Just as waters enter the ocean, which though ever being filled remains still in its foundation, so too one in whom all desires enter attains peace — not the one who desires desires.

One of the most beautiful metaphors in the Gītā: the sage as ocean.

Āpūryamāṇam — ever being filled. Rivers constantly pour water into the sea.

Acala-pratiṣṭham — still in its foundation. Despite the constant influx, the ocean neither overflows nor becomes agitated.

Samudram āpaḥ praviśanti — the waters enter the ocean.

Likewise, desires (kāmāḥ) enter the sage — it’s not that they have no experiences or sensations — but their fundamental peace remains undisturbed.

Sa śāntim āpnoti — they attain peace.

Na kāma-kāmī — not one who desires desires. Contrast with one who chases every desire, like a river flowing from object to object.

The metaphor suggests: don’t fight against desires; simply be vast enough to contain them without being swept away. The ocean doesn’t reject the rivers but doesn’t depend on them either.