Bhagavad Gita 16.1श्री भगवानुवाच अभयं सत्त्वसंशुद्धिः ज्ञानयोगव्यवस्थितिः।दानं दमश्च यज्ञश्च स्वाध्यायस्तप आर्जवम् ॥
śhrī-bhagavān uvācha abhayaṁ sattva-sanśhuddhir
jñāna-yoga-vyavasthitiḥ dānaṁ damaśh cha yajñaśh cha svādhyāyas tapa ārjavam
Sanskrit recitation
Divine qualities to grow · 16.1–16.5 · Teaching
Translation
The Blessed Lord said: Fearlessness, purity of heart, steadfastness in knowledge and yoga, almsgiving, control of the senses, sacrifice, study of scriptures, austerity, and straightforwardness.
Hindi translation
श्रीभगवान् बोले -- भयका सर्वथा अभाव; अन्तःकरणकी शुद्धि; ज्ञानके लिये योगमें दृढ़ स्थिति; सात्त्विक दान; इन्द्रियोंका दमन; यज्ञ; स्वाध्याय; कर्तव्य-पालनके लिये कष्ट सहना; शरीर-मन-वाणीकी सरलता।
Meaning
The Lord made a mention of the three kinds of Nature that belong to sentient beings, viz., the nature of the gods, Asuras and Rakshasas, in the ninth discourse (verses 12 and 13). He now describes them in detail in this discourse. The distinction between the god or the godman and the Asuras is clearly drawn in the first, second, third and fourth verses. Daivi Prakriti or the nature of the gods leads to Moksha or release from the round of birth and death. The nature of the Asuras and Rakshasas leads to bondage. This is an obstacle to the attainment of knowledge of the Self. The divine nature must be accepted and cultivated the Asuric and Rakshasic nature should be abandoned. All these alities are found in human beings. There are Sattvic people who possess the divine attributes there are Asuras and Rakshasas among human beings also, who are endowed with demoniacal alities, who are filled with excessive Tamas. In an ordinary man there is a mixture of the three Gunas. Tamas and Rajas pull a man downwards Sattva lifts a man upwards. Tamas and Rajas lead to bondage Sattva helps to attain salvation. Discipline yourself and develop Sattva This is the foundation of Yoga. This is the first preparatory discipline. The first rung in the spiritual ladder is reached by developing Sattva. When the mind is Sattvic, thee is calmness in it
After Swami Sivananda
Divine qualities to grow· 16.1–16.5→
Teachers usually read this idea across several verses together, one shared reflection covers the whole unit.
16.1The Blessed Lord said: Fearlessness, purity of heart, steadfastness in knowledge and yoga,…
- 16.2Harmlessness, truth, absence of anger, renunciation, peacefulness, absence of crookedness,…
- 16.3Vigor, forgiveness, fortitude, purity, absence of hatred, absence of pride—these belong to…
- 16.4Hypocrisy, arrogance, and self-conceit, anger, harshness, and ignorance—these belong to…
- 16.5The divine nature is deemed conducive to liberation, and the demonic to bondage. Grieve…
Word-by-word→
- cha
- and
- yoga
- spiritual
- dānam
- charity
- abhayam
- fearlessness
- damaḥ
- control of the senses
- jñāna
- knowledge
- tapaḥ
- austerity
- ārjavam
- straightforwardness
- yajñaḥ
- performance of sacrifice
- svādhyāyaḥ
- study of sacred books
- vyavasthitiḥ
- steadfastness
- sattva-sanśhuddhiḥ
- purity of mind
- śhrī-bhagavān uvācha
- the Supreme Divine Personality said
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- 18.42Serenity, self-restraint, austerity, purity, forgiveness, and uprightness, as well as…
- 12.7To those whose minds are set on Me, O Arjuna, verily I soon become the savior out of the…