Bhagavad Gītā · Chapter 2, Verse 58
यदा संहरते चायं कूर्मोऽङ्गानीव सर्वशः।
इन्द्रियाणीन्द्रियार्थेभ्यस्तस्य प्रज्ञा प्रतिष्ठिता।।
इन्द्रियाणीन्द्रियार्थेभ्यस्तस्य प्रज्ञा प्रतिष्ठिता।।
yadā sanharate cāyaṁ kūrmo ’ṅgānīva sarvaśaḥ
indriyāṇīndriyārthebhyas tasya prajñā pratiṣṭhitā
also searched as "yada samharate chayam kurmo angani iva sarvashah"
Translation
When one is able to draw their senses away from the objects of sense on all sides, like a tortoise draws in its limbs, then their wisdom is firmly established.
Vāṇi's rendering
As a tortoise draws in its limbs, the wise draw the senses back from their objects.
Word by word
| Sanskrit & transliteration | Meaning |
|---|---|
| यदाyadā | when |
| संहरतेsaṁharate | draws in, gathers back |
| चca | and |
| अयम्ayaṁ | this one, this person |
| कूर्मःkūrmaḥ | a tortoise (sandhi: kūrmo before the following vowel) |
| अङ्गानिaṅgāni | limbs (sandhi: 'ṅgāni after kūrmo) |
| इवiva | like, just as |
| सर्वशःsarvaśaḥ | on every side, completely |
| इन्द्रियाणिindriyāṇi | the senses |
| इन्द्रियार्थेभ्यःindriya-arthebhyaḥ | away from the objects of the senses |
| तस्यtasya | his, that one's |
| प्रज्ञाprajñā | wisdom, the settled knowing |
| प्रतिष्ठिताpratiṣṭhitā | firmly established, standing steady |
Frequently asked
What does Bhagavad Gita Chapter 2 Verse 58 mean?
It gives a picture rather than a rule. As a tortoise gathers its limbs in at will, one whose prajñā is steady can draw the senses back from what they are reaching for. The mark of steadiness is not that the senses are dead, but that they answer when called.
What is the meaning of yada samharate chayam kurmo angani iva sarvashah?
When this one withdraws, on every side, as a tortoise withdraws its limbs — that is the line. Sarvaśaḥ matters: not one sense held back while the rest run out. The whole gathering happens together, quietly, without struggle, and then the knowing stands firm.
Does this verse ask me to suppress my senses?
No. A tortoise that could never extend its limbs would be crippled, not free. Krishna praises the ability to withdraw, which assumes the ability to engage. Suppression is a war with the senses; this is command over them. You still see, taste, listen — you simply are not dragged.
How do I actually practise what Bhagavad Gita 2.58 describes?
Begin with noticing the reach itself — the moment the eye goes toward the screen, the mind toward the old grievance. You cannot pull back a limb you never felt extend. Catch the going-out, and the coming-back becomes possible. Nothing dramatic is required, only that you be present at the departure.
Themes in this verse
Read every verse this way, held — inside Vāṇi.
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Commentary
The tortoise does not fight what it fears. It withdraws — and it can, because the limbs were always its own to move. Krishna gives Arjuna an image, not a discipline: the senses go out to their objects the way limbs go out to the ground, and they can be called back. Note what the verse does not say. It does not say break the limbs, or never walk again. The tortoise puts them out when it wills and pulls them in when it wills; that is the whole freedom. You are not asked to hate what you see. Only to be the one who decides when to look.