|| 6.8 ||

ज्ञानविज्ञानतृप्तात्मा कूटस्थो विजितेन्द्रियः। युक्त इत्युच्यते योगी समलोष्टाश्मकाञ्चनः।।

jñāna-vijñāna-tṛptātmā kūṭa-stho vijitendriyaḥ yukta ity ucyate yogī sama-loṣṭrāśma-kāñcanaḥ

jñāna (acquired knowledge) vijñāna (realized knowledge) tṛpta (satisfied) ātmā (a person) kūṭa-sthaḥ (spiritually situated) vijita-indriyaḥ (sensually controlled) yuktaḥ (competent for self-realization) iti (thus) ucyate (is said) yogī (a mystic) sama (equally) loṣṭra (pebbles) aśma (stone) kāñcanaḥ (gold)

A person is said to be established in self-realization and is called a yogī when he is fully satisfied by virtue of acquired knowledge and realization. Such a person is situated in transcendence and is self-controlled. He sees everything—whether it be pebbles, stones or gold—as the same.

Kṛṣṇa defines the ‘Yogī’ based on their values. Such a person is ‘tṛptātmā’, meaning they are fully satisfied by a combination of ‘jñāna’ (book knowledge) and ‘vijñāna’ (lived experience). They have verified the spiritual truths in their own life and are no longer searching for anything else. Such a person is ‘kūṭa-stho’, standing firm and immovable like a mountain peak. They have mastered their senses and see everything—whether it be pebbles, stones, or gold—with an equal eye. To a materialist, gold is everything and a stone is nothing. But to a yogī, both are just different configurations of material energy. They value things only by their utility in spiritual service, not by their market price. This vision of ‘sama-loṣṭrāśma-kāñcanaḥ’ is the ultimate cure for greed and envy. Arjuna is being taught that true wealth is his inner realization, which is far more valuable than any kingdom or hoard of gold.
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