A common space for harmonic peacemakers

II: 69

Chapter 2, Verse 69

“The recollected mind is awake

In the knowledge of the Self

Which is dark night to the ignorant.

The ignorant are awake in their sense-life,

Which they think is daylight.

To the sage it is darkness.”

Maharishi Mahesh Yogi:

“Here Krishna shows Arjuna the difference between the state of the ignorant and that of the realized. The former exists in darkness while the latter exists in light, for the realized one is awake in the light of the Self’s bliss which is dark night to the ignorant one who is awake in the partial glow of the perishable nature’s relative joys.”

Mahatma Gandhi:

“By reason of delusion, we take wrong to be right. By reason of delusion is Arjuna led to make a difference between kinsmen and non-kinsmen. To demonstrate that this is a vain distinction, Krishna distinguishes between body and Atman and shows that while bodies are impermanent and several, Atman is permanent and one.”

Srila Prabhupada:

“The sage feels transcendental pleasure in the gradual advancement of spiritual culture, whereas the one in materialistic activities, being asleep to self-realization, dreams of varieties of sense pleasure, feeling sometimes happy and sometime distressed in a sleeping condition. Introspective people are always indifferent to materialistic happiness and distress. They go on with their self-realization activities undisturbed by material reactions.”