Bhagwad Gita - Post 29

Verse 56

Duhkheshwanudwignamanaah

Sukheshu vigatasprihah;

Veetaraagabhayakrodhah

Sthitadheer munir uchyate.

He whose mind is not shaken by adversity, who does not hanker after pleasures, and who is free from attachment, fear and anger, is called a sage of steady wisdom.

In this verse, Sri Krishna describes sages of steady wisdom as: 

1) Those who have given up craving for pleasure, 

2) Those who remain free from fear, 

3) Those who are devoid of anger.

When the mind craves external pleasures, it runs to the objects of enjoyment, and is again diverted from divine contemplation. So, a sage of steady wisdom is one who does not allow the mind to hanker for pleasure or lament for miseries.

Further, such a sage does not permit the mind to succumb to the urges of fear and anger. In this way, the mind becomes situated on the transcendental level.

Fear is worrying for prospective sorrow which may be caused by bereavement of what is cherished and the projection of the coming of unwanted things. One must learn to be free from this. 

Anger is that disturbed state of mind and irritated feelings produced of pain from others causing separation from what is cherished or giving the experience of things not cherished. One must learn to be free from this. 

As the Stitaprajna was described in a verse earlier, here too Krishna uses only one verse to describe the Stita-Dhi in this verse (sthitadheer munir uchyate). 

Dhi denotes intelligence, buddhi. Intelligence is always given to knowing or understanding. Buddhi can remain active with its role even when one remains bodily active. 

When buddhi acquires its spiritual steadiness and composure, one becomes a sthita-dhi.

Krishna makes this point very clear in the first half of the verse: the sthita-dhi will remain unruffled in duhkhas (miseries) and un-yearning in sukhas.

It is not that he has no duhkha. The duhkha-producing events or involvements will be there, no doubt, as they are unavoidable whenever senses come in contact with their objects.

But these duhkha producing events and situations will not be able to ruffle his mind and dislodge him from his deeper moorings bestowed by sthita-prajnata. 

Likewise, in sukha, the sukha-producing events and episodes, his mind will not have any sense of yearning or hankering. He will not long for any sukha or sukha-producing events or situations. 

Whatever yearning was there would have left because of the sthita-prajnata. 

Sthitaprajnata acts like fire in burning the dry leaves of desires and lingering.

Both sukha and duhkha steep the sthita-dhi in the unchanging and ever-full Consciousness. 

Thus, Arjuna’s question “What will the sthita-dhi speak” has a conclusive answer in Krishna’s words. In the Knower, the Knowledge will remain pronounced. 

Thus, the sthita-dhi will always highlight the sthita-prajna state and how it changes one’s perception and interactional attitude and response so thoroughly.

Love.