Bhagavad Gita 2.14: "Matra Sparshas Tu Kaunteya" Meaning in Simple English
Bhagavad Gita 2.14 with Sanskrit, transliteration and a simple English meaning: pleasure and pain come and go, so bear them with patience. How to stay steady on difficult days.
Heat and cold, pleasure and pain, good news and bad news: life keeps swinging between them. How do we stay steady? Krishna gives a short, practical answer in the Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 2, verse 14. If you read only one verse of the Gita on handling difficult days, this is a strong candidate.
The shloka (Gita 2.14)
मात्रास्पर्शास्तु कौन्तेय शीतोष्णसुखदुःखदाः ।
आगमापायिनोऽनित्यास्तांस्तितिक्षस्व भारत ॥ २.१४ ॥
mātrā-sparśās tu kaunteya śītoṣṇa-sukha-duḥkha-dāḥ
āgamāpāyino 'nityās tāṃs titikṣasva bhārata || 2.14 ||
O son of Kunti, the contacts of the senses with their objects give rise to cold and heat, pleasure and pain. They come and go and are impermanent. Bear them patiently, O Bharata.
Word-by-word meaning
- mātrā-sparśāḥ: contacts of the senses with their objects
- kaunteya: O son of Kunti (Arjuna)
- śīta-uṣṇa: cold and heat
- sukha-duḥkha-dāḥ: giving pleasure and pain
- āgama-apāyinaḥ: coming and going
- anityāḥ: impermanent
- tān: them
- titikṣasva: endure, bear with patience
- bhārata: O Bharata (Arjuna)
The context
Arjuna is shaken and wants to give up. Right after telling him about the Self (2.11 to 2.13), Krishna turns to a very practical problem: how to live with the ups and downs of experience. This verse gives the method in one word, titiksha, patient endurance.
What it says
Every experience, whether a hot day, a cold night, a compliment or an insult, arrives through the senses and the mind, stays for a while, and leaves. Because it comes and goes, it is not permanent, and we do not have to be thrown around by it. We can bear it with patience, knowing that it will pass.
What it does not say
Titiksha is not suppressing feelings or pretending that pain does not exist. It is not putting up with injustice either. It means staying steady inside while you do what needs to be done. A person with titiksha still feels, but does not lose balance.
How to apply it in daily life
- In a bad phase. Tell yourself that this too is a coming and going. It will not stay in this form.
- In a good phase. The same applies to joy and success. Enjoy them without clinging, since they also pass.
- In criticism or praise. Let it touch you and move on, without letting your mood depend on it.
- In discomfort. Small hardships, such as waiting, heat or tiredness, are practice grounds for patience.
Next time you feel overwhelmed, try asking a simple question: "Will this feel the same a year from now?" It brings the verse to life.
Read the full Gita in simple English
This is one verse out of 700. The Satvik Setu English collection includes the complete Bhagavad Gita, all 18 chapters and all 700 shlokas, each with Sanskrit, transliteration, word meanings and a simple explanation.
The collection has 14 English ebooks in all, including the Ramayana, Mahabharata, Puranas, Vedas, Yoga Sutra and Chanakya Niti, plus two bonuses: 12 Jyotirlinga Darshan and 365 Daily Shlok Cards.
You can read a full chapter free first: open the free sample, Gita Chapter 12.
In short
Gita 2.14 teaches that pleasure and pain are visitors: they come and go. Bear them with patience and keep your balance.