Bhagavad Gita 5.21 · Krishna
The joy that doesn't run out
बाह्यस्पर्शेष्वसक्तात्मा विन्दत्यात्मनि यत्सुखम्।
स ब्रह्मयोगयुक्तात्मा सुखमक्षयमश्नुते॥
bāhyasparśeṣvasaktātmā vindatyātmani yatsukhamsa brahmayogayuktātmā sukhamakṣayamaśnute
Unattached to outer contacts, one finds the joy within the Self. United with Brahman in yoga, they enjoy a happiness that never ends.
Words
- Brahman
- yoga
What it means
Krishna points to a different kind of joy. Outer pleasures depend on contact, on getting something. But the one who isn't attached to them finds sukha, happiness, within the Self. Joined with Brahman through yoga, they enjoy akshaya sukha, a happiness that never runs out.
The story
Arjuna has said no kingdom or pleasure could make him happy now. Krishna agrees, but points somewhere else. There's a joy that no loss can take, because it never came from outside.
In your life
Think of a woman who lost almost everything in a crisis, and found she could still laugh with her kids at dinner. That joy was hers. Sit quietly for five minutes and look for the joy that's already there.
The deepest joy needs nothing outside.