Bhagavad Gita 3.43
Spoken by Krishna · Verse 43 of 43
एवं बुद्धेः परं बुद्ध्वा संस्तभ्यात्मानमात्मना । जहि शत्रुं महाबाहो कामरूपं दुरासदम् ॥
evaṃ buddheḥ paraṃ buddhvā saṃstabhyātmānam ātmanā | jahi śatruṃ mahā-bāho kāma-rūpaṃ durāsadam ||
Know the Self as higher than the intellect. Steady the self by the Self. Then slay the formidable enemy — desire.
Word by word (3)
- buddheḥ param buddhvā
- — knowing what is beyond the intellect · Buddheḥ = of/from the intellect. Param = beyond, higher. Buddhvā = having known, having understood (gerund of budh, same root as Buddha = the awakened). Having thoroughly understood the hierarchy of V42 — specifically, that the Self is higher than the intellect — the next step becomes possible.
- saṃstabhya ātmānam ātmanā
- — steadying the self by the Self · Saṃstabhya = having steadied, having firmly established (sam+stabh). Ātmānam = the self (lower self, the ego-personality). Ātmanā = by the Self (higher Self, Ātman). The technique: use the higher Self to steady/ground the lower self. The instrument of stabilization is the same as what is being stabilized — but at different levels.
- jahi śatrum kāma-rūpam durāsadam
- — slay the enemy in the form of desire — hard to approach · Jahi = slay! (same imperative as V41's prajahi). Śatru = enemy. Kāma-rūpa = in the form of desire. Durāsada = hard to approach, difficult to overcome (duḥ + āsada, from ā+sad = to approach). The closing challenge: the enemy is formidable (durāsada) but the weapon — abiding in the Self — is the ultimate counter.
Thus knowing what is beyond the intellect — steadying the lower self by the higher Self — slay the enemy in the form of desire, O mighty-armed Arjuna, which is so hard to overcome.
A modern analogy
When you are fully grounded in your deepest values and identity — not your ego's desires but your actual Self — the pull of craving loosens. Not by force but by perspective. From the mountaintop, the valley's apparent importance diminishes. The Self is the mountaintop; desire's power is the valley's illusion of size.
Take with you
- The complete weapon against desire: Self-knowledge + Self-abidance + decisive action (jahi, slay).
- Saṃstabhya ātmānam ātmanā — steady the self by the Self. This is the whole practice of karma-yoga in one phrase.
- Durāsada (hard to overcome) — the Gita does not underestimate the enemy. The path is real but not easy.
- This verse closes Ch.3 where the chapter opened with Arjuna's confusion about action: that confusion is now resolved — act, from the Self, against desire.
Public-domain translations (5) compare all →
Thus knowing the Self to be higher than the intellect and restraining the self by the Self, slay the enemy, O mighty-armed, in the form of desire, very difficult to overcome. [1]
Thus knowing Him to be higher than the intellect, and restraining the self by the Self, slay, O mighty-armed, the enemy in the form of desire, difficult to overcome. [4]
Thus knowing that which is higher than the intellect, and restraining the self by the self, slay, O mighty-armed, the enemy in the form of desire, so hard to overcome. [6]
Thus knowing Him beyond thy knowing, Arjuna! Be thy thought steady, slay the foe! Slay lust, O Bharata! — mighty, proud desire! [7]
Thus understanding that which is higher than the intellect, and restraining the self by the self, slay the enemy, O mighty-armed one, who is hard to approach and appears in the form of desire. [9]
This verse speaks to
Where this thread continues
Steady wisdom begins here: when all desires fall away and the Self finds fullness in itself alone.
I taught this imperishable yoga to the sun-god at the dawn of time — it has been passed down through kings ever since.
Lift the self by the Self; let not the self drown itself — you alone are your own friend and your own foe.
By bhakti one truly knows what and who I am; then knowing Me truly, one enters into Me immediately.
Where yogeśvara Kṛṣṇa is, where archer Pārtha stands — there abide fortune, victory, flourishing, and steadfast dharma.
Acting for reward is the lowest form of action. Seek the wisdom that transcends reward-seeking.
Verse 43 of 43 · back to Chapter 3