Who is Stitha Pragya? Who is situated in true Knowledge?
Bhagavad Gita: Verses 2.54 and 2.55 Explained
Introduction
Bhagavad Gita is a conversation between Krishna and Arjun. This dialogue begins just before the war of Mahabharata is about to begin. On seeing his family in opposition, Arjun is gripped with fear and confusion and wants to run away, but Krishna convinces him to fight and tells Arjun why he today raise his weapons to kill his brothers and relatives in this war.
Bhagavad Gits teaches us how to live life!
The core message of the Bhagavad Gita is considered very powerful for it can fundamentally transform the way you live your life. Bhagavad Gita is also called a summary of Vendantic Knowledge or simply ancient Knowledge.
Bhagavad Gita is crystallized form of the Hindu thought.
Bhagavad Gita is 700 verses long, spread across 18 chapters. Here we will understand Verses 54 & 55 of Chapter 2 of the Bhagavad Gita.
Verse 2.54
अर्जुन उवाच |
स्थितप्रज्ञस्य का भाषा समाधिस्थस्य केशव |
स्थितधी: किं प्रभाषेत किमासीत व्रजेत किम् || 54||
Arjuna uvacha
sthita-prajnasya ka bhasha samadhi-sthasya keshava
sthita-dhih kim prabhasheta kim asita vrajeta kim
Translation
Arjun spoke:
Hey Krishna, One who is Stith Pragya i.e. the one with steady intellect, the one who is in Samadhi i.e Super Consciousness, what is his language? How does he talk? How does he sit? How does he walk?
Verse 2.55
श्रीभगवानुवाच |
प्रजहाति यदा कामान्सर्वान्पार्थ मनोगतान् |
आत्मन्येवात्मना तुष्ट: स्थितप्रज्ञस्तदोच्यते || 55||
Shri bhagavan uvacha
prajahati yada kaman sarvan partha mano-gatan
atmany-evatmana tushtah sthita-prajnas tadochyate
Translation
Krishna said:
Hey Pritha’s Son (Arjun), When a person drops all selfish desires from his mind, then in that state he is content & satisfied in the Atma i.e. Self.
In such a state he is said to be in Stitha Pragya i.e. situated in true knowledge
Commentary
Arjun, till now, has been listening to Krishna intently. He all of a sudden asks Krishna a deep question. This question seems to come out of nowhere but is indeed very important.
Arjun asks Krishna two questions which are related
Q1: Who is Stitha Pragya?
Q2: What are the qualities of people who dwell in Samadhi?
Krishna answers Arjun’s first question in this verse and tells who is Sthitha Pragya and what it means.
Stitha Pragya
Stitha means “Situtated” and Pragya (also written as Prajna) means “Knowledge”. Pragya is a Pali word for Gyaan, which is also spelt as Jnana.
So Stitha Pragya means “one who is situated in Knowledge”. For our understanding we can simply call such people “The Wise Ones”
The building of intellect of such a person is built upon a stable foundation of knowledge and thus this building of intellect can grow tall and touch the clouds of wisdom!
Now true wisdom reflects in thoughts and in actions. So the one who is “Stitha Pragya” will act out of wisdom. He will act wisely. Such a person knows that the mind must be controlled and will also be able to control his mind through consistent effort.
Krishna says that one can achieve the state of Stitha Pragya when he drops all selfish desires and achieves a state of contentment in his being, in his own self.
The Wise ones Rise above Pleasure and Pain
In such a state of desirelessness, the mind rises above the pleasure and pain, which a common man faces in his everyday life. The wise one knows that Pleasure and Pain, no matter how intense, are temporary and they shall pass. They know that emotions are like seasons, and time will never be the same, for everything changes in the universe. In fact change is the only constant.
The Wise Ones Know the Truth about Desire
Such wise ones are able to see through the reality of Desire. They know the desire by its very nature can’t be fulfilled. They know that with the pleasure of attaining a desire, comes the craving to achieve more.
Desire is like a Thrist which only grows as you drink!
Thus they stop running behind such desires. They know that this race never ends, so it is best to walk at one’s own pace!
The wise ones know that Selflessness is the key to Peace and Happiness
Such people know that the absence of desire is not possible in life. For even wanting to walk in a certain direction is indeed a desire. But they also know the secret of desiring the right way. They know that Desire can’t be avoided, but Selfish desires can be dropped.
Thus these people become selfless in their goals and they work for others. They work for the world. They truly want to help people and expect nothing in return.
These wise ones know that true happiness is in giving!
They know that if you are to have Desire then have the Desire to help others!
The wise ones realise the pain can’t be avoided
The wise ones know that Pain is real, and it is inevitable. When your body is hurt, there will be pain, and you will feel it no matter how much you try and avoid it.
Pain is a universal occurrence and has its value.
Without Pain, pleasure will have no meaning.
But the wise ones know that while Pain is unavoidable, misery and suffering can be avoided. As pain is real and felt by the body and the mind, but suffering is mental. We feel miserable only in our minds, we suffer only in our thoughts.
Pain comes and goes, but the misery remains. Pain is like a fire which burns and extinguishes. Suffering is like the smoke and ash, which lingers on for long after the fire is gone.
The wise ones know that Joy and Sorrow are part of the same coin
The wise ones know the your Sorrows are your Joys unmasked.
They know that Joy and sorrow, both have the same source. One exists due to the other. One gives a reason for the other’s existence. One gives meaning to the other. We hate sorrow, as we love joy. We love joy, as we hate sorrow.
Joy and Sorrow are the faces of the same coin. If you crave one, the other will also come!
The wise ones know that true Happiness is Desirelessness
The wise ones avoid desire as much as possible. They drop their Ego and attain a state where there is an absence of Selfish desire.
Then they fill up their mind with desires which aims to help others. In this way, they are working and are in constant motion in their lives, but are still free from the shackles of desires.
Selfless Desire gives them a reason to live, keeps them occupied, also brings money, fame, and success. But these were not the aim, they are the by-product.
But Selfless Desire brings peace and lasting happiness. It brings Sukh and Shaanti.
Helping a person is the best thing a man can do for himself.
The irony is that being Selfless is actually a selfish act, for it guarantees the does Inner Peace and contentment of the seeker!
The wise ones know this secret and thus live a fulfilling life free from the fears of losing out, and free from the competition and rat race other people of this world succumb to.
The wise ones are content in Self
The wise ones know that Meditation is the path to Desirelessness.
Meditation is a state of thoughtlessness and when there are no thoughts, Desire can not be. This makes Meditation or Dhyaan a true state of desirelessness.
In this state, there is No EGO, for EGO is also a thought.
In absence of Ego, all that is left is the Self. The wise one thus while meditating are dwelling with the self. They are content with this state and seek nothing else.
Their life is a meditation of a different kind. They indulge in Nishkaam Karma and Karma Yoga, thus don’t seek fruit of their actions. Thus makes they do work for the sake of their duty. At the macro level there is desirelessness, and hence this too is Meditation.
Krishna’s Message
This what Krishna is trying to tell Arjun. That the wise ones or the Stitha Pragya, are remain with the self, and they remain in a state of desirelessness.
In this state their intellect is situated in knowledge and they they act with wisdom. Meditation is the key, Yoga is the method, and Desirelness is the way!
Thus Krishna has answered Arjun who a Stitha Pragya is!
