शक्नोतीहैव यः सोढुं प्राक्शरीरविमोक्षणात् । कामक्रोधोद्भवं वेगं स युक्तः स सुखी नरः ॥
śaknotīhaiva yaḥ soḍhuṃ prākśarīravimokṣaṇāt | kāmakrodhodbhavaṃ vegaṃ sa yuktaḥ sa sukhī naraḥ ||
Translation
One who is able to withstand, here in this very life before being released from the body, the impulse born of desire and anger — that person is disciplined, that person is happy.
Interpretation
The spiritual battle is not fought after death — it is fought here, now, in this very body, in the midst of desire and anger. Kama (desire) and krodha (anger) are the twin forces that pull consciousness down from its natural clarity. The ability to withstand (sodhum — to endure, to pause before reacting) their impulses — not suppression, but conscious non-reactivity — is the mark of the yoga. And this person, Krishna declares, is truly happy (sukhi). Real happiness is not the satisfaction of every impulse but the freedom that comes from being larger than one's impulses.