5.21
बाह्यस्पर्शेष्वसक्तात्मा विन्दत्यात्मनि यत्सुखम् ।
स ब्रह्मयोगयुक्तात्मा सुखमक्षयमश्नुते ॥
bāhyasparśeṣv asaktātmā vindaty ātmani yat sukham
sa brahmayogayuktātmā sukham akṣayam aśnute
Kṛṣṇa (कृष्ण) continues. The pleasant thing of 5.20 is left outside, and a happiness inside the self is put in its place.
The verse
The man whose self is unattached to outer contacts finds the happiness that is in the self, and he, his self yoked in the yoga of brahman, reaches imperishable happiness.
नेपालीमा
बाहिरी स्पर्शमा अनासक्त आत्मा भएकोले आत्मामा भएको सुख पाउँछ। ब्रह्मको योगमा युक्त आत्मा भएको त्यो अविनाशी सुखमा पुग्छ।
Where it sits
5.20 told him not to rejoice at what arrives from outside. This verse says where the happiness is that he does find. It is in the self, and it does not wear out. The contacts are still called outer. He is unattached to them, and the verse does not say they stop happening.
Split: बाह्य-स्पर्शेषु + असक्त-आत्मा + विन्दति + आत्मनि + यत् + सुखम् + सः + ब्रह्म-योग-युक्त-आत्मा + सुखम् + अ-क्षयम् + अश्नुते
bāhya-sparśeṣu + asakta-ātmā + vindati + ātmani + yat + sukham + saḥ + brahma-yoga-yukta-ātmā + sukham + a-kṣayam + aśnute
Sanskrit, in depth
The words
| देवनागरी | Word | Grammar | Sense |
|---|---|---|---|
| बाह्य-स्पर्शेषु | bāhya-sparśeṣu | locative plural | in outer contacts. |
| असक्त-आत्मा | asakta-ātmā | nominative singular, bahuvrīhi (बहुव्रीहि) | one whose self is unattached. |
| विन्दति | vindati | present, 3rd singular of vid (विद्) | he finds. |
| आत्मनि | ātmani | locative singular | in the self. |
| यत् | yat | accusative singular neuter | which. |
| सुखम् | sukham | accusative singular | happiness. |
| सः | saḥ | nominative singular | he. |
| ब्रह्म-योग-युक्त-आत्मा | brahma-yoga-yukta-ātmā | nominative singular, bahuvrīhi (बहुव्रीहि) | one whose self is yoked in the yoga of brahman. |
| सुखम् | sukham | accusative singular | happiness. |
| अ-क्षयम् | a-kṣayam | accusative singular | imperishable. |
| अश्नुते | aśnute | present, 3rd singular of aś (अश्) | he reaches. |
The phrases
bāhyasparśeṣu asaktātmā (बाह्यस्पर्शेषु असक्तात्मा) is the man whose self does not cling to contacts from outside. vindati ātmani yat sukham (विन्दति आत्मनि यत् सुखम्) is what he finds: that happiness which is in the self.
saḥ brahmayogayuktātmā (सः ब्रह्मयोगयुक्तात्मा) names him again, by the yoga he is yoked in. सुखम् अक्षयम् अश्नुते sukham akṣayam aśnute is the second verb. He reaches a happiness that does not waste away. akṣayam (अक्षयम्) agrees with sukham (सुखम्).
sparśeṣu asakta (स्पर्शेषु असक्त) is recited sparśeṣv asakta (स्पर्शेष्वसक्त). The u (उ) before a vowel becomes v (व्). vindati ātmani (विन्दति आत्मनि) is recited vindaty ātmani (विन्दत्यात्मनि). सः is recited sa (स).
Sanskrit in this line
A final u (उ) before a vowel becomes v (व्). sparśeṣu asaktātmā (स्पर्शेषु असक्तात्मा) is recited sparśeṣv asaktātmā (स्पर्शेष्वसक्तात्मा). The v (व्) is not part of asakta (असक्त). It is the u (उ) of the locative plural --eṣu (एषु), pushed into a consonant so the next vowel can follow. Split it, and the locative ending is --eṣu (एषु) again.
Say it back
Say where the happiness is found. If ātmani (आत्मनि) comes out as "from the objects," stay here.