Bhagavad Gita 2.45त्रैगुण्यविषया वेदा निस्त्रैगुण्यो भवार्जुन।निर्द्वन्द्वो नित्यसत्त्वस्थो निर्योगक्षेम आत्मवान् ॥
trai-guṇya-viṣhayā vedā nistrai-guṇyo bhavārjuna
nirdvandvo nitya-sattva-stho niryoga-kṣhema ātmavān
Sanskrit recitation
A clearer mind for action · 2.39–2.46 · Teaching
Translation
The Vedas deal with the three attributes; be thou above these three attributes. O Arjuna, free yourself from the pairs of opposites and ever remain in the quality of Sattva, freed from acquisition and preservation, and be established in the Self.
Hindi translation
वेद तीनों गुणोंके कार्यका ही वर्णन करनेवाले हैं; हे अर्जुन! तू तीनों गुणोंसे रहित हो जा, निर्द्वन्द्व हो जा, निरन्तर नित्य वस्तु परमात्मा में स्थित हो जा, योगक्षेमकी चाहना भी मत रख और परमात्मपरायण हो जा।
Meaning
Guna means attribute or quality. It is substance as well as quality. Nature (Prakriti) is made up of three Gunas, viz., Sattva (purity, light or harmony), Rajas (passion or motion) and Tamas (darkness or inertia). The pairs of opposites are heat and cold, pleasure and pain, gain and loss, victory and defeat, honour and dishonour, praise and censure. He who is anxious about new acquisitions or about the preservation of his old possessions cannot have peace of mind. He is ever restless. He cannot concentrate or meditate on the Self. He cannot practise virtue. Therefore, Lord Krishna advises Arjuna that he should be free from the thought of acisition and preservation of things. (Cf.IX.20,21).
After Swami Sivananda
A clearer mind for action· 2.39–2.46→
Teachers usually read this idea across several verses together, one shared reflection covers the whole unit.
- 2.39This, which has been taught to you, is wisdom concerning Sankhya. Now listen to wisdom…
- 2.40In this, there is no loss of effort, nor is there any harm produced, nor any…
- 2.41Here, O joy of the Kurus, there is only one single-pointed determination; many-branched…
- 2.42The unwise, taking pleasure in the eulogizing words of the Vedas, utter flowery speech,…
- 2.43Full of desires, with heaven as their goal, (they speak words that are directed to ends)…
- 2.44For those who are attached to pleasure and power, whose minds are drawn away by such…
2.45The Vedas deal with the three attributes; be thou above these three attributes. O Arjuna,…
- 2.46To the Brahmana who has known the Self, all the Vedas are of as much use as a reservoir of…
Word-by-word→
- bhava
- be
- arjuna
- Arjun
- vedāḥ
- Vedic scriptures
- ātma-vān
- situated in the self
- trai-guṇya
- of the three modes of material nature
- nirdvandvaḥ
- free from dualities
- viṣhayāḥ
- subject matter
- nistrai-guṇyaḥ
- above the three modes of material nature, transcendental
- niryoga-kṣhemaḥ
- unconcerned about gain and preservation
- nitya-sattva-sthaḥ
- eternally fixed in truth
Read this when you feel
Related verses
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- 10.5Non-injury, equanimity, contentment, austerity, beneficence, fame, and ill-fame—these…