Bhagavad Gita Chapter 2, Verse 15 (BG 2.15) — Meaning, Translation & Commentary

Equanimity in the face of pleasure and pain is called titiksha—a quality deemed essential by the Upanishads for the realization of the atman. Keeping this in view, the Blessed Lord Krishna declares that one endowed with such fortitude becomes worthy of liberation. Here, liberation is understood through the word immortality. This should not be construed as the liberation of the gross body alone. The word is employed here in its broader sense. The body, mind, intellect, and all experiences gained through them are transient and impermanent. Because we identify ourselves with these limiting conditions, we are afflicted by their inherent nature of birth and death, and thus we suffer. Immortality means this: the person who recognizes their eternal nature as the atman, though experiencing all these phenomena and dwelling among them, is not touched by sorrow or delusion. They do not lose the remembrance of their immortal nature. Through the Bhagavad Gita, the great poet Vyasa, by means of the Blessed Lord Krishna, reveals to us the purpose of our life: the attainment of perfection. In this life, granted to us for but a brief span, we must strive toward this goal. Without anxiety, we are given the opportunity in these very circumstances to practice the supreme discipline of bearing with gladness the joys and sorrows that come our way in life. Titiksha does not mean bearing what comes with despair and dejection. Here it is specifically stated that one whose mind remains in equanimity amid the dualities of heat and cold—such a steadfast person becomes worthy of liberation. The purpose lies not in the endurance of a despondent person, but in thoroughly understanding the ever-changing nature of the world. In the discriminating person arises the capacity that in pleasure there is no excessive elation, nor in pain excessive sorrow. So long as we remain deeply attached to the body, we cannot free ourselves from the suffering inherent in it, and we become distressed. When love or hatred arises in the heart, and physical hardship must be endured, we gain the strength to bear it. Out of love for a child, when necessity demands that we educate them, we gladly renounce our bodily comforts and conveniences. That discomfort does not cause us pain. Similarly, for the attainment of ideals rooted in wisdom, we abandon the ease and comfort of body and mind. Countless patriots and revolutionaries throughout the world have endured great hardships and sacrificed their very lives to achieve the ideal of their nation's freedom. For the following reasons also, it is fitting for you to abandon grief and delusion and bear the cold and other dualities with peace. Because—