5.20 Neither exulting nor shrinking Krishna speaks
न प्रहृष्येत्प्रियं प्राप्य नोद्विजेत्प्राप्य चाप्रियम्
स्थिरबुद्धिरसम्मूढो ब्रह्मविद्ब्रह्मणि स्थितः
na prahṛiṣhyet priyaṁ prāpya nodvijet prāpya chāpriyam
sthira-buddhir asammūḍho brahma-vid brahmaṇi sthitaḥ
One should not exult on getting what is pleasant, nor shrink from what is not. Steady in understanding, unconfused, knowing Brahman, one is established in Brahman.
Explanation
Not exulting is as much of the work as not shrinking.
Both halves are named, and only the second is what anyone thinks they need help with.
The Gita is consistent about this to the point of insistence — chapter 12 makes the same symmetry the mark of the devotee. What is being loosened is the grip, and a grip on the pleasant is still a grip.
Word by word
- na
- neither
- prahṛiṣhyet
- rejoice
- priyam
- the pleasant
- prāpya
- obtaining
- na
- nor
- udvijet
- become disturbed
- prāpya
- attaining
- cha
- also
- apriyam
- the unpleasant
- sthira-buddhiḥ
- steady intellect
- asammūḍhaḥ
- firmly situated
- brahma-vit
- having a firm understanding of divine knowledge
- brahmaṇi
- established in God
- sthitaḥ
- situated
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