बाह्यस्पर्शेष्वसक्तात्मा विन्दत्यात्मनि यत्सुखम् | स ब्रह्मयोगयुक्तात्मा सुखमक्षयमश्नुते || २१ ||
bāhya-sparśeṣv asaktātmā vindaty ātmani yat sukham sa brahma-yoga-yuktātmā sukham akṣayam aśnute
bāhya-sparśeṣu—in external sense pleasure; asakta-ātmā—one who is not attached; vindati—finds; ātmani—in the Self; yat—that which; sukham—happiness; saḥ—he; brahma-yoga—by concentration on the Supreme; yukta-ātmā—self-connected; sukham—happiness; akṣayam—unlimited; aśnute—enjoys.
“With the self unattached to external contacts, he finds happiness in the Self. Being united with Brahman through yoga, he enjoys happiness that is imperishable.”
External pleasures — from touch, taste, sound, sight, smell — are inherently finite. They arrive, peak, and diminish, leaving only a residue of craving for the next experience. The person who has turned inward discovers a different quality of happiness: ananda, the bliss of the Self itself. This bliss does not depend on conditions and therefore cannot be taken away. It is akshaya — inexhaustible.
Spend even ten minutes daily in stillness — not scrolling, not consuming, not seeking. Notice the quiet that is already present when you stop reaching outward. That quiet is the beginning of the recognition of inner happiness described in this verse.