Under the BanyanOld stories, illustrated and annotated

Bhagavad Gita 2.69

Chapter 2, verse 69

Meaning

What is night for everyone else is the time when the self-disciplined person is wide awake. And the things everyone else is wide awake to are night for the sage who truly sees.

The Sanskrit

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

yā niśā sarvabhūtānāṃ tasyāṃ jāgarti saṃyamī
yasyāṃ jāgrati bhūtāni sā niśā paśyato muneḥ

Say it

yaa ni-shaa sur-vuh-bhoo-taa-naam tuh-syaam jaa-gur-ti sum-yuh-mee
yuh-syaam jaa-gruh-ti bhoo-taa-ni saa ni-shaa push-yuh-to moo-nay

Word by word

yā niśā sarva-bhūtānām
what is night for all beings
tasyām jāgarti saṃyamī
in that, the self-disciplined one is awake
yasyām jāgrati bhūtāni
that in which beings are awake
sā niśā
that is night
paśyataḥ muneḥ
for the sage who sees
Read it in context: verses 2.69–72The ocean that rivers cannot fillWith the story so far, commentary, and today's lesson: Be the ocean, not the bucket

Another translation and audio recitation: verse 2.69 on holy-bhagavad-gita.org.