Summary:

Chapter 2, Verse 66: For one without tranquility, the progression of mental deterioration is inevitable: knowledge becomes inaccessible, contemplation impossible, peace unattainable, and happiness unreachable. This verse describes how binding desires disturb the mind, creating a cascade where the disturbed mind seeks comfort rather than learning, cannot reframe situations properly, generates negative emotions disconnected from reality, and ultimately cannot appreciate Ishvara in all things, reducing spiritual teachings to mere escapism.

Revision:

Verse 62-63:

Sequence of how a value-neutral object or person ends up costing you peace and taking you away from Ishvara…

1. 1. Initial contact:
      • Sense organs comes in touch with sense objects
   2. Attachment is born:
      • What makes one object more internalized then another? You begin to think, ruminate on it repetitively until it develops an impression.
   3. Desire is born:
      • Now I want it/her/him because it becomes connected to your well-being. However, that desire can turn into anger…
   4. Anger:
      • Not every desire leads to anger. Two conditions have to be met for a desire to lead to anger: (a) Object becomes an obsession, meaning you think your well being is dependent on the object; you can’t live a decent life without it, and (b) That object denies itself to you, or someone else denies it from your having it. Therefore, obsession + can’t get it = anger. 
      • EG: Suppose you've gotten the person you wanted. But your agenda of them saying/acting as you want is denied by them. Anger/resentment arises, which if held long enough, eventually leads to…
   5. Delusion:
      • Anger/disappointment/frustration of not getting your desire fulfilled, makes you start blaming him/her/it/them, and building a story not keeping with what-is. If that story were to be amplified, it would likely be categorized as false or delusional. Meaning, you've blown it up out of proportion, made unrealistic assumptions and meanings. 
      • EG: “I’m a nobody without this person. They're clearly deluded! I hope they suffer. God is punishing me, etc”.
   6. Memory:
      • Your mind is so busy building a false narratives — it pushes aside memory of being objective, not assuming, engaging in a dialogue, reframing, recognzing you too played some part in it, speaking respectfully, negotiation skills, etc.
   7. Decision maker becomes faulty: Your buddhi requires memory to think clearly. Since memory is unavailable, decisions become guided by your bubble of assumptions, and you feel stuck/entangled.

Solution how to retain your composure and help you come out of stuckness…

1. 1. Self-reflection:
      1. Ask, “Why do I really need this?”. This help you mentally restore the object to it's intrinsic value. Without which, we habitually engage in Shobhana-adhyasa, which is when you beautify the object in your mind, making it larger then it really is, sometimes even adding labels such as “twin-flame, soul-mate, etc”.  Then having that object becomes essential for your well-being and gets deeply tied with your identity; you become enslaved to it's presence or absence. One technique is to see the desirable object like your childhood-toy; recognize you’re just fine today without your childhood-toys that were so precious. If you were able to relinquish your obsession before, you can do it now.
      2. Recognize, “Everything I like, I need not have”. This is a fact. If anger arises, refuse to project it onto the person or object, but rather use it as opportunity to reframe the situation and recognize you'll be just fine without it.
   2. Self-reflection failed? Intervene with memory. Ask, “What was outcome when I acted out of pressure for going after my obsession?”. It brough pain.
   3. Memory failed? Bring in self-affirmation. “I’m an adult, no longer a child. I have power to make a wise decision”.

Verse 62-63 shows what made a wise person wise. They got this sequence of events above mastered. When entangled, he bounces back quickly, puts his thinking back on track.

Verse 64-65:

Shows another way to reduce binding desires or to help you come out of the sequence in V62-63, is by choosing to have a Prasada-buddhi.

“Prasada” is not an object, but an attitude.

For example, if someone gives you leaf. It’s insignificant to you. But moment they say it’s from a sacred tree, you keep and even frame it. If you can do that with one object, you can do it with all objects. They are from the invisible hand of Ishvara.

But why should I take to a prasada-buddhi?

Having an attitude that every experience, pleasant or not, is coming from the alter of the Lord — helps you maintain composure, knowing you're fully capable of sailing this journey without over-dependance on comforts and special things. Truth is, there's no “special thing”; it is all manifestation of Ishvara.

Additionally, prasada-buddhi (attitude) helps you see every situation is an opportunity to evolve and make BEST USE of it.

Outcome of having prasada-buddhi is: ^(V65)

1. 1. sarva-duḥkhānām hāniḥ: Sorrows come down. You're able to recover quicker from major disappointments or break-ups.
   2. prasanna-cetasaḥ: You become more cheerful because you're never outside Ishvara's order.
   3. buddhiḥ paryavatiṣṭhate: Intellect isn’t operating from delusion, but every situation comes with a solution, which is up to you to discover. Inner voice converts from “What!”, to “So what. What’s next?”

Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 2, Verse 66:
Consequence of a disturbed mind…

न अस्ति बुद्धिः अयुक्तस्य न च अयुक्तस्य भावना ।
न च अभावयतः शान्तिः अशान्तस्य कुतः सुखम् ॥ २-६६॥
na asti buddhiḥ ayuktasya na ca ayuktasya bhāvanā ।
na ca abhāvayataḥ śāntiḥ aśāntasya kutaḥ sukham ॥ 2-66॥

For the one who is not tranquil, there is no knowledge. For the one who is not tranquil, there is no contemplation also. For the one who is not contemplative, there is no peace. For the one who has no peace, how can there be happiness?

For one who is not tranquil (ayukta), there’s no knowledge, no contemplation, no peace no happiness:

This is another way of looking at the process of losing oneself to desires as described in V62-63. Also Krishna isn't making a judgement of the person, but a mere observation.

Let's see the order…

1. Binding desires or raga-dvesha (obsessed over something, “I must have it!”) – leads to a non-tranquil (ayukta) or disturbed mind. 
2. While the mind is disturbed (which for most is almost always due to endless duties and pressures of life) – it seeks to feel better, and not to learn new things, let alone assimilate. Therefore, leads to no-knowledge (na buddhi).
3. When knowledge (or right conduct) is unavailable – productive contemplation (such as reframing the situation, or seeing it from different perspectives) is unavailable (na bhāvanā).
4. Without contemplation or reframing, your thoughts are disconnected from reality, which produces corresponding negative emotions. Which removes any possibility of peace (na śāntiḥ).
5. Because peace is a precursor to happiness – happiness is unavailable (na sukham).
6. When there's no happiness, you're unable and unwilling to appreciate Ishvara in all things, especially the person or situation that has disturbed you. 
7. When you're unable to appreciate Ishvara – teachings about Brahman become a means to feel better, an escape. 

NEXT VERSE: If you don’t deliberately bring in and maintain your buddhi into the process, mind will regress to it's old stories…

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Course was based on Swami Dayananda (Arsha Vidya) home study course.

Recorded 20 April, 2025