Chapter 2Verse 58 of 72

Bhagavad Gita 2.58

यदा संहरते चायं कूर्मोऽङ्गानीव सर्वशः । इन्द्रियाणीन्द्रियार्थेभ्यस्तस्य प्रज्ञा प्रतिष्ठिता ॥

yadā saṃharate cāyaṃ kūrmo 'ṅgānīva sarvaśaḥ | indriyāṇīndriyārthebhyas tasya prajñā pratiṣṭhitā ||

Translation

When such a one fully withdraws the senses from the objects of the senses, like a tortoise its limbs, the understanding is established.

The tortoise. Kūrmaḥ. The most ordinary image in the chapter. The animal that, at threat, draws its limbs into its shell, then puts them out again when the threat passes. Not amputation. Not permanent withdrawal. A reversible drawing-in at will. Indriyāṇi indriyārthebhyaḥ. The senses from their objects. The capacity to pull the senses back when the situation calls for it, and not earlier, and not later. The verse names a discipline most readers won't practice in a single sitting and most will recognize from one moment in their week.

Reflection

What sense have you left out when the situation called for it to be pulled back?

Read this verse in its chapter: Chapter Two

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