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Bhagavad Gita · 16.1 · Yoga through Discerning the Divine and Demoniac Natures·1 of 24

श्री भगवानुवाच अभयं सत्त्वसंशुद्धिः ज्ञानयोगव्यवस्थितिःदानं 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.

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.

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

Related verses

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