Bhagavad-gītā 2.69

Explain simply

Speaker: Śrī Kṛṣṇa

या निशा सर्वभूतानां तस्यां जागर्ति संयमी ।
यस्यां जाग्रति भूतानि सा निशा पश्यतो मुनेः ॥६९॥

yā niśā sarva-bhūtānāṁ
tasyāṁ jāgarti saṁyamī
yasyāṁ jāgrati bhūtāni
sā niśā paśyato muneḥ

Word for word (synonyms)

yā
what
niśā
is night
sarva
all
bhūtānām
of living entities
tasyām
in that
jāgarti
wakeful
saṁyamī
the self-controlled
yasyām
in which
jāgrati
awake
bhūtāni
all beings
sā
that is
niśā
night
paśyataḥ
for the introspective
muneḥ
sage

Translation

What is night for all beings is the time of awakening for the self-controlled; and the time of awakening for all beings is night for the introspective sage.

Purport

There are two classes of intelligent men. The one is intelligent in material activities for sense gratification, and the other is introspective and awake to the cultivation of self-realization. Activities of the introspective sage, or thoughtful man, are night for persons materially absorbed. Materialistic persons remain asleep in such a night due to their ignorance of self-realization. The introspective sage remains alert in the "night" of the materialistic men. The sage feels transcendental pleasure in the gradual advancement of spiritual culture, whereas the man in materialistic activities, being asleep to self-realization, dreams of varieties of sense pleasure, feeling sometimes happy and sometimes distressed in his sleeping condition. The introspective man is always indifferent to materialistic happiness and distress. He goes on with his self-realization activities undisturbed by material reaction.

What this verse teaches

[A4] Sthita-prajña’s sense engagement (walking) – By attaining the Lord’s mercy, one’s intelligence is established and one attains peace. Agitated senses carry away intelligence and a sthita-prajña is unagitated. Qualities and destination of sthita-prajña.

Śrīla Prabhupāda lectures 2

Bhagavad-gītā As It Is by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda © The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International.