Bhagavad Gita 14.23
Spoken by Krishna · Verse 23 of 27
उदासीनवद् आसीनो गुणैर् न विचाल्यते । गुणा वर्तन्त इत्य् एवं योऽवतिष्ठति नेङ्गते ॥
udāsīna-vad āsīno guṇair na vicālyate | guṇā vartanta ity evaṃ yo'vatiṣṭhati neṅgate ||
Sitting as a neutral — unmoved by guṇas, knowing 'guṇas act' — firm, unshaken, the pure witness.
Word by word (3)
- udāsīna-vat āsīnaḥ guṇaiḥ na vicālyate
- — seated as if neutral/indifferent (udāsīna-vat = like one who is uninvolved, sitting above), not moved/disturbed (na vicālyate) by the guṇas
- guṇāḥ vartante iti evam
- — knowing 'the guṇas operate (among themselves)' — this recognition of guṇa-as-agent is the foundation of the guṇātīta stance
- yaḥ avatiṣṭhati na iṅgate
- — who remains firm (avatiṣṭhati = stands steadily, is well-established), and does not waver (na iṅgate = does not oscillate/move)
He sits like one who is uninvolved — a neutral witness. The guṇas do not disturb him. Knowing that 'the guṇas are acting among themselves,' he stands firm and does not waver.
A modern analogy
Imagine sitting on a riverbank watching the current. You are not in the water — you are the bank. The current (guṇas) rushes by with all its forces, but you are seated above it, firm, not swept along. 'The river flows' — that's all you note. This is udāsīna-vat: the watcher who is genuinely uninvolved.
Public-domain translations (4) compare all →
He who, seated as a neutral, is not moved by guṇas; who, thinking that guṇas act, is firm and moves not. [1]
He who, sitting like one unconcerned, is moved not by the Gunas, who knowing that the Gunas operate, is Self-centred and swerves not. [4]
He who, seated as a spectator, is not disturbed by the qualities, and who, thinking that the qualities act, remains firm and swerves not. [9]
He who sits as if indifferent and is not disturbed by the qualities, who, reflecting that the qualities alone are at work, stands apart and is not shaken. [13]
This verse speaks to
Where this thread continues
Whatever action a person initiates with body, speech, and mind — right or the reverse — these five are its causes.
One who — given the five causes — sees the self alone as doer due to unrefined intellect sees not; that is durmati.
Arjuna asks: what does the truly wise person look like? How do they speak, sit, and move?
Those whose sin has ended — virtuous in deed, freed from dvandva-delusion — worship Me with firm resolve.
By bhakti one truly knows what and who I am; then knowing Me truly, one enters into Me immediately.
Even the wise are confused about action vs. inaction. I will explain — knowing this frees you from all wrong.
Verse 23 of 27 · back to Chapter 14