Chap 2, Shloka 68 - 72

Shloka 68 to 72.
Translations from Shri Prabhupada's "Bhagavad Gita As it is"
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Shloka 68
tasmad yasya maha-baho nigrhitani sarvasah
indriyanindriyarthebhyas tasya prajna pratisthita

SYNONYMS
tasmat--therefore; yasya--of one's; maha-baho--O mighty-armed one; nigrhitani--so curbed down; sarvasah--all around; indriyani--the senses; indriya-arthebhyah--for the sake of sense objects; tasya--his; prajna--intelligence; pratisthita--fixed.

TRANSLATION
Therefore, O mighty-armed, one whose senses are restrained from their objects is certainly of steady intelligence.

PURPORT
As enemies are curbed by superior force, similarly, the senses, can be curbed not by any human endeavor, but only by keeping them engaged in the service of the Lord. One who has understood this--that only by Krsna consciousness is one really established in intelligence and that one should practice this art under the guidance of a bona fide spiritual master--is called sadhaka, or a suitable candidate for liberation.

Shloka 69
ya nisa sarva-bhutanam tasyam jagarti samyami
yasyam jagrati bhutani sa nisa pasyato muneh


SYNONYMS
ya--what; nisa--is night; sarva--all; bhutanam--of living entities; tasyam--in that; jagarti--wakeful; samyami--the self-controlled; yasyam--in which; jagrati--awake; bhutani--all beings; sa--that is; nisa--night; pasyatah--for the introspective; muneh--sage.

TRANSLATION
What is night for all beings is the time of awakening for the self-controlled; and the time of awakening for all beings is night for the introspective sage.

PURPORT
There are two classes of intelligent men. The one is intelligent in material activities for sense gratification, and the other is introspective and awake to the cultivation of self-realization. Activities of the introspective sage, or thoughtful man, are night for persons materially absorbed. Materialistic persons remain asleep in such a night due to their ignorance of self-realization. The introspective sage remains alert in the "night" of the materialistic men. The sage feels transcendental pleasure in the gradual advancement of spiritual culture, whereas the man in materialistic activities, being asleep to self-realization, dreams of varieties of sense pleasure, feeling sometimes happy and sometimes distressed in his sleeping condition. The introspective man is always indifferent to materialistic happiness and distress. He goes on with his self-realization activities undisturbed by material reaction.

Shloka 70

apuryamanam acala-pratistham samudram apah pravisanti yadvat
tadvat kama yam pravisanti sarve sa santim apnoti na kama-kami

SYNONYMS
apuryamanam--always filled; acala-pratistham--steadily situated; samudram--the ocean; apah--water; pravisanti--enter; yadvat--as; tadvat--so; kamah--desires; yam--unto one; pravisanti--enter; sarve--all; sah--that person; santim--peace; apnoti--achieves; na--not; kama-kami--one who desires to fulfill desires.

TRANSLATION
A person who is not disturbed by the incessant flow of desires--that enter like rivers into the ocean which is ever being filled but is always still--can alone achieve peace, and not the man who strives to satisfy such desires.

PURPORT
Although the vast ocean is always filled with water, it is always, especially during the rainy season, being filled with much more water. But the ocean remains the same--steady; it is not agitated, nor does it cross beyond the limit of its brink. That is also true of a person fixed in Krsna consciousness. As long as one has the material body, the demands of the body for sense gratification will continue. The devotee, however, is not disturbed by such desires because of his fullness. A Krsna conscious man is not in need of anything because the Lord fulfills all his material necessities. Therefore he is like the ocean--always full in himself. Desires may come to him like the waters of the rivers that flow into the ocean, but he is steady in his activities, and he is not even slightly disturbed by desires for sense gratification. That is the proof of a Krsna conscious man--one who has lost all inclinations for material sense gratification, although the desires are present. Because he remains satisfied in the transcendental loving service of the Lord, he can remain steady, like the ocean, and therefore enjoy full peace. Others, however, who fulfill desires even up to the limit of liberation, what to speak of material success, never attain peace. The fruitive workers, the salvationists, and also the yogis who are after mystic powers, are all unhappy because of unfulfilled desires. But the person in Krsna consciousness is happy in the service of the Lord, and he has no desires to be fulfilled. In fact, he does not even desire liberation from the so-called material bondage. The devotees of Krsna have no material desires, and therefore they are in perfect peace.


