sthitaprajña
/st̪ʰitɐprɐdʑɲɐ/
adjective
Origin
Sanskrit
sthā — to stand, to be firm
Overview
Meaning Now
- One whose intellect or wisdom is firmly established and steady, remaining equanimous regardless of circumstances.
- A person of stable mind who is unmoved by joy, sorrow, fear, or attachment.
Literal older meaning
One whose wisdom (prajña) is established or standing still (sthita).
Language path
Sanskrit
Earliest form
sthitaprajña
Earliest period
c. 5th–2nd century BCE
Journey
The term is central to the Bhagavad Gita, where Arjuna asks Krishna to describe the characteristics of a 'sthitaprajña'. It defines the Stoic-like ideal in Indian philosophy where a practitioner maintains inner peace by detaching from external dualities.
Evolution
- Vedic Sanskrit
sthita-prajña
“steadfast in knowledge”
Compound formation of sthita and prajña.
- Classical Sanskrit
sthitaprajña
“one of stable intellect”
Used as a technical term for the ideal seeker.
Connections
Word parts
sthita
root
standing, firm, fixed
prajña
root
wisdom, intellect, consciousness
Related across languages
Avestan
hišta
standing
Latin
status
standing, position
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Related to sthitaprajña
External references use DefinedTerm semantics.