Chapter5 Shloka23 - Shrimad Bhagvad Gita

Shrimad Bhagvad Gita

Chapter 5 : Karma Sanyas Yoga - The Yoga of renunciation

Ch 05 : Sh 23

शक्नोतीहैव यः सोढुं प्राक्शरीरविमोक्षणात्‌ ।
कामक्रोधोद्भवं वेगं स युक्तः स सुखी नरः ॥

Transliteration

śaknotīhaiva yaḥ soḍhuṃ prāk-śarīra vimokṣaṇāt |
kāma krodhodbhavaṃ vegaṃ sa yuktaḥ sa sukhī naraḥ || 23 ||

Translation

Before giving up this present body, if one is able to tolerate the urges of the material senses and check the force of desire and anger, he is a yogī (competent for Self-realization)and is happy in this world.

Purport

In earlier Shloka Bhagwan Krishna explained that it is wise for the human to know that sensual pleasures though look attractive but maybe a source of many miseries. Also, such happiness which is based upon sensual pleasure is not permanent. One who knows this truth and tries to control the impulses of desires attains pure and everlasting happiness in this world itself. He then becomes eligible for liberation.

The extended meaning of Shloka it gives a clear direction for a human to have a happy life. This Shloka tells that a human should not indulge into action only to satisfy his desires, but must judge the consequences. For example, having a desire for certain food or drink might be obvious due to the desire for taste or due to habit, but it might be harmful to health. If one blindly goes into satisfying his desires of food/drink he without thinking of health consequences may end up having bad health. Which is obviously causes long troubles and suffering.

A human hence must control the impulse of desires and judge for the consequences before indulging into action to satisfy them. One should indulge only in the right desires which give benefit to self, to family, and to society and shed away the bad desires.