Bhagavad Gita Chapter 2 Verses 55–72 Define Sthitaprajna

Context: Arjuna’s question and the idea of a “stable” person

On the battlefield of Kurukṣetra, when Arjuna turns to Krishna in the Bhagavad Gītā, he asks not only about duty (*dharma* — ethical duty) but also about the inner qualities that let a person remain steady amid life’s turmoil. The term most often used in this context is sthitaprajña — “one whose wisdom is steady.” The discussion of the sthitaprajña mainly appears in Bhagavad Gītā chapter 2 (verses roughly 55–72) and is revisited in chapters such as 6 (on meditation and control of the mind).

What the text actually says — key, measurable pointers

• Bhagavad Gītā 2.55–72 lays out the characteristics of the sthitaprajña. The passage describes a person who is unshaken by pairs of opposites (pleasure/pain), who has subdued the senses, and who possesses a calm intellect. (See Gītā 2:56, 2:58–2:69 for these themes.)
• Chapter 6 (especially 6:4–6, 6:10–15) connects steadiness with disciplined practice — repeated effort (*abhyāsa*), gradual withdrawal of the mind from sense objects, and stable meditation.
• Earlier related verses such as 2.47–2.50 frame the requirement that action be performed with equanimity and without attachment to results — a practical foundation for inner steadiness.

Concise list: Qualities of a stable person (as given or implied in the Gītā)

• Equanimity in pleasure and pain — not elated by success nor devastated by failure (Gītā 2:14, 2:15).
• Freedom from strong desires and cravings — desires no longer drive the mind (2:55, 2:70).
• Control of the senses — the senses are subdued, not indulged (2:60–2:61).
• Steadfast intellect (*sthita-buddhi*) — discrimination that does not waver (2:54–2:56).
• Absence of egoistic pride — the self is steady, not inflated by transient gains (2:71).
• Detachment from outcome — acting without attachment to fruit of action (2:47).
• Compassion and even-mindedness — equal regard for friend and foe, gain and loss (2:44, 2:62–2:64).
• Self-knowledge — recognition of the true self beyond body and mind (2:20, 2:23–2:25).

How classical commentators read these lines

• Adi Śaṅkarācārya (Advaita): Emphasises knowledge (*jnāna*) of the non-dual Self as the root of steadiness. For Śaṅkara, removal of ignorance leads to natural detachment and equanimity.
• Rāmānuja and Viśiṣṭādvaita: Read steadiness in relation to devotion (*bhakti*) to a personal God; steady persons sustain attachment to God while performing duty.
• Madhva and Dvaita schools: Tend to stress ethical action and devotion within a dualist framework — steadiness is cultivated by right devotion and surrender.
• Modern commentators (e.g., Aurobindo, various modern teachers) highlight the Gītā’s practical psychology: steady wisdom is both the fruit of disciplined practice and the prerequisite for effective action.

Practical paths the Gītā recommends to cultivate steadiness

• Viveka (discrimination): Clarify what is transient and what is enduring — knowledge reduces clinging.
• Vairāgya (dispassion): Reduce attachment to possessions, reputation, bodily comforts.
• Indriya-nigraha (control of the senses): Train attention away from sensory captivation.
• Abhyāsa (steady practice): Repeated, measured practice of meditation, ethical living and duty.
• Bhakti or surrender (in many traditions): Cultivate devotion as a stabilising force; different schools understand this devotion differently.

How different living traditions apply the idea

• In many Vaiṣṇava communities, steadiness is linked to regular devotional practices (kīrtana, smaraṇa). The focus is on surrender and loving remembrance of God as the anchor.
• In Śaiva and Smārta contexts, steadiness often appears alongside jñāna and ritual discipline, with an emphasis on inner withdrawal and contemplative sādhanā.
• Householder traditions tend to stress performing social and familial duties with equanimity; renunciation is sometimes reinterpreted as interior non-attachment rather than total withdrawal from worldly life.

Contemporary relevance and limits

The Gītā’s teaching about the sthitaprajña has been influential in modern Indian thought precisely because it ties ethical action to psychological steadiness. Yet it is not a single, fixed program: different readers emphasise knowledge, devotion, or disciplined action. The Gītā itself suggests a synthesis — steady wisdom results when discrimination, ethical action, and disciplined practice come together.

Short practical caution

If you take up breath practices, intense fasting or prolonged meditation suggested by some traditional sādhanās, proceed under experienced guidance; these disciplines can affect health and wellbeing.

Closing reflection

When Arjuna asks what steadiness looks like, Krishna answers by sketching a life where the mind is neither tossed by outer events nor clings to passing satisfactions. Across centuries and schools this profile — of an undisturbed intellect, controlled senses, and compassionate equanimity — has remained a shared ideal. How it is achieved varies: through jñāna, bhakti, yoga, ritual discipline, or ethical living. That variety is part of the Gītā’s strength: it describes inner steadiness in ways that can speak to renunciates and householders alike.