शक्नोतीहैव यः सोढुं प्राक्शरीरविमोक्षणात् | कामक्रोधोद्भवं वेगं स युक्तः स सुखी नरः || २३ ||
śaknotīhaiva yaḥ soḍhuṃ prāk śarīra-vimokṣaṇāt kāma-krodhodbhavaṃ vegaṃ sa yuktaḥ sa sukhī naraḥ
śaknoti—is able; iha eva—in the present body; yaḥ—one who; soḍhum—to tolerate; prāk—before; śarīra—body; vimokṣaṇāt—giving up; kāma—desire; krodha—anger; udbhavam—generated; vegam—impulse; saḥ—he; yuktaḥ—in trance; saḥ—he; sukhī—happy; naraḥ—person.
“One who is able, while still in this body, to withstand the impulse of desire and anger — that person is a yogi and is happy.”
Kama (desire) and krodha (anger) are the twin obstacles on the path. Desire arises when something pleasant is perceived or imagined; anger arises when something desired is obstructed. Both are rajasic forces that agitate the mind and drive reactive behavior. The person who can pause in the gap between stimulus and response — feeling the impulse but not being carried away by it — has achieved the essential victory of yogic mastery.
The space between stimulus and response is where your freedom lives. When you feel the surge of desire or anger, practise the 'STOP' technique: Stop, Take a breath, Observe what is happening, Proceed with awareness. This is the practical embodiment of verse 5.23.