Bhagavad Gītā · Chapter 2, Verse 68
तस्माद्यस्य महाबाहो निगृहीतानि सर्वशः।
इन्द्रियाणीन्द्रियार्थेभ्यस्तस्य प्रज्ञा प्रतिष्ठिता।।
इन्द्रियाणीन्द्रियार्थेभ्यस्तस्य प्रज्ञा प्रतिष्ठिता।।
tasmād yasya mahā-bāho nigṛhītāni sarvaśaḥ
indriyāṇīndriyārthebhyas tasya prajñā pratiṣṭhitā
also searched as "tasmad yasya mahabaho nigrihitani sarvashah"
Translation
Therefore, O mighty-armed one, he whose senses are restrained from going after their objects on all sides, his wisdom is firmly established.
Vāṇi's rendering
The one whose senses are fully drawn back from their objects — that one's wisdom stands firm.
Word by word
| Sanskrit & transliteration | Meaning |
|---|---|
| तस्मात्tasmāt | therefore, for this reason |
| यस्यyasya | of whom, whose |
| महाबाहोmahā-bāho | O mighty-armed one — Krishna's name for Arjuna |
| निगृहीतानिnigṛhītāni | held back, drawn in, kept under rein |
| सर्वशःsarvaśaḥ | on every side, completely, without exception |
| इन्द्रियाणिindriyāṇi | the senses (joined by sandhi to the next word) |
| इन्द्रियार्थेभ्यःindriya-arthebhyaḥ | from the objects the senses reach for |
| तस्यtasya | of that one, his |
| प्रज्ञाprajñā | wisdom, settled understanding |
| प्रतिष्ठिताpratiṣṭhitā | stands firm, is well founded |
Frequently asked
What does Bhagavad Gita Chapter 2 Verse 68 mean?
It closes an argument. Krishna has shown how one unguarded sense can carry the mind away; here he draws the conclusion. When the senses are held back from their objects on every side, wisdom no longer wobbles. The firmness belongs to prajñā, not to the senses — they are simply no longer steering.
What is the meaning of tasmad yasya mahabaho nigrihitani sarvashah?
Therefore, mighty-armed one, whose senses are drawn back completely from their objects — that one's wisdom stands established. Krishna calls Arjuna mighty-armed deliberately. The strength that bends a bow is the same strength being asked for now, turned inward on what the eyes and ears keep reaching toward.
Does this verse ask me to suppress my senses completely?
Not suppress — restrain. Nigṛhītāni is the language of reins, not of chains. The senses still see, still hear, still taste. What changes is who decides. A rider does not kill the horse to stop being dragged. He picks up the reins, and the horse becomes useful.
Why does Krishna say sarvashah, on every side?
Because partial guarding is no guarding. The previous verse said one roving sense is enough to take the whole mind, the way wind takes a boat. You may have five doors well watched and one left ajar. The draught comes through the one. Sarvaśaḥ closes the last door.
Themes in this verse
Read every verse this way, held — inside Vāṇi.
View on the App Store
Commentary
Therefore — the word matters. This is a conclusion, not a new instruction. Krishna has just shown one wandering sense dragging the mind off course the way wind takes a boat, and now he closes the argument: draw them back, all of them, and the mind stops being blown. Not one sense. Sarvaśaḥ — on every side. The single door you leave open is the one the weather comes through. And notice what stands firm here: not the senses, which never stand still, but wisdom. Withdrawal is not deadness; it is the hand on the reins. You already know which door you keep leaving open.