Bhagavad Gita 5.26
Spoken by Krishna · Verse 26 of 29
कामक्रोधवियुक्तानां यतीनां यतचेतसाम्। अभितो ब्रह्मनिर्वाणं वर्तते विदितात्मनाम्॥५-२६॥
kāma-krodha-vimuktānāṃ yatīnāṃ yata-cetasām | abhito brahma-nirvāṇaṃ vartate viditātmanām || 5.26 ||
For those freed from desire and anger, with controlled minds, knowing the Self — brahma-nirvāṇa exists on all sides.
Word by word (7)
- kāma-krodha-vimuktānām
- — of those freed from desire and anger (vimukta = fully released, freed — stronger than simply 'controlled')
- yatīnām
- — of strivers / of ascetics (yati = one who strives or makes effort, from yat = to strive; also means renunciant)
- yata-cetasām
- — of those with controlled/restrained minds (yata = controlled, cetas = mind, consciousness, inner faculty)
- abhitaḥ
- — on all sides / all around / everywhere — abhitaḥ is the key: not 'far away' but surrounding them on every side
- brahma-nirvāṇam
- — brahma-nirvāṇa — liberation in Brahman / extinction of the separate self in the Supreme
- vartate
- — exists / is present / abides / subsists — present tense, ongoing reality
- viditātmanām
- — of those who know the Self (vidita = known/understood, ātman = Self) — those for whom the Self is a known, experienced reality
For those self-controlled strivers, freed from desire and anger, their minds subdued, who have known the Self — the peace of Brahman abides on every side.
A modern analogy
A person standing in a field of Wi-Fi signal but without a receiver gets no connection. The signal is everywhere — abhitaḥ, on all sides. The moment the receiver is tuned, the connection is immediate. It was always there. Brahma-nirvāṇa is the signal. The three qualities of this verse — freedom from desire and anger, a controlled mind, and Self-knowledge — are the receiver being tuned. Once tuned, the omnipresent connection becomes actual experience.
What it does NOT mean
Abhitaḥ ('on all sides') is not poetic exaggeration. It is a precise statement about where brahma-nirvāṇa is located for the qualified person: everywhere, surrounding them completely, already present. The three qualifications (freed from kāma-krodha, controlled mind, Self-knowledge) are not requirements before brahma-nirvāṇa appears from a distance — they are the conditions under which the already-present brahma-nirvāṇa becomes perceptible.
Take with you
- Abhitaḥ (on all sides) is the most surprising word in this verse. Liberation is not at the end of a long road — it surrounds the qualified person. This reframes the spiritual journey: it is not a journey toward brahma-nirvāṇa but a removal of what prevents its recognition.
- The three qualifications — freedom from desire and anger (kāma-krodha), a governed mind (yata-cetas), and knowledge of the Self (viditātman) — are the same themes developed across the nearby verses: the release from pleasure-craving born of outer contact, the withstanding of the force of desire and anger, and the inner joy and Self-knowledge that culminate in brahma-nirvāṇa. This verse draws the cluster together: all three must converge before the surrounding brahma-nirvāṇa becomes accessible.
- Vartate — 'exists/abides' — is present tense. Not 'will exist' after death or after great effort. It IS, right now, for those with these three qualities. The recognition is possible in this body, in this life — here itself, once more.
Public-domain translations (6) compare all →
"For those strivers freed from desire and anger, with controlled minds, who know the Self — brahma-nirvāṇa exists on all sides." [1]
"For those ascetics who are free from desire and anger, who have controlled their thoughts and who have realised the Self, the Brahmic bliss exists on all sides." [4]
"For those who are freed from desire and wrath, who are self-controlled, who have realised the Self — the peace of the ETERNAL is all around them here and hereafter." [5]
"Brahmic bliss is on all sides of those devotees who are free from desire and anger, who restrain their minds and who have obtained knowledge of the Self." [6]
"For those delivered from desire and wrath, who have subdued themselves and know themselves — the bliss of Brahman dwells near on all sides." [7]
"The Brahmic bliss is on both sides of those self-restrained devotees who are free from desire and wrath, who have controlled their thoughts, and who know the Self." [9]
This verse speaks to
Where this thread continues
Joy within, delight within, light within — that yogi, become Brahman, attains brahma-nirvāṇa.
Seers with sins destroyed, doubts cut, self-controlled, devoted to all beings' welfare — they attain brahma-nirvāṇa.
Withstand desire and anger's force here in this body — that one is yoked, that one is happy.
Peaceful, fearless, vowed to brahmacharya, mind on Krishna — yoked in practice, with the Supreme as the final goal.
Steady wisdom begins here: when all desires fall away and the Self finds fullness in itself alone.
When the completely controlled mind rests serenely in the Self alone, free from all desire-pull — that is called yoga.
Verse 26 of 29 · back to Chapter 5