यः सर्वत्रानभिस्नेहस्तत्तत्प्राप्य शुभाशुभम् । नाभिनन्दति न द्वेष्टि तस्य प्रज्ञा प्रतिष्ठिता ॥
yaḥ sarvatrānabhisnehas tat tat prāpya śubhāśubham | nābhinandati na dveṣṭi tasya prajñā pratiṣṭhitā ||
No sticky attachment anywhere — meeting good or bad without rejoicing or hatred. Wisdom firmly rooted.
Word by word (3)
- anabhisnehaḥ
- — without sticky attachment / without clinging · An (without) + abhisneha. Sneha means oil, but also affection, adhesion — the quality of sticking. Abhisneha is the clinging-to quality of attachment. Anabhisneha is not coldness or indifference but non-sticky engagement: fully present, not leaving residue behind.
- śubhāśubham
- — the auspicious and the inauspicious / the good and the bad · Śubha (auspicious, good) + aśubha (inauspicious, bad). Life delivers both indiscriminately. The sthitaprajña receives both without the reactive pattern: nābhinandati (does not excessively rejoice) na dveṣṭi (does not hate).
- prajñā pratiṣṭhitā
- — wisdom is established / steady · Prati+sthā (to stand firm, to be rooted). The wisdom is pratiṣṭhitā — firmly planted, like a tree with deep roots. It does not lean with the wind of good or bad events. This is the culminating phrase of V55-57: the first three marks of sthita-prajña all end in this steadiness.
The one whose wisdom is established is free from clinging attachment everywhere — meeting whatever good or bad life brings, they neither rejoice excessively nor hate. Their wisdom is firmly planted.
A modern analogy
A scientist examining results: whether the experiment confirms their hypothesis or refutes it, they note the data with equal interest. No excessive celebration of confirmation, no bitterness at refutation. The data is the data. That quality of non-sticky engagement — present, interested, unattached — is anabhisneha.
Take with you
- Anabhisneha is not about not loving — it is about loving without grasping, engaging without clinging.
- The test of wisdom is your reaction to bad news as much as to good news — both should be met with equanimity.
- Notice where you leave emotional residue: where do you keep replaying the good thing (craving) or the bad thing (aversion)?
- Pratiṣṭhitā prajñā is rooted wisdom — it does not move with every event. Build that root.
V57 completes the first trio of sthitaprajña marks (V55: desires shed; V56: unmoved in pain/pleasure; V57: non-sticky). The key word is anabhisneha — without sticky clinging. This is not the elimination of love or engagement but the transformation of its quality: from adhesive (sneha-quality) to non-sticky presence. Shankaracharya uses the lotus analogy here: the lotus grows in water and mud but is untouched by them — this is anabhisneha. The meeting (prāpya = having obtained) with śubha and aśubha is real — the sthitaprajña does not live in a bubble of protected experience. Life continues to deliver both good and bad. The wisdom is in how it is received. The final phrase — prajñā pratiṣṭhitā — echoes and closes the first answer to Arjuna's question. In V54, Arjuna asked 'what is the description (bhāṣā) of the steady-wisdom one?' V55-57 give the inner marks. V58 onward will give the outer behavioral expressions.
Modern parallels
The Buddhist teaching on 'equanimity' (upekkhā) closely parallels anabhisneha: caring fully without grasping or pushing away. The Stoic practice of negative visualization (premeditatio malorum) — regularly imagining loss — was designed to train anabhisneha toward good fortune: enjoy it without believing it is permanent. Emotional regulation research (Gross, Lazarus) shows that the 'appraisal' of an event determines its emotional impact — the sthitaprajña has fundamentally altered their appraisal system through inner discipline.
Public-domain translations (5) compare all →
He who is free from attachment everywhere, who, meeting with this or that, good or bad, neither welcomes it with joy nor repels it with hatred — his wisdom is firmly established. [1]
He who is everywhere without attachment, on receiving the various good and evil, who neither exults nor hates — his wisdom is established. [4]
He who in all places is free from attachment, who meeting good or evil neither rejoices nor hates — his wisdom is firmly based. [6]
Who, meeting good or evil, is unmoved, Who neither joys nor grieves; the same in all, Whose wisdom is steadied — him we name 'The man of steadfast mind.' [7]
Who everywhere is free from attachments, who on meeting with good and evil neither rejoices nor recoils — his wisdom is fixed. [9]
This verse speaks to
Where this thread continues
Unmoved in sorrow, ungreedy in joy, free from passion, fear, and anger — that is the steady sage.
Like a tortoise draws in its limbs, the wise one withdraws senses from objects. Wisdom stands firm.
Not elated at pleasant, not disturbed at unpleasant — steady, undeluded, the brahma-vit rests in Brahman.
No thrill, no hatred, no grief, no craving — renouncing both good and evil — this full-devotee is dear to Me!
This knowledge, more secret than all secrets, has been declared to you — reflect on it fully and act as you wish.
Even the wise are confused about action vs. inaction. I will explain — knowing this frees you from all wrong.