Bhagavad Gita 5.24
Spoken by Krishna · Verse 24 of 29
योऽन्तःसुखोऽन्तरारामस्तथान्तर्ज्योतिरेव यः। स योगी ब्रह्मनिर्वाणं ब्रह्मभूतोऽधिगच्छति॥५-२४॥
yo 'ntaḥ-sukho 'ntar-ārāmas tathāntar-jyotir eva yaḥ | sa yogī brahma-nirvāṇaṃ brahma-bhūto 'dhigacchati || 5.24 ||
Joy within, delight within, light within — that yogi, become Brahman, attains brahma-nirvāṇa.
Word by word (7)
- yaḥ antaḥ-sukhaḥ
- — who finds joy within / whose happiness is inside (antaḥ = within, sukha = happiness)
- antar-ārāmaḥ
- — whose delight is within / whose recreation is inner (ārāma = garden, place of delight — metaphor for where one rests and plays)
- tathā antar-jyotiḥ eva yaḥ
- — and likewise whose light is within / who has inner illumination (jyotiḥ = light, flame, luminosity)
- sa yogī
- — that yogi / that one who is in yoga
- brahma-nirvāṇam
- — brahma-nirvāṇa — the extinction of separate self in Brahman / liberation in the supreme (nirvāṇa = extinction, from ni + vā = to blow out; brahma = ultimate reality)
- brahma-bhūtaḥ
- — having become Brahman / identified with Brahman / Brahman-natured
- adhigacchati
- — attains / reaches / arrives at — present tense, happening now
He whose joy is within, whose delight is within, whose light too is within — that yogi, having become Brahman, attains the peace of Brahman.
A modern analogy
A person who has worked deeply on self-knowledge reaches a point where they no longer need outer validation, entertainment, or stimulation to feel whole. Not because they are suppressing the need — but because they have genuinely found a source of aliveness within that is self-sustaining. They can sit in an empty room and not be bored. They can be alone and not be lonely. They can be in silence and not be anxious. The three qualities — antaḥ-sukha, antar-ārāma, antar-jyoti — are descriptions of this condition from the inside.
What it does NOT mean
Brahma-nirvāṇa is not annihilation or a blank state. Nirvāṇa literally means 'blown out' — the flame of the separate ego-self is extinguished, not consciousness itself. What remains is Brahman — pure being-consciousness-bliss. The prefix brahma- distinguishes this from the Buddhist nirvāṇa and makes clear: what is attained is the fullness of Brahman, not a void. This is the Gita's unique term for liberation-in-fullness.
Take with you
- Antaḥ-sukha, antar-ārāma, antar-jyoti: notice the triple 'within.' Krishna is pointing to three dimensions — happiness, recreation/delight, and illumination — all located inside. This is not a minor achievement; it is the complete relocation of life's centre from outside to inside.
- Brahma-bhūtaḥ adhigacchati — present tense. Not 'will attain after death' but attains — now. Brahma-nirvāṇa is a present-tense state, not a post-mortem reward. This is a direct continuation of the 'in this very life' note Krishna struck when he taught that equanimous minds conquer birth here itself, and again when he said the one who withstands desire and anger here is yoked and happy.
- The yogi described here has already done what the nearby verses pointed to: released the dependence on pleasures born of outer contact, cultivated the joy found within, and trained the capacity to withstand the force of desire and anger. This verse is the portrait of the one who has completed this arc.
Public-domain translations (6) compare all →
"He who finds his joy within, his delight within, his light within — that yogi, become Brahman, attains brahma-nirvāṇa." [1]
"He whose happiness is within, whose recreation is within, whose light is within — that Yogi, having become Brahman, attains the Brahmic bliss." [4]
"He who finds his happiness within, his joy within, his light within — that devotee, having become the ETERNAL, reacheth the peace of the ETERNAL." [5]
"The Yogi whose joy is within, his delight within, and his light within — becoming Brahman he achieves the Brahmic state of bliss." [6]
"He who finds his happiness within, his joy within, his light within — that devotee, being one with Brahman, reaches the bliss of Brahman." [7]
"He whose happiness is internal, whose recreation is internal, and whose light is internal — that devotee becomes identical with Brahman and attains the Brahmic bliss." [9]
This verse speaks to
Where this thread continues
Unattached to outer touches, finding joy within — joined to Brahman-yoga, the soul enjoys inexhaustible bliss.
Seers with sins destroyed, doubts cut, self-controlled, devoted to all beings' welfare — they attain brahma-nirvāṇa.
For those freed from desire and anger, with controlled minds, knowing the Self — brahma-nirvāṇa exists on all sides.
This is the Brahmic state. Attain it and you are never again deluded. Even at death — liberation.
Where the mind ceases, stilled by yoga — where the Self sees itself and rests content in itself: this is samādhi.
Practising thus always, with a controlled mind — the yogi reaches the supreme peace of nirvāṇa, abiding in the Supreme.
Verse 24 of 29 · back to Chapter 5