Shloka 71
vihaya kaman yah sarvan pumams carati nihsprhah
nirmamo nirahankarah sa santim adhigacchati


SYNONYMS
vihaya--after giving up; kaman--all material desires for sense gratification; yah--the person; sarvan--all; puman--a person; carati--lives; nihsprhah--desireless; nirmamah--without a sense of proprietorship; nirahankarah--without false ego; sah--all; santim--perfect peace; adhigacchati--attains.

TRANSLATION
A person who has given up all desires for sense gratification, who lives free from desires, who has given up all sense of proprietorship and is devoid of false ego--he alone can attain real peace.

PURPORT
To become desireless means not to desire anything for sense gratification. In other words, desire for becoming Krsna conscious is actually desirelessness. To understand one's actual position as the eternal servitor of Krsna, without falsely claiming this material body to be oneself and without falsely claiming proprietorship over anything in the world, is the perfect stage of Krsna consciousness. One who is situated in this perfect stage knows that because Krsna is the proprietor of everything, therefore everything must be used for the satisfaction of Krsna. Arjuna did not want to fight for his own sense satisfaction, but when he became fully Krsna conscious he fought because Krsna wanted him to fight. For himself there was no desire to fight, but for Krsna the same Arjuna fought to his best ability. Desire for the satisfaction of Krsna is really desirelessness; it is not an artificial attempt to abolish desires. The living entity cannot be desireless or senseless, but he does have to change the quality of the desires. A materially desireless person certainly knows that everything belongs to Krsna (isavasyam idam sarvam), and therefore he does not falsely claim proprietorship over anything. This transcendental knowledge is based on self-realization--namely, knowing perfectly well that every living entity is the eternal part and parcel of Krsna in spiritual identity, and therefore the eternal position of the living entity is never on the level of Krsna or greater than Him. This understanding of Krsna consciousness is the basic principle of real peace.

Shloka 72
esa brahmi sthitih partha nainam prapya vimuhyati
sthitvasyam anta-kale 'pi brahma-nirvanam rcchati


SYNONYMS
esa--this; brahmi--spiritual; sthitih--situation; partha--O son of Prtha; na--never; enam--this; prapya--achieving; vimuhyati--bewilders; sthitva--being so situated; asyam--being so; anta-kale--at the end of life; api--also; brahma-nirvanam--spiritual (kingdom of God); rcchati--attains.

TRANSLATION
That is the way of the spiritual and godly life, after attaining which a man is not bewildered. Being so situated, even at the hour of death, one can enter into the kingdom of God.

PURPORT
One can attain Krsna consciousness or divine life at once, within a second--or one may not attain such a state of life even after millions of births. It is only a matter of understanding and accepting the fact. Khatvanga Maharaja attained this state of life just a few minutes before his death, by surrendering unto Krsna. Nirvana means ending the process of materialistic life. According to Buddhist philosophy, there is only void after the completion of this material life, but Bhagavad-gita teaches differently. Actual life begins after the completion of this material life. For the gross materialist it is sufficient to know that one has to end this materialistic way of life, but for persons who are spiritually advanced, there is another life after this materialistic life. Before ending this life, if one fortunately becomes Krsna conscious, he at once attains the stage of brahma-nirvana. There is no difference between the kingdom of God and the devotional service of the Lord. Since both of them are on the absolute plane, to be engaged in the transcendental loving service of the Lord is to have attained the spiritual kingdom. In the material world there are activities of sense gratification, whereas in the spiritual world there are activities of Krsna consciousness. Attainment of Krsna consciousness even during this life is immediate attainment of Brahman, and one who is situated in Krsna consciousness has certainly already entered into the kingdom of God.
Brahman is just the opposite of matter. Therefore brahmi sthitih means "not on the platform of material activities." Devotional service of the Lord is accepted in the Bhagavad-gita as the liberated stage. Therefore, brahmi sthitih is liberation from material bondage.