Chapter 2 Verse 52
Sānkhya Yog
यदा ते मोहकलिलं बुद्धिर्व्यतितरिष्यति। तदा गन्तासि निर्वेदं श्रोतव्यस्य श्रुतस्य च।।2.52।।
yadā te moha-kalilaṁ buddhir vyatitariṣhyati tadā gantāsi nirvedaṁ śhrotavyasya śhrutasya cha
Word Meanings
| yadā | when |
| te | your |
| moha | delusion |
| kalilam | quagmire |
| buddhiḥ | intellect |
| vyatitariṣhyati | crosses |
| tadā | then |
| gantāsi | you shall acquire |
| nirvedam | indifferent |
| śhrotavyasya | to what is yet to be heard |
| śhrutasya | to what has been heard |
| cha | and |
Translation
When your intellect passes beyond the mire of delusion, then you will attain indifference to what has been heard and what has yet to be heard.
Philosophical Significance
Core Meaning
This verse says that when your thinking clears and is no longer stuck in confusion and wrong attachments, your mind becomes calm and steady. The "mire of delusion" means the habits, fears, and desires that keep you reacting instead of seeing clearly.
Once the intellect crosses that mire, you develop "nirveda" — a healthy dispassion. That does not mean carelessness; it means you stop being ruled by praise, rumor, or every new opinion. You can listen to teachings without clinging to them, and you can also let go of what you already believed if it no longer rings true.
In short, clear discrimination brings inner freedom: you act from wisdom, not from emotional confusion or social pressure.
Life Application
- Pause before accepting or repeating strong opinions—ask whether they come from fear, habit, or clear understanding.
- Cultivate a daily habit of quiet reflection or short meditation to notice when you are being pulled by praise, blame, or gossip.
- Practice letting go of labels and stories about yourself and others; test ideas against your own clear experience before making them part of your life.
Reflection Question
What belief or habit keeps me reacting instead of responding with calm clarity?