bhagavad-gitagitakrishnasankhya-yoga

Bhagavad Gita 2.55 — Prajahati Yada Kaman

श्रीमद्भगवद्गीता २.५५ — प्रजहाति यदा कामान् in English · English

🕉️ hindu·📿 11× repetitions·🕐 Morning meditation or evening reflection on inner contentment and self-mastery·📜 Bhagavad Gita Chapter 2, Verse 55

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हिन्दी / देवनागरी తెలుగు தமிழ்ಕನ್ನಡ മലയാളം ગુજરાતી বাংলা ଓଡ଼ିଆ ਪੰਜਾਬੀEnglishසිංහල 𑌗𑍍𑌰𑌨𑍍𑌥

✦ Meaning

This verse begins Krishna's celebrated description of the sthitaprajna — the sage of steady wisdom — given in answer to Arjuna's question about how such a person speaks, sits and moves. Krishna's first criterion is inner freedom: when one renounces every craving of the mind and finds complete contentment within the Self alone, needing nothing outside, that person has attained unshakable wisdom. It defines the goal of the spiritual life as fulfillment found within.

Origin & Story

Bhagavad Gita Chapter 2, Verse 55 · Sage Veda Vyasa (Mahabharata, Bhishma Parva) · Ancient (text compiled c. 5th–2nd century BCE)

Toward the close of the Sankhya Yoga chapter, Arjuna asks Krishna how a person of steady wisdom speaks, sits and walks. Krishna answers with a luminous portrait of the sthitaprajna, beginning here: such a one has abandoned all the mind's desires and is utterly content within the Self. These verses became the classic description of the enlightened sage.

✦ As told in scripture

Sages have long held the verses on the sthitaprajna as a mirror for self-examination, and devotees recount that contemplating 'prajahati yada kaman' loosened the relentless pull of craving, replacing restlessness with a quiet, self-sufficient contentment that no outer loss could shake.

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The Mantra

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śhrī bhagavān uvācha prajahāti yadā kāmān sarvān pārtha mano-gatān ātmany-evātmanā tuṣhṭaḥ sthita-prajñas tadochyate

Meaning:The Blessed Lord said: When a person completely casts off all the desires of the mind, O Partha, and is satisfied in the Self by the Self alone, then is he said to be one of steady wisdom.

Word-by-Word Meaning

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śhrī bhagavān uvācha🔊the Supreme Lord said

prajahāti🔊casts off, completely discards

yadā🔊when

kāmān🔊desires, selfish cravings

sarvān🔊all

pārtha🔊O Partha (Arjuna, son of Pritha)

manaḥ-gatān🔊of the mind, dwelling in the mind

ātmani🔊in the Self

eva🔊only, alone

ātmanā🔊by the Self, by the purified mind

tuṣhṭaḥ🔊satisfied, content

sthita-prajñaḥ🔊one of steady wisdom, one whose intellect is firm

tadā🔊then, at that time

uchyate🔊is said, is called

Benefits of Chanting श्रीमद्भगवद्गीता २.५५ — प्रजहाति यदा कामान्

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Reveals the marks of a person of steady wisdom (sthitaprajna)

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Guides the seeker to find lasting contentment within the Self

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Helps release the endless cravings of the restless mind

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Cultivates inner peace independent of external circumstances

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Inspires equanimity, self-mastery and freedom from desire

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Serves as a meditative ideal for the goal of the spiritual path

How to Chant श्रीमद्भगवद्गीता २.५५ — प्रजहाति यदा कामान्

Repetitions11times

Best TimeMorning meditation or evening reflection on inner contentment and self-mastery

Recite this verse slowly while contemplating the state of being content within oneself, free of the mind's cravings. Let it serve as a daily aspiration to turn inward for fulfillment rather than seeking it in outer objects. Repeated with reflection, it gradually loosens the grip of desire and steadies the mind in the peace of the Self.

Frequently Asked Questions

This page shows the complete श्रीमद्भगवद्गीता २.५५ — प्रजहाति यदा कामान् written in the English script — the same Sanskrit/Hindi verses, transliterated character-by-character so you can read and chant comfortably. Tap any line (or the ▶ button) to hear it recited aloud.

Yes — only the script changes; the words and their meaning are the original. The verse-by-verse meaning, benefits and how-to-chant guidance on this page apply exactly the same.

Krishna teaches that a person of steady wisdom (sthitaprajna) is one who has cast off all selfish desires of the mind and is fully content within the Self alone. True and lasting fulfillment comes not from external acquisitions but from resting in one's own inner being.

A sthitaprajna is a sage of steady, established wisdom — one whose intellect is firm and unshaken by pleasure or pain. Verse 2.55 is the first of several verses (2.55–2.72) in which Krishna describes the qualities, conduct and serenity of such a realized person.

It points to freedom from selfish, binding cravings of the mind that disturb inner peace. The aim is not lifeless suppression but a natural fullness in which one no longer depends on external objects for happiness, having found complete satisfaction within the Self.

Practise turning inward for contentment instead of chasing one desire after another. When the mind craves, gently remind yourself that lasting peace is found within. Over time this cultivates the steady, serene mind of the sthitaprajna and frees you from restlessness.