Bhagavad Gita · 3.40 · Path of Selfless Service·40 of 43
इन्द्रियाणि मनो बुद्धिरस्याधिष्ठानमुच्यते।एतैर्विमोहयत्येष ज्ञानमावृत्य देहिनम् ॥
indriyāṇi mano buddhir asyādhiṣhṭhānam
uchyate etair vimohayatyeṣha jñānam āvṛitya dehinam
Sanskrit recitation
Desire as the inner enemy · 3.36–3.43 · Teaching
Translation
The senses, the mind, and the intellect are said to be its seat; through these, it deludes the embodied one, veiling their wisdom.
Meaning
If the abode of the enemy is known it is ite easy to kill him. So Lord Krishna like a wise army general points out to Arjuna the abode of desire so that he may be able to attack it and kill it ite readily.
After Swami Sivananda
Desire as the inner enemy· 3.36–3.43→
Teachers usually read this idea across several verses together, one shared reflection covers the whole unit.
- 3.36Arjuna said, "But what compels man to commit sin, even against his wishes, O Varshneya (Krishna), as if constrained by force?"
- 3.37The Blessed Lord said, "It is desire and it is anger, both of the quality of Rajas, all-devouring and all-sinful; know this as the foe here in this world."
- 3.38As fire is enveloped by smoke, as a mirror is covered by dust, and as an embryo is surrounded by the amniotic sac, so is this enveloped by that.
- 3.39O Arjuna, wisdom is enveloped by this constant enemy of the wise, in the form of desire, which is insatiable like fire.
3.40The senses, the mind, and the intellect are said to be its seat; through these, it deludes the embodied one, veiling their wisdom.
- 3.41Therefore, O best of the Bharatas, control your senses first and then kill this sinful thing, which destroys knowledge and realization.
- 3.42They say that the senses are superior to the body; the mind is superior to the senses; the intellect is superior to the mind; and He (the Self) is superior even to the intellect.
- 3.43Thus, knowing Him who is superior to the intellect and restraining the self by the Self, slay thou, O mighty-armed Arjuna, the enemy in the form of desire, hard to conquer.
Word-by-word→
- asya
- of this
- dehinam
- the embodied soul
- etaiḥ
- by these
- manaḥ
- the mind
- uchyate
- are said to be
- jñānam
- knowledge
- buddhiḥ
- the intellect
- eṣhaḥ
- this
- vimohayati
- deludes
- āvṛitya
- clouds
- indriyāṇi
- the senses
- adhiṣhṭhānam
- dwelling place
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