One who has abandoned all desires, who moves through life free from longing, free from the sense of 'mine,' and free from ego — that person attains peace.
Synthesis
This verse describes the inner landscape of the person who has attained the peace described throughout this section. Three qualities define this state. 'Niḥspṛhaḥ' means without craving or yearning — the person still acts and experiences but without the burning need for things to be different from what they are. 'Nirmamaḥ' means without the sense of possession — 'mama' means 'mine,' and 'nirmamaḥ' is freedom from the compulsive claiming of people, objects, achievements, and identities as 'mine.' 'Nirahaṅkāraḥ' means without ego-identification — the deep sense of 'I am this body-mind-personality' that is the root of all suffering. Together, these three qualities describe a human being who is fully functional, fully engaged with life, yet fundamentally free from the three bonds that create all psychological suffering: craving, possessiveness, and ego. 'Carati' (moves, walks, wanders) is significant — this person is not sitting in a cave but actively moving through the world. The peace described is not the peace of withdrawal but the peace of liberation-in-action.
Commentaries 8 traditions
Shankara identifies this as the direct description of the jīvanmukta — one who is liberated while still alive. The abandonment of desires is not behavioral but ontological: the person no longer identifies with the desiring agent. Without ego-identification (ahaṅkāra) and possessiveness (mamakāra), no new karma is generated, and existing karma exhausts itself without creating further bondage.
Apply This Verse
Personal Growth
Examine the three chains: Do you crave what you don't have? Do you cling to what you do have? Do you identify so strongly with your role, appearance, or achievements that losing them would destroy you? Loosening any of these three brings immediate peace.
Questions this verse answers
- ?"What would my life look like without craving, possessiveness, and ego?"
- ?"Which of the three — desire, mine-ness, or ego — is strongest in me?"
- ?"Can I be ambitious and purposeful while being free from personal craving?"
- ?"What am I clinging to that I need to release to find peace?"