Chapter 2 Verse 69
Sānkhya Yog
या निशा सर्वभूतानां तस्यां जागर्ति संयमी। यस्यां जाग्रति भूतानि सा निशा पश्यतो मुनेः।।2.69।।
yā niśhā sarva-bhūtānāṁ tasyāṁ jāgarti sanyamī yasyāṁ jāgrati bhūtāni sā niśhā paśhyato muneḥ
Word Meanings
| yā | which |
| niśhā | night |
| sarva-bhūtānām | of all living beings |
| tasyām | in that |
| jāgarti | is awake |
| sanyamī | self-controlled |
| yasyām | in which |
| jāgrati | are awake |
| bhūtāni | creatures |
| sā | that |
| niśhā | night |
| paśhyataḥ | see |
| muneḥ | sage |
Translation
That which is night to all beings, in that the self-controlled man is awake; when all beings are awake, that is night for the sage who sees.
Philosophical Significance
Core Meaning
This verse uses night and wakefulness as images for ignorance and true awareness. For most people, the world’s pleasures and fears feel real and keep them "awake" to only the outer life. A self-controlled person is awake to the inner truth when others are lost in those outer things.
When most people are busy and alert about desire, status, or fear, the wise person sees that as darkness. The sage’s wakefulness is steady awareness of what is real, not just activity or emotion. This is not pride but calm clarity and freedom from being pushed by every passing feeling.
The teaching invites us to change our center of attention: learn to be quietly aware even amid noise, and to see through the usual pulls of life so we act from deeper values.
Life Application
- Take a daily short pause (5–15 minutes) to notice thoughts and feelings without following them; this builds inner wakefulness.
- Before reacting, ask whether the urge comes from lasting values or just a passing impulse; choose the former.
- In busy moments, focus on one steady truth (kindness, honesty, duty) to guide action rather than crowd pressure or fear.
Reflection Question
Where in my life am I mostly asleep with others, and where can I wake to what truly matters?