Bhagavad Gita 16.3
Spoken by Krishna ☆ Key verse · Verse 3 of 24
तेजस् क्षमा धृतिः शौचम् अद्रोहो नातिमानिता । भवन्ति सम्पदं दैवीम् अभिजातस्य भारत ॥
tejas kṣamā dhṛtiḥ śaucam adroho nātimānitā | bhavanti sampadaṃ daivīm abhijātasya bhārata ||
The final daivī qualities: tejas, kṣamā, dhṛti, śauca, adroha, nātimānitā — belonging to one born to divine nature.
Word by word (3)
- tejas kṣamā dhṛtiḥ śaucam
- — tejas (inner energy/vitality/radiance), kṣamā (forgiveness/patience — literally 'the capacity to bear'), dhṛti (fortitude/steadiness), śauca (purity — inner and outer)
- adroho nātimānitā
- — adroha (freedom from malice/ill-will — a-droha = non-betrayal), nātimānitā (absence of excess pride — na + ati + māna = not overly self-valuing)
- bhavanti sampadaṃ daivīm abhijātasya bhārata
- — these constitute (bhavanti) the divine wealth/endowment (sampadaṃ daivīm) of one born (abhijātasya) to divine nature, O Bharata — the seal of the 26-quality list
Energy, forgiveness, fortitude, purity, freedom from malice, absence of excessive pride — these constitute the divine endowment of one born for the divine nature, O Arjuna.
A modern analogy
If the opening verse's qualities are the foundation and the relational qualities are the walls, this verse's qualities are the roof — they complete and protect the structure. Tejas (radiance) is what makes the house visible; kṣamā (forgiveness) is what keeps it standing under storm; dhṛti (fortitude) is the structural integrity; śauca (purity) is the cleanness of the dwelling.
Public-domain translations (4) compare all →
Energy, forgiveness, fortitude, purity, absence of hatred, absence of pride; these belong to one born for a divine lot, O Bharata. [1]
Boldness, forgiveness, fortitude, purity, absence of hatred, absence of pride; these belong to one born for a divine state, O descendant of Bharata. [4]
Energy, forgiveness, courage, purity, freedom from malice, freedom from pride — these belong to one born to a divine nature, O descendant of Bharata. [9]
Vigor, forgiveness, firmness, cleanliness, absence of quarrelsomeness, freedom from vanity — these become his, O Bharata, who is born to godlike possessions. [13]
This verse speaks to
Where this thread continues
Six āsurī qualities: dambha, darpa, abhimāna, krodha, pāruṣya, ajñāna — all rooted in ego-assertion and ignorance.
The evildoer, the deluded, the lowest of men, those whose knowledge māyā has stolen — these do not take refuge in Me.
Driven by insatiable kāma, hypocrisy, pride and arrogance, gripping false notions through moha — impure resolves.
'I slew that enemy; I'll slay others. I am Lord, Enjoyer, Perfect, Powerful, Happy' — the ego-apotheosis of the āsurī.
Anger → delusion → memory loss → intellect destroyed → total ruin. Know this chain before it starts.
O Pārtha — no destruction for that one, neither here nor hereafter. For never does any doer of good come to an evil end.
Verse 3 of 24 · back to Chapter 16