Bhagavad Gita · 16.1 · Yoga through Discerning the Divine and Demoniac Natures·1 of 24
श्री 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.
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, almsgiving, control of the senses, sacrifice, study of scriptures, austerity, and straightforwardness.
- 16.2Harmlessness, truth, absence of anger, renunciation, peacefulness, absence of crookedness, compassion for beings, non-covetousness, gentleness, modesty, and absence of fickleness.
- 16.3Vigor, forgiveness, fortitude, purity, absence of hatred, absence of pride—these belong to one born for a divine state, O Arjuna.
- 16.4Hypocrisy, arrogance, and self-conceit, anger, harshness, and ignorance—these belong to one who is born for a demoniacal state, O Partha.
- 16.5The divine nature is deemed conducive to liberation, and the demonic to bondage. Grieve not, O Arjuna, for you are born with divine endowments.
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
- 6.5One should raise oneself by one's own self alone; let not one lower oneself; for the self…
- 6.10Let the yogi constantly strive to keep the mind steady, remaining in solitude, alone, with…
- 6.30He who sees Me everywhere and sees everything in Me, never becomes separated from Me, nor…
- 6.39O Krishna, please completely dispel this doubt of mine, for it is not possible for anyone…