा निशा पश्यतो मुनेः॥

yā niśhā sarva-bhūtānāṁ tasyāṁ jāgarti sanyamī yasyāṁ jāgrati bhūtāni sā niśhā paśhyato muneḥ

Meaning:That which is night to all beings, in that the self-controlled sage is awake; and that in which all beings are awake is night for the sage who truly sees.

Word-by-Word Meaning

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या🔊yāwhich

निशा🔊niśhānight

सर्वभूतानाम्🔊sarva-bhūtānāmof all living beings

तस्याम्🔊tasyāmin that

जागर्ति🔊jāgartiis awake

संयमी🔊sanyamīthe self-controlled one

यस्याम्🔊yasyāmin which

जाग्रति🔊jāgratiare awake

भूतानि🔊bhūtānicreatures, beings

सा🔊sāthat

निशा🔊niśhānight

पश्यतः🔊paśhyataḥof the seeing one

मुनेः🔊muneḥof the sage

Benefits of Chanting Bhagavad Gita 2.69 — Ya Nisha Sarva-bhutanam

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Reveals the inner vision of a self-realised sage (sthitaprajna)

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Helps reorient the mind from sense pleasures toward the eternal Self

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Cultivates discrimination (viveka) between the real and the unreal

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Inspires detachment from worldly distractions

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Deepens meditation by clarifying what is truly worth being 'awake' to

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Brings lasting peace through inner wakefulness rather than outer chasing

How to Chant Bhagavad Gita 2.69 — Ya Nisha Sarva-bhutanam

Repetitions11times

Best TimeEarly morning (Brahma Muhurta) or before meditation; also at night before sleep for reflection

Recite this verse slowly and contemplate its meaning rather than chanting it mechanically. Reflect on what you are 'awake' to during the day — and gently turn your awareness toward the inner Self that the sage is awake to. It is an excellent verse for nightly self-inquiry and for settling the mind before meditation, helping you withdraw from outer distractions into inner stillness.

Frequently Asked Questions

The verse uses 'night' and 'awake' metaphorically. The sage is 'awake' (alert and absorbed) in the knowledge of the eternal Self, which ordinary people treat as 'night' (ignore). Conversely, worldly sense pursuits, which keep the world 'awake', are 'night' to the sage — he sees no real value in them.

The muni is the sthitaprajna — the person of steady wisdom described throughout the latter part of chapter 2. Such a sage has realised the Self, withdrawn the mind from sense objects, and lives established in inner truth and peace.

No, it is entirely symbolic. It is not about literal sleeping and waking but about where one's awareness and interest are directed. The sage is inwardly awake to the Self while remaining detached from the worldly concerns that absorb most people.

It invites self-examination: ask yourself what you are most 'awake' to. By gradually turning attention toward the eternal Self and away from endless sense pursuits, the seeker moves closer to the inner wakefulness and peace of the realised sage.