Emotions
How to Find Inner Peace: The Bhagavad-gītā's Peace Formula
The Bhagavad-gītā gives a simple "peace formula": know Kṛṣṇa as the enjoyer of all our work, the owner of everything and the true friend of every living being. Without this, the mind has no fixed goal and cannot rest. Here is the formula, with the verses, Śrīla Prabhupāda's explanations and daily steps.
Short answer: The Bhagavad-gītā says real peace comes when we know three things about Kṛṣṇa: He is the enjoyer of all our work and sacrifice, the owner of all the worlds, and the well-wisher of every living being BG 5.29. Without a link to Him, the mind has no steady goal, so it cannot be calm, and "how can there be any happiness without peace?" BG 2.66. Peace grows when we stop being pushed around by every desire BG 2.70, give up the idea "this is mine" BG 2.71, and learn to tolerate ups and downs like summer and winter BG 2.14.
Why are we not at peace?
Many of us have comfort, gadgets and entertainment, yet the mind stays restless. Kṛṣṇa explains why.
nāsti buddhir ayuktasya
na cāyuktasya bhāvanā
na cābhāvayataḥ śāntir
aśāntasya kutaḥ sukham
One who is not in transcendental consciousness can have neither a controlled mind nor steady intelligence, without which there is no possibility of peace. And how can there be any happiness without peace?
"Disturbance is due to want of an ultimate goal, and when one is certain that Kṛṣṇa is the enjoyer, proprietor and friend of everyone and everything, then one can, with a steady mind, bring about peace."
— Śrīla Prabhupāda, purport to BG 2.66
A boat without a destination drifts with every wave. A mind without a final goal drifts with every desire, worry and fear.
The peace formula
bhoktāraṁ yajña-tapasāṁ
sarva-loka-maheśvaram
suhṛdaṁ sarva-bhūtānāṁ
jñātvā māṁ śāntim ṛcchati
The sages, knowing Me as the ultimate purpose of all sacrifices and austerities, the Supreme Lord of all planets and demigods and the benefactor and well-wisher of all living entities, attain peace from the pangs of material miseries.
"The greatest peace formula is simply this: Lord Kṛṣṇa is the beneficiary in all human activities."
— Śrīla Prabhupāda, purport to BG 5.29
Śrīla Prabhupāda often spoke about this verse. In a 1966 lecture he said:
"If you really want peace, then this is the formula. You should always know that Kṛṣṇa is the enjoyer of everything, He is the proprietor of everything and He is the only sincere friend. Suhṛdaṁ sarva-bhūtānāṁ jñātvā. One who understands this secret, he becomes happy; peace is for him."
— Śrīla Prabhupāda, lecture on BG 5.29, New York, 31 August 1966 (transcript)
| Know that Kṛṣṇa is… | So I can stop… | Verse |
|---|---|---|
| The enjoyer of all work | Working only for my own pleasure, and feeling empty | BG 5.29 |
| The owner of everything | Fighting and worrying over "mine" | BG 5.29, BG 2.71 |
| The friend of every living being | Feeling alone and unprotected | BG 5.29 |
We are guests, not owners
Much of our tension comes from thinking we own things. Śrīla Prabhupāda gave a simple example:
"We come here as guest. Suppose I am Indian, you are American. We have come on this earth as guest for few years, say, for hundred years or fifty years; then we leave this place. So if I am the proprietor, why don't I take this place with me when I am going? No. I am not proprietor."
— Śrīla Prabhupāda, lecture on BG 5.29, New York, 31 August 1966 (transcript)
Kṛṣṇa really is our friend
"You can supply food to certain limited number of living entities, but Kṛṣṇa, or the Supreme Lord, is supplying food to millions and trillions of living entities within the sky, within the water, within the mountain, within the forest. Who is going to supply them? So therefore He is real well-wisher of all living entities."
— Śrīla Prabhupāda, lecture on BG 5.29, Los Angeles, 12 February 1969 (transcript)
Be like the ocean
Desires will keep coming as long as we have a body. The Gītā does not say they will stop. It says we need not be shaken by them.
āpūryamāṇam acala-pratiṣṭhaṁ
samudram āpaḥ praviśanti yadvat
tadvat kāmā yaṁ praviśanti sarve
sa śāntim āpnoti na kāma-kāmī
A person who is not disturbed by the incessant flow of desires—that enter like rivers into the ocean which is ever being filled but is always still—can alone achieve peace, and not the man who strives to satisfy such desires.
"Desires may come to him like the waters of the rivers that flow into the ocean, but he is steady in his activities, and he is not even slightly disturbed by desires for sense gratification."
— Śrīla Prabhupāda, purport to BG 2.70
"Desireless" does not mean "empty"
Some people think peace means killing all desire. Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that this is impossible, and not what Kṛṣṇa asks.
vihāya kāmān yaḥ sarvān
pumāṁś carati niḥspṛhaḥ
nirmamo nirahaṅkāraḥ
sa śāntim adhigacchati
A person who has given up all desires for sense gratification, who lives free from desires, who has given up all sense of proprietorship and is devoid of false ego—he alone can attain real peace.
"The living entity cannot be desireless or senseless, but he does have to change the quality of the desires."
— Śrīla Prabhupāda, purport to BG 2.71
The desire to please Kṛṣṇa does not disturb the mind. It settles it.
Tolerate the seasons of life
Happiness and distress come and go like summer and winter. We cannot stop the seasons, but we can learn to carry on through them.
mātrā-sparśās tu kaunteya
śītoṣṇa-sukha-duḥkha-dāḥ
āgamāpāyino 'nityās
tāṁs titikṣasva bhārata
O son of Kuntī, the nonpermanent appearance of happiness and distress, and their disappearance in due course, are like the appearance and disappearance of winter and summer seasons. They arise from sense perception, O scion of Bharata, and one must learn to tolerate them without being disturbed.
"One has to execute his duty in spite of climatic inconveniences."
— Śrīla Prabhupāda, purport to BG 2.14
Śrīla Prabhupāda gives the example of a person who still takes his early-morning bath in the cold month of Māgha, and a woman who still cooks in the kitchen in the hottest months (purport to BG 2.14). Duty goes on, whatever the weather.
When trouble comes
Kṛṣṇa describes the devotee who is dear to Him as "equal both in happiness and distress" and "always satisfied" BG 12.13–14. How is that possible? Śrīla Prabhupāda explains the devotee's attitude:
"Whenever a devotee is in distress or has fallen into difficulty, he thinks that it is the Lord's mercy upon him."
— Śrīla Prabhupāda, purport to BG 12.13
Such a person is not knocked down by trouble, nor carried away by good times BG 2.56.
Why pleasures cannot give lasting peace
ye hi saṁsparśa-jā bhogā
duḥkha-yonaya eva te
ādy-antavantaḥ kaunteya
na teṣu ramate budhaḥ
An intelligent person does not take part in the sources of misery, which are due to contact with the material senses. O son of Kuntī, such pleasures have a beginning and an end, and so the wise man does not delight in them.
Every sense pleasure has a beginning and an end. When it ends, the mind is hungry again. The Gītā points to a deeper happiness within, found by fixing the mind on the Supreme BG 5.21.
The Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, which Śrīla Prabhupāda quotes here, says this very strongly. King Ṛṣabhadeva tells his sons:
"My dear sons, there is no reason to labor very hard for sense pleasure while in this human form of life; such pleasures are available to the stool-eaters [hogs]. Rather, you should undergo penances in this life by which your existence will be purified, and, as a result, you will be able to enjoy unlimited transcendental bliss."
— Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 5.5.1, quoted by Śrīla Prabhupāda in the purport to BG 5.22
"Because a pure devotee has no thought other than Kṛṣṇa, he is naturally always joyful."
— Śrīla Prabhupāda, purport to BG 18.54
Daily steps toward peace
- Begin the day with the formula. Remind yourself: Kṛṣṇa is the enjoyer, the owner and my friend BG 5.29.
- Offer your work. Do your duty well and offer it to Him; let the result rest with Him BG 2.47, BG 5.29.
- Hold things lightly. Use what you have as a guest, not as an owner BG 2.71.
- Let desires pass like rivers. Notice them, but do not run after each one BG 2.70.
- Bear the hot and cold days. Keep doing what is right in good times and bad BG 2.14.
- Chant and hear. Fix the mind on Kṛṣṇa through His names and the Gītā; a mind with a goal becomes steady BG 2.66.
Frequently asked questions
What is the peace formula in the Bhagavad-gītā?
It is verse 5.29. Peace comes to one who knows Kṛṣṇa as the enjoyer of all sacrifices and austerities, the Supreme Lord of all planets, and the friend and well-wisher of all living beings. Śrīla Prabhupāda calls this "the greatest peace formula" (purport to 5.29).
Why is my mind never at peace?
The Gītā says that without a link to the Supreme, the mind cannot be controlled and the intelligence cannot be steady, so there is no peace (2.66). Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that disturbance is due to the want of an ultimate goal (purport to 2.66).
Does inner peace mean having no desires?
No. Śrīla Prabhupāda writes that the living entity cannot be desireless, but must change the quality of his desires (purport to 2.71). Desire to serve Kṛṣṇa brings peace; desire for endless sense pleasure takes it away (2.70).
How can I stay calm when things go wrong?
See happiness and distress as passing seasons and keep doing your duty (2.14). A devotee even sees difficulty as the Lord's mercy (purport to 12.13–14), and so stays steady (2.56).
Can I find peace while living a busy family and working life?
Yes. The peace formula is about how we see our work, not about leaving it. Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that the Fifth Chapter, which ends with this formula, is a practical explanation of working in Kṛṣṇa consciousness (purport to 5.29).
What should I do when I feel anxious or afraid?
Remember Kṛṣṇa's promise at the end of the Gītā: surrender to Him, and "do not fear" (18.66). For more help, see the Gita for Life pages on anxiety and fear.
Read next
Verses cited
BG 5.29BG 2.66BG 2.70BG 2.71BG 2.14BG 12.13–14BG 12.13BG 2.56BG 5.22BG 5.21BG 18.54BG 2.47