Bhagavad Gītā · Chapter 2, Verse 66
नास्ति बुद्धिरयुक्तस्य न चायुक्तस्य भावना।
न चाभावयतः शान्तिरशान्तस्य कुतः सुखम्।।
न चाभावयतः शान्तिरशान्तस्य कुतः सुखम्।।
nāsti buddhir-ayuktasya na cāyuktasya bhāvanā
na cābhāvayataḥ śāntir aśāntasya kutaḥ sukham
also searched as "nasti buddhir ayuktasya na chayuktasya bhavana"
Translation
There is no Buddhi for the unintegrated, nor is there contemplation of the self for him, and without contemplation of the self, there is no peace; and for one who lacks peace, where is the happiness?
Vāṇi's rendering
Without steadiness there is no clarity, no depth; without depth, no peace. And without peace, what happiness?
Word by word
| Sanskrit & transliteration | Meaning |
|---|---|
| नna | not |
| अस्तिasti | there is (sandhi: na + asti = nāsti) |
| बुद्धिःbuddhiḥ | clear discerning intelligence |
| अयुक्तस्यayuktasya | for the unyoked one, the mind not gathered |
| नna | not |
| चca | and |
| अयुक्तस्यayuktasya | for the unyoked one (sandhi: ca + ayuktasya = cāyuktasya) |
| भावनाbhāvanā | dwelling deeply, sustained inward attention |
| नna | not |
| चca | and |
| अभावयतःabhāvayataḥ | for one who does not dwell deeply (sandhi: ca + abhāvayataḥ = cābhāvayataḥ) |
| शान्तिःśāntiḥ | peace |
| अशान्तस्यaśāntasya | for the one without peace |
| कुतःkutaḥ | from where, how |
| सुखम्sukham | happiness |
Frequently asked
What does Bhagavad Gita Chapter 2 Verse 66 mean?
It traces a chain. An unyoked mind has no buddhi, no clear discernment. Without discernment there is no bhāvanā, no capacity to dwell deeply in anything. Without that depth there is no peace. And without peace, Krishna asks plainly, where would happiness come from? Each link rests on the one before it.
What is the meaning of nasti buddhir ayuktasya na chayuktasya bhavana?
Ayukta means unyoked — a mind scattered among the senses, pulled in every direction at once. Krishna says such a mind cannot see clearly and cannot stay with anything long enough for it to become real. Steadiness is not a reward for clarity. It is the ground clarity grows in.
Why does Krishna connect peace and happiness in this verse?
Because he refuses to treat happiness as something you can obtain directly. It is not an object out in the world; it is what an unagitated mind feels like from inside. Chase it while restless and you will keep arriving somewhere and finding the restlessness already there, waiting.
What is bhavana in Bhagavad Gita 2.66?
Bhāvanā is sustained dwelling — the mind resting on something until it soaks in, rather than skimming past. It is more than thinking about the truth; it is living close enough to it that it colours you. A restless mind can repeat a teaching. It cannot yet be changed by one.
Themes in this verse
Read every verse this way, held — inside Vāṇi.
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Commentary
Krishna builds a staircase and then lets Arjuna watch himself fall down it. Steadiness first — the mind yoked, gathered. Without that, no clear seeing. Without clear seeing, nothing goes deep enough to dwell in. Without depth, no peace, and once peace is gone happiness has nowhere to stand. Notice the direction of the argument. You have been reaching for the last link. You want to be happy, and you look for it in what can be arranged — a result, a person, an outcome. Krishna says happiness sits at the far end of a chain whose first link is inside you.