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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