Bhagavad Gita 18.42
Spoken by Krishna · Verse 42 of 78
शमो दमस् तपः शौचं क्षान्तिर् आर्जवम् एव च । ज्ञानं विज्ञानम् आस्तिक्यं ब्रह्मकर्म स्वभावजम् ॥
śamo damas tapaḥ śaucaṃ kṣāntir ārjavam eva ca | jñānaṃ vijñānam āstikyaṃ brahma-karma svabhāva-jam ||
Brāhmaṇa dharma: śama, dama, tapas, purity, forbearance, uprightness, knowledge, wisdom, faith — born of svabhāva.
Word by word (3)
- śamo damas tapaḥ śaucaṃ kṣāntir ārjavam eva ca
- — peace-of-mind/serenity (śama = internal quietude), self-restraint/control of senses (dama = external sense-regulation), austerity/tapas, purity (śauca = cleanness), forbearance/patience (kṣānti = patient endurance), uprightness/straightforwardness (ārjavam = straightness-of-character) — six qualities of brāhmaṇa dharma
- jñānaṃ vijñānam āstikyaṃ brahma-karma svabhāva-jam
- — knowledge (jñāna = theoretical knowledge), realized/practical wisdom (vijñāna = applied/experiential knowledge), faith/belief-in-the-tradition (āstikya = theistic-orientation, from āstika = one who affirms Vedic authority), these are the brahma-karma (Brāhmaṇa-duty) born of svabhāva (one's own nature)
- jñāna-vijñāna
- — knowledge and realized knowledge; jñāna = śāstric/theoretical knowledge; vijñāna = experiential/practical realization of that knowledge; the Brāhmaṇa's primary dharma is the cultivation and transmission of both — not merely theoretical learning but the realization that makes the learning alive; contrast with Ch.7 V2 where Krishna promises to teach jñāna + vijñāna together
Serenity, self-restraint, austerity, purity, forbearance, uprightness, knowledge, realized wisdom, and faith — these are the duties of Brāhmaṇas, born of their own nature.
A modern analogy
The Brāhmaṇa dharma is the dharma of the teacher-philosopher-priest: inner peace (śama), outer self-regulation (dama), austerity to sustain depth, purity of body-mind, patience, honesty, both theoretical knowledge (jñāna) and lived wisdom (vijñāna), and foundational faith in what the tradition has realized. Compare this to the list of divine (daivī) qualities that opens the chapter on the divine and demonic natures — brāhmaṇa dharma and daivī nature heavily overlap.
Public-domain translations (4) compare all →
Serenity, self-restraint, austerity, purity, forgiveness, and also uprightness, knowledge, wisdom, faith — these are the duties of the Brahmanas, born of nature. [1]
The control of the mind and the senses, austerity, purity, forbearance, and also uprightness, knowledge, realisation, belief in a hereafter — these are the duties of the Brahmanas, born of their own nature. [4]
MISSING from index. [9]
Tranquility, self-restraint, ascetic austerities, purity, forgiveness, rectitude, knowledge, experience, and belief (in an existence hereafter), these are the duties of Brahmanas, born of their proper nature. [13]
This verse speaks to
Where this thread continues
Where yogeśvara Kṛṣṇa is, where archer Pārtha stands — there abide fortune, victory, flourishing, and steadfast dharma.
Kṣatriya dharma: bravery, vigor, fortitude, skill, not-fleeing-battle, generosity, lordly bearing — born of svabhāva.
Mental tapas: serenity of mind, kindliness, silence, self-restraint, and purity of motive/bhāva.
This most secret śāstra spoken — knowing it, one becomes truly wise and kṛta-kṛtya: all duties fulfilled.
By bhakti one truly knows what and who I am; then knowing Me truly, one enters into Me immediately.
Those whose sin has ended — virtuous in deed, freed from dvandva-delusion — worship Me with firm resolve.
Verse 42 of 78 · back to Chapter 18