Bhagavad Gītā · Chapter 16, Verse 1
श्री भगवानुवाच
अभयं सत्त्वसंशुद्धिः ज्ञानयोगव्यवस्थितिः।
दानं दमश्च यज्ञश्च स्वाध्यायस्तप आर्जवम्।।
अभयं सत्त्वसंशुद्धिः ज्ञानयोगव्यवस्थितिः।
दानं दमश्च यज्ञश्च स्वाध्यायस्तप आर्जवम्।।
śrī-bhagavān uvāca
abhayaṁ sattva-sanśuddhir jñāna-yoga-vyavasthitiḥ
dānaṁ damaś ca yajñaś ca svādhyāyas tapa ārjavam
also searched as "Abhayam sattva-samshuddhir jnana-yoga-vyavasthitih"
Translation
The Lord said, "Fearlessness, purity of mind, devotion to meditation on the knowledge of the self, alms-giving, self-control, worship, study of the Vedas, austerity, and uprightness—
Vāṇi's rendering
Fearlessness, a clean heart, steadiness in knowing and practice; giving, restraint, offering, study, austerity, straightforwardness.
Word by word
| Sanskrit & transliteration | Meaning |
|---|---|
| श्री भगवान्śrī-bhagavān | the radiant Lord, Krishna |
| उवाचuvāca | said |
| अभयम्abhayam | fearlessness |
| सत्त्वसंशुद्धिःsattva-saṁśuddhiḥ | thorough cleanness of one's inner being; a clear heart |
| ज्ञानयोगव्यवस्थितिःjñāna-yoga-vyavasthitiḥ | standing firm in knowing and in its practice |
| दानम्dānam | giving |
| दमःdamaḥ | restraint of the senses |
| चca | and |
| यज्ञःyajñaḥ | offering, sacrifice |
| चca | and |
| स्वाध्यायःsvādhyāyaḥ | study of what is sacred; study of oneself |
| तपःtapaḥ | austerