Bhagavad Gītā › Chapter 2 › Verse 69
Bhagavad Gītā 2.69: Awake in the night
या निशा सर्वभूतानां तस्यां जागर्ति संयमी ।
यस्यां जाग्रति भूतानि सा निशा पश्यतो मुनेः ॥
yā niśā sarvabhūtānāṃ tasyāṃ jāgarti saṃyamī
yasyāṃ jāgrati bhūtāni sā niśā paśyato muneḥ
Recitation: NehalDaveND (Wikimedia Commons) · CC BY-SA 4.0, adapted, original recording
Meaning
What is night for all beings, in that the self-controlled one is awake; that in which beings are awake is night for the seeing sage. The paradox describes a reversal of values: the sage is alert to what others overlook, and indifferent to what absorbs them.
For children
Krishna says: “Wise people stay wide awake to good things that others don’t even notice. And the silly things others chase, wise people don’t bother about.”
Kṛṣṇa describes how differently the steady person sees the world from everyone else.
Word by word
या निशा सर्वभूतानां — What is night for all beings
- yā: which
- niśā: night
- sarvabhūta: all beings
तस्यां जागर्ति संयमी — in that the self-controlled one is awake
- tasyām: in that
- jāgarti: is awake
- saṃyamin: self-controlled one
यस्यां जाग्रति भूतानि — what other beings are awake to
- yasyām: in which
- jāgrati: are awake
- bhūta: being
सा निशा पश्यतो मुनेः — is night for the sage who truly sees
- sā: that
- paśyat: one who sees
- muni: sage
Kṛṣṇa speaks this verse. The Sanskrit is checked against four editions; meanings and word notes are simple learning aids written for MahaPrabha Gurukul, awaiting review by a Sanskrit teacher.