Chapter V · Śloka 21
Śrī Kṛṣṇa uvāca
बाह्यस्पर्शेष्वसक्तात्मा विन्दत्यात्मनि यत्सुखम् |
स ब्रह्मयोगयुक्तात्मा सुखमक्षयमश्नुते ||
स ब्रह्मयोगयुक्तात्मा सुखमक्षयमश्नुते ||
bāhya-sparśeṣv asaktātmā vindaty ātmani yat sukham |
sa brahma-yoga-yuktātmā sukham akṣayam aśnute ||
sa brahma-yoga-yuktātmā sukham akṣayam aśnute ||
One whose self is unattached to external contacts finds happiness in the self. With a self united with Brahman through yoga, he enjoys imperishable happiness.
The happiness discovered within is not the absence of outer engagement but its transcendence — a joy that does not depend on circumstances and therefore cannot be taken away by them. External pleasures flicker and fade; the joy of the Self is inexhaustible.