Chapter 2 Verse 70
Sānkhya Yog
आपूर्यमाणमचलप्रतिष्ठं समुद्रमापः प्रविशन्ति यद्वत्। तद्वत्कामा यं प्रविशन्ति सर्वे स शान्तिमाप्नोति न कामकामी।।2.70।।
āpūryamāṇam achala-pratiṣhṭhaṁ samudram āpaḥ praviśhanti yadvat tadvat kāmā yaṁ praviśhanti sarve sa śhāntim āpnoti na kāma-kāmī
Word Meanings
| āpūryamāṇam | filled from all sides |
| achala-pratiṣhṭham | undisturbed |
| samudram | ocean |
| āpaḥ | waters |
| praviśhanti | enter |
| yadvat | as |
| tadvat | likewise |
| kāmāḥ | desires |
| yam | whom |
| praviśhanti | enter |
| sarve | all |
| saḥ | that person |
| śhāntim | peace |
| āpnoti | attains |
| na | not |
| kāma-kāmī | one who strives to satisfy desires |
Translation
He attains peace into whom all desires enter, just as waters enter the ocean which, filled from all sides, remains unmoved; but not the man who is full of desires.
Philosophical Significance
Core Meaning
The verse compares a peaceful person to the ocean. Just as rivers flow into the ocean and the ocean stays calm, a person who lets desires enter without clinging remains steady and peaceful.
Peace does not come from having no desires, but from not being carried away by them. When desires are seen and allowed to merge into a larger inner calm, they stop disturbing the mind.
True freedom is not suppressing wishes but holding them lightly. That inner steadiness lets you act from wisdom rather than from restless wanting.
Life Application
- Pause before you act on a strong desire: breathe, notice the feeling, and choose if it serves your long-term calm.
- Make a short daily practice (meditation, quiet breathing, or journaling) to observe desires without immediately chasing them.
- Focus on one duty at a time and let smaller wants pass; this builds the habit of inner steadiness.
Reflection Question
Which desire today pulled me away from my calm, and how might I let it pass without clinging?