दुःखेष्वनुद्विग्नमनाः सुखेषु विगतस्पृहः । वीतरागभयक्रोधः स्थितधीर्मुनिरुच्यते ॥
duḥkheṣv anudvigna-manāḥ sukheṣu vigata-spṛhaḥ | vīta-rāga-bhaya-krodhaḥ sthita-dhīr munir ucyate ||
Unmoved in sorrow, ungreedy in joy, free from passion, fear, and anger — that is the steady sage.
Word by word (3)
- anudvigna-manāḥ
- — mind not agitated / not disturbed · An (not) + udvigna (agitated, shaken — from ud+vij, to tremble). The sthitaprajña in sorrow does not have an untroubled mind because they are numb; they experience sorrow fully but the mind does not get swept away into panic, despair, or collapse. The witness remains present even in pain.
- vigata-spṛhaḥ
- — free from longing / craving dissolved · Vigata (gone, departed) + spṛhā (longing, craving for more). In pleasure/joy, the untrained mind reaches for more — 'I want this to last forever.' The sthitaprajña enjoys fully but does not reach. Vigata-spṛhā is not suppression but the natural absence of the reaching-impulse.
- vīta-rāga-bhaya-krodhaḥ
- — free from passion, fear, and anger · Three fundamental reactive patterns gone: rāga (passion/attachment), bhaya (fear), krodha (anger). These are the three great psychological distorters — rāga pulls toward, bhaya pushes away, krodha erupts when what rāga wanted is blocked. The sthitaprajña is not emotionless but is not governed by these reactions.
The sage of steady wisdom is one whose mind is not shaken by sorrow, who has no craving when good things come, and who is free from passion, fear, and anger. Such a one is called a muni — a wise sage.
A modern analogy
Consider someone receiving a terminal diagnosis. Two responses: one collapses in despair and rage. The other is deeply present — fully acknowledging the pain, without the mind running into catastrophic spirals. Or receiving great news — one person quietly enjoys it without needing to broadcast, without the anxious undercurrent of 'I hope this lasts.' Both faces of V56: unmoved in sorrow, ungreedy in joy.
Take with you
- The test of inner stability is how you handle bad news, not just meditation sessions.
- Freedom from craving in good times is as important as resilience in bad times — the reaching-for-more habit is subtle.
- Passion (rāga), fear (bhaya), and anger (krodha) are the three reactive patterns to watch in yourself.
- The sthitaprajña feels — they are not numb. The difference is the feeling does not collapse into reactive pattern.
V56 gives the second mark of the sthitaprajña: equanimity in duḥkha (suffering) and sukha (pleasure). The verse precisely names the three root reactive patterns that the Gita associates with ego-bondage: rāga (passionate attachment), bhaya (fear), and krodha (anger). These three are deeply connected: rāga causes us to grasp what we enjoy; bhaya arises from the prospect of losing it; krodha erupts when the grasp fails. The sthitaprajña has not suppressed these but has seen through the ego-identification that fuels them. V62-63 will detail the 'chain of destruction' that begins with attachment — V56 is the portrait of one who has stepped outside that chain entirely. The word muni (sage, one who reflects in silence) is significant: the steady one is a muni — a person of inner silence from which wisdom speaks.
Modern parallels
Viktor Frankl described the 'last human freedom' — the freedom to choose one's response to any stimulus. This gap between stimulus and response is the experiential ground of anudvigna-manāḥ. Daniel Goleman's emotional intelligence research identifies exactly these three disruptors: craving, fear, and anger as the prime hijackers of the prefrontal cortex's clear judgment. The sthitaprajña's portrait is essentially a description of optimized emotional regulation.
Public-domain translations (5) compare all →
He whose mind is not shaken by adversity, who does not crave pleasures in prosperity, who is free from passion, fear, and wrath — he is called a steadfast sage. [1]
One whose mind is not shaken by adversity, who does not hanker after pleasures, and who is free from attachment, fear, and anger — is called a muni of steady wisdom. [4]
He who is undisturbed in sorrow, who is without longing in pleasure, from whom passion, fear, and anger have passed away — such a one is called a sage of steady mind. [6]
Who, if the dreaded thunderbolt fall, Quakes not, who when the sweet things of the world Delight not, being thus exempt from joy And grief, from heat and cold, from love and hate — Has ransom'd himself: 'Steadfast of soul.' [7]
One whose mind is not troubled in misfortune, who in prosperity is free from longing, from whom passion, fear, and anger have departed — such a steady-minded one is called a sage. [9]
This verse speaks to
Where this thread continues
Steady wisdom begins here: when all desires fall away and the Self finds fullness in itself alone.
No sticky attachment anywhere — meeting good or bad without rejoicing or hatred. Wisdom firmly rooted.
Not elated at pleasant, not disturbed at unpleasant — steady, undeluded, the brahma-vit rests in Brahman.
The guṇātīta neither hates light, activity, or delusion when present — nor yearns for them when absent.
No effort on this path is ever wasted — even a little progress protects you from great fear.
With senses, mind and buddhi controlled, free of desire, fear and anger — the liberation-oriented muni is ever-free.