Verse 2.58

Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration, Word-for-word and English translation of verse 2.58:

यदा संहरते चायं कूर्मोऽङ्गानीव सर्वशः ।
इन्द्रियाणीन्द्रियार्थेभ्यस् तस्य प्रज्ञा प्रतिष्ठिता ॥ ५८ ॥

yadā saṃharate cāyaṃ kūrmo'ṅgānīva sarvaśaḥ |
indriyāṇīndriyārthebhyas tasya prajñā pratiṣṭhitā || 58 ||

yadā–when; saṃharate–withdraws; ca–and; ayam–this (saintly person); kūrmaḥ–tortoise; aṅgāni–limbs; iva–as; sarvaśaḥ–completely; indriyāṇi–his senses; indriya-arthebhyaḥ–from the sense objects; tasya–his; prajñā–his intelligence; pratiṣṭhitā–well fixed.

When a person can completely withdraw his senses from their respective sense objects at will, just as a tortoise withdraws its limbs into its shell, then he is said to be of fixed intelligence.

Commentary: Sārārtha-Varṣiṇī Ṭīkā

(By Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura; the innermost intention of the commentary named ‘the shower of essential meanings’)

With this verse beginning with yadā, Śrī Bhagavān responds to Arjuna’s question, “kim āsīta–how does he sit?” Indriyārthebhyaḥ means that, just as a person can withdraw his senses, such as the sense of hearing, from their sense objects (in this case, sound) similarly, he who is sthita-prajña is able to withdraw his subordinate senses from external sense objects and fix them within his undisturbed mind. The example of a tortoise is given to illustrate this point. Just as a tortoise can withdraw his eyes, face and so forth inside his shell at will, similarly, a person whose intelligence is fixed can withdraw his senses from the sense objects.