विहाय कामान्यः सर्वान्पुमांश्चरति निःस्पृहः। निर्ममो निरहंकारः स शांतिमधिगच्छति।।2.71।।
vihāya kāmān yaḥ sarvān pumān carati niḥspṛhaḥ nirmamaḥ nirahaṅkāraḥ saḥ śāntim adhigacchati
Translation
That person, who gives up all material desires and lives free from a sense of greed, proprietorship, and egoism, attains perfect peace.
Word Meanings
vihāya — giving up; kāmān — material desires for sense gratification; yaḥ — who; sarvān — all; pumān — a person; carati — lives; niḥspṛhaḥ — desireless; nirmamaḥ — without a sense of proprietorship; nirahaṅkāraḥ — without false ego; saḥ — he; śāntim — perfect peace; adhigacchati — attains.
Understanding the Verse
Verse 71 of Chapter 2 highlights the pinnacle of spiritual maturity in the Bhagavad Gita. It tells us that the truly liberated individual is one who has relinquished the pull of "kāma" – material cravings that bind the mind to the sensory world. By discarding every desire (vihāya kāmān), the seeker cuts the root of all further mental agitation. The text emphasizes that this renunciation is not a fleeting act but a permanent state of being; the person "sarvān" – all desires – have been abandoned, allowing the true self (pumān) to "ścarati" – move forward unencumbered.
The verse further describes the qualities that characterize this inner freedom. "Niḥspṛhaḥ" indicates a mind without attachment, one that does not cling to outcomes or objects. "Nirmamaḥ" – free from the feeling of ownership – removes the subtle ego‑driven notion of "mine" that creates separation between the self and the world. Similarly, "nirahaṅkāraḥ" removes the false sense of personal identity or ego, the "I" that claims superiority or distinction.
When these three poisons – desire, proprietorship, and ego – are eliminated, the soul naturally rests in "śānti" – perfect peace. This peace is not merely the absence of external disturbance; it is an inner, immutable steadiness that persists regardless of circumstance. The Gita explains that such peace is "adhigacchati" – attained – as a direct result of inner purification, rather than through external rites or worldly success.
The teaching also carries a practical implication for daily life. In the midst of a battlefield – whether literal or metaphorical – the aspirant is encouraged to observe desires without acting on them, to view possessions without claiming them, and to see the self beyond the egoic label. By practicing this mindset, one progressively dissolves the mental turbulence that fuels suffering.
Finally, this verse connects with the broader teachings of the Gita that stress self‑realization through knowledge (jñāna) and self‑less action (karma yoga). The peaceful state described here is the natural outcome when one performs duties without attachment, rooted in the understanding that the true self is beyond the body, mind, and material world. Thus, Chapter 2, Verse 71 serves as a concise yet profound formula for achieving inner tranquility: renounce desire, let go of ownership, dissolve ego, and the soul inevitably attains lasting peace.
