Bhagavad Gita Chapter 5 Verse 23 Meaning
He who is able, while still here in this world, to withstand the impulse born out of desire and anger before the liberation from the body, he is a Yogi, and he is a happy man.
BG 5.23
शक्नोतीहैव यः सोढुं प्राक्शरीरविमोक्षणात्। कामक्रोधोद्भवं वेगं स युक्तः स सुखी नरः
śhaknotīhaiva yaḥ soḍhuṁ prāk śharīra-vimokṣhaṇāt kāma-krodhodbhavaṁ vegaṁ sa yuktaḥ sa sukhī naraḥ
Meaning
He who is able, while still here in this world, to withstand the impulse born out of desire and anger before the liberation from the body, he is a Yogi, and he is a happy man.
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What Does Bhagavad Gita 5.23 Mean?
At this point in Karma Sanyasa Yoga, Krishna deepens His teaching on renunciation in action. He who is able, while still here in this world, to withstand the impulse born out of desire and anger before the liberation from the body, he is a Yogi, and he is a happy man. The verse advances the dialogue by connecting abstract principle to the concrete situation Arjuna faces. What distinguishes this verse is its integration of renunciation in action with the broader framework of the Gita's philosophy.
Rather than treating spiritual life as separate from worldly engagement, Krishna shows how inner peace can be realized through every aspect of human experience. In daily practice, this means bringing conscious awareness to moments where renunciation in action is tested — not as an impossible ideal but as a direction of growth. Each small alignment with this teaching strengthens the capacity for the next.
— Explained by the Nitya Team
What Is the Context of Bhagavad Gita 5.23?
The comparison between renunciation of action and selfless action, showing both lead to liberation.
Key themes in this chapter include Renunciation, Inner peace, Equality.
How Can I Apply Bhagavad Gita 5.23 in Daily Life?
- •When you need steadiness while dealing with renunciation
- •When practicing inner peace amid uncertainty
- •When applying equality to real-life choices
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Related Verses
BG 5.10
He who does actions, offering them to Brahman and abandoning attachment, is not tainted by sin, just as a lotus leaf is not tainted by water.
BG 5.18
Sages look with an equal eye on a Brahmana endowed with learning and humility, on a cow, an elephant, a dog, and even an outcaste.
BG 1.1
Dhritarashtra said, "What did my people and the sons of Pandu do when they had assembled together, eager for battle, on the holy plain of Kurukshetra, O Sanjaya?"
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