Bhagavad Gita 14.11
Spoken by Krishna · Verse 11 of 27
सर्वद्वारेषु देहेऽस्मिन् प्रकाश उपजायते । ज्ञानं यदा तदा विद्यात् विवृद्धं सत्त्वं इत्य् उत ॥
sarva-dvāreṣu dehe'smin prakāśa upajāyate | jñānaṃ yadā tadā vidyāt vivṛddhaṃ sattvaṃ ity uta ||
When intelligence-light shines through every sense-gate in this body — know that sattva is predominant.
Word by word (3)
- sarva-dvāreṣu dehe asmin prakāśaḥ upajāyate
- — when light (prakāśa) arises through every gate (sarva-dvāra = all sense-gates — eyes, ears, etc.) in this body (dehe asmin)
- jñānam yadā
- — when knowledge/discrimination (jñāna = discriminative intelligence) arises — yadā introduces the conditional
- tadā vidyāt vivṛddham sattvam iti uta
- — then know (vidyāt) that sattva has grown/predominated (vivṛddham sattvaṃ) — uta = verily, iti = thus
When light (the light of intelligence and clarity) shines through every gate of the body — through the eyes, ears, and all senses — then know that sattva is predominant in you.
A modern analogy
Sattvic awareness is like a bright morning when light floods every window of a house simultaneously. You can see clearly through every sense without distortion. There's no fog (tamas) and no agitation (rajas) — just pure, clear illumination through every channel of perception.
Public-domain translations (4) compare all →
MISSING — SH Ch.14 V11 not indexed; SW and Ganguli used as primary. [1]
When through every sense in this body, the light of intelligence shines, then it should be known that Sattva is predominant. [4]
When through all the gates of the body the light of intelligence beams, then it must be known that goodness has increased. [9]
When the light of knowledge beams forth from all the gates of the body, then it should be known that goodness (Sattva) is predominant. [13]
This verse speaks to
Where this thread continues
Daivī wealth begins: abhaya, sattva-śuddhi, jñāna-yoga, dāna, dama, yajña, svādhyāya, tapa, ārjava.
The tattva-vit sees gunas moving among gunas and does not become attached. Knowledge itself produces liberation.
Even the wise act by their nature. All beings follow nature. Forced repression accomplishes nothing.
Krishna reopens with the supreme jñāna above all knowledge — knowing which every muni has reached parāṃ siddhim.
Those who resort to this knowledge attain My own nature — neither reborn at creation nor disturbed at dissolution.
Sattva binds to happiness; rajas to action; tamas veils wisdom and chains to heedlessness.
Verse 11 of 27 · back to Chapter 14