Complete learning edition. The Sanskrit source remains separate from attributed word meanings, translation, explanation and commentary witnesses. Diagrams and memory aids are study tools, not replacements for the source text.
बाह्यस्पर्शेष्वसक्तात्मा विन्दत्यात्मनि यत्सुखम्। स ब्रह्मयोगयुक्तात्मा सुखमक्षयमश्नुते।।5.21।।
bāhya-sparśheṣhvasaktātmā vindatyātmani yat sukham sa brahma-yoga-yuktātmā sukham akṣhayam aśhnute
With the heart unattached to external objects, he realises the joy that is in the Self. With the heart devoted to the meditation of Brahman, he attains un-decaying happiness.
English rendering by Swami Swarupananda. Public domain first edition, 1909.
Build the sentence from its parts
Read across once, then cover the meanings and recover them from the Sanskrit forms.
| Sanskrit form | Meaning here |
|---|---|
| bāhya-sparśheṣhu | external sense pleasure |
| asakta-ātmā | those who are unattached |
| vindati | find |
| ātmani | in the self |
| yat | which |
| sukham | bliss |
| saḥ | that person |
| brahma-yoga yukta-ātmā | those who are united with God through yog |
| sukham | happiness |
| akṣhayam | unlimited |
| aśhnute | experiences |
Use the word map to follow the relation among bāhya-sparśheṣhu (external sense pleasure), sukham (bliss), and aśhnute (experiences). Ask what changes between the first and last term, and how that movement contributes to renunciation within responsible work. State the connection in your own words, then check it against Bhagavad-gita 5.21.
Original school explanation. Written independently from the Sanskrit word map. It is not a quotation, translation, or summary of a named modern commentary. Chapter lens: Compare renunciation of work with renunciation of attachment and examine the chapter’s account of inner freedom.
Five careful reading routes
The cards below are reading references, not claims about what an acharya says in this verse. Modern wording stays inside authorized editions. Classical commentary will appear only after an independent translation has passed scholarly and rights review.
Meaning map
Follow the thought
- 1
With the heart unattached to external objects, he realises the joy that is in the Self
- 2
With the heart devoted to the meditation of Brahman, he attains un-decaying happiness
- 3
bāhya-sparśheṣhu: external sense pleasure
Look, link, cover, teach
Look
Picture inner renunciation.
Link
Use the line starts: bāhya-sparśheṣhvasaktātmā vindatyātmani / sa brahma-yoga-yuktātmā.
Cover
Hide the verse and rebuild one line at a time.
Teach
Explain the flow to another person without looking.
Circle repeated sounds, names, or grammatical endings before consulting a meaning.
Read one line aloud, cover it, and reconstruct as much as you can from memory.
Compare with a checked edition and record the source before adding any translation.
Build meaning without hiding the work
Compare renunciation of work with renunciation of attachment and examine the chapter’s account of inner freedom.
Mark forms you want to investigate
These are visual tokens, not a reviewed sandhi split. Select repeated forms, endings, compounds, particles or speaker markers; verify segmentation with the Sanskrit tools or a checked edition.
Three questions for this verse
- 1
What is renounced?
- 2
What action continues?
- 3
Which result or condition follows?
Rewrite a false action-versus-renunciation binary using this verse.
Attempt before comparison
Make revision visible
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A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Bhagavad-gita As It IsFor Bhagavad-gita 5.21, consult the authorized BBT edition. No purport, translation, or author-attributed summary is reproduced here.
Find the authorized editionBhaktivinoda Thakura
Rasika-ranjanaA verified independent rendering for Bhagavad-gita 5.21 has not yet passed scholarly and rights review. Modern translations are not copied here.
Independent rendering pending reviewBaladeva Vidyabhushana
Gita-bhushana-bhashyaThe original work is classical. A newly commissioned or independently prepared translation for Bhagavad-gita 5.21 must be verified before publication.
Independent translation pending reviewVishvanatha Cakravarti Thakura
Sarartha-varshini-tikaThe original work is classical. A newly commissioned or independently prepared translation for Bhagavad-gita 5.21 must be verified before publication.
Independent translation pending reviewOther Gaudiya acharyas
Authorized Gaudiya editionsFor Bhagavad-gita 5.21, later teachers remain a further-reading route. Their wording and distinctive teaching structures require permission or a separate rights review.
Use an authorized edition