Content within

śrībhagavānuvācaprajahāti yadā kāmānsarvānpārtha manogatānātmanyevātmanā tuṣṭaḥ sthitaprajñastadocyate

When a person lets go of every craving of the mind, Partha, content in the Self by the Self, they are called steady in wisdom.

What it means

Krishna begins his portrait. The person of steady wisdom has let go of the cravings that crowd the mind. Not by force, but because they've found something better. They are content in the Self, by the Self. Their happiness doesn't depend on what they get.

The story

Arjuna had said he wanted no kingdom, no pleasure. Krishna shows the difference between that despair and real contentment. Despair empties out. Contentment overflows. The steady person isn't giving things up. They simply don't need them.

In your life

Picture an old fisherman, little money, sitting on the pier at dusk, completely at peace. Spend five minutes today doing nothing but enjoying being alive. Notice what you didn't need.