Bhagavad Gītā · Chapter 14, Verse 24
समदुःखसुखः स्वस्थः समलोष्टाश्मकाञ्चनः।तुल्यप्रियाप्रियो धीरस्तुल्यनिन्दात्मसंस्तुतिः।।
sama-duḥkha-sukhaḥ sva-sthaḥ sama-loṣṭāśma-kāñcanaḥ
tulya-priyāpriyo dhīras tulya-nindātma-sanstutiḥ
also searched as "sama-duhkha-sukhah sva-sthah sama-loshtashma-kanchanah"
Translation
He who is alike in pleasure and pain, who dwells in his Self, who looks upon a clod, a stone, and a piece of gold as of equal value, who remains the same towards things dear and hateful, and who is intelligent, who regards both blame and praise of himself as equal.
Vāṇi's rendering
At home in himself, alike in pain and pleasure; earth, stone, and gold the same; steady through blame and praise.
Word by word
| Sanskrit & transliteration | Meaning |
|---|---|
| समsama | the same, level, unmoved either way |
| दुःखduḥkha | pain, sorrow |
| सुखःsukhaḥ | pleasure — he for whom pain and pleasure weigh alike |
| स्वsva | one's own, his own self |
| स्थःsthaḥ | standing, settled — at home in himself |
| समsama | equal, of one value |
| लोष्टloṣṭa | a lump of earth, a clod (joined with the next word by sandhi) |
| अश्मaśma | stone, rock |
| काञ्चनःkāñcanaḥ | gold |
| तुल्यtulya | even, of equal weight |
| प्रियpriya | the dear, the agreeable (joined with the next word by sandhi) |
| अप्रियःapriyaḥ | the unwanted, the disagreeable |
| धीरःdhīraḥ | steady, firm, not easily rattled |
| तुल्यtulya | the same toward both |
| निन्दाnindā | blame, censure |
| आत्मātma | of oneself (joined with nindā by sandhi) |
| संस्तुतिःsaṃstutiḥ | praise, being spoken well of |
Frequently asked
What does Bhagavad Gita Chapter 14 Verse 24 mean?
It describes the one who has passed beyond the guṇas. Pain and pleasure weigh the same in him; a clod, a stone and gold are one price; blame and praise leave him where they found him. The key word is sva-sthaḥ — he stands in himself, and so has nothing riding on the verdicts around him.
What is the meaning of sama duhkha sukhah svasthah samaloshtashmakanchanah?
Alike in sorrow and in pleasure, settled in himself, holding earth, stone and gold at equal value. The line does not ask you to declare gold worthless. It describes someone who no longer needs it to feel like someone, and for whom its shine has therefore lost its pull.
Does this verse mean I should stop caring about anything?
No. Krishna calls him dhīraḥ — steady, not numb. Feeling still arrives; it simply no longer decides who he is. Indifference is a wall built against life. This is the opposite: a man so at home in himself that nothing outside has to be pushed away.
Why does Krishna mention blame and praise together?
Because they are one hunger with two faces. If praise can lift you, blame can drop you; the same door swings both ways. Krishna does not tell you to reject compliments. He points to the place where you stand — and asks whether it is yours, or borrowed each morning from other people's mouths.
Read every verse this way, held — inside Vāṇi.
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Commentary
Notice which item on this list is not a comparison. Alike in pain and pleasure, earth and gold the same, blame and praise weighing equal — and in the middle, sva-sthaḥ: standing in himself. That is not one more equality; it is the reason for all the others. Gold outranks a clod only for someone who needs something from it. Praise lifts you only if you were waiting to be told who you are. Krishna is not describing a man who has stopped feeling. He is describing a man who has stopped needing. Come home first, and the scales go quiet by themselves.