|| 5.20 ||
न प्रहृष्येत्प्रियं प्राप्य नोद्विजेत्प्राप्य चाप्रियम्। स्थिरबुद्धिरसंमूढो ब्रह्मविद्ब्रह्मणि स्थितः।।
na prahṛṣyet priyaṁ prāpya nodvijet prāpya cāpriyam sthire-buddhir asammūḍho brahma-vid brahmaṇi sthitaḥ
Word by Word
na (never) prahṛṣyet (rejoices) priyam (the pleasant) prāpya (achieving) na (never) udvijet (becomes agitated) prāpya (achieving) ca (also) apriyam (the unpleasant) sthira-buddhiḥ (self-intelligent) asammūḍhaḥ (unbewildered) brahma-vit (one who knows the Supreme) brahmaṇi (in the Supreme) sthitaḥ (situated)
Translation
A person who neither rejoices upon achieving something pleasant nor laments upon obtaining something unpleasant, who is self-intelligent, who is unbewildered, and who knows the science of God, is already situated in transcendence.
Meaning
Kṛṣṇa describes the emotional steadiness of a self-realized person. Such a person does not get ‘high’ or overjoyed when something pleasant happens, nor do they become depressed or agitated when they meet with the unpleasant. They have achieved ‘sthira-buddhiḥ’, or a steady intellect.
They are ‘asammūḍho’, unbewildered by the temporary fluctuations of material life. They know that both a promotion and a demotion, or a victory and a defeat, are just passing waves on the ocean of time. Their happiness is anchored in something much deeper than their current circumstances.
Knowing the Supreme (‘brahma-vit’) means knowing that the soul’s worth is independent of worldly success. Kṛṣṇa is showing Arjuna how to be a ‘spiritual rock’. If he can maintain this steadiness, he can handle any outcome of the war with grace. Inner stability is the fruit of knowing the Absolute Truth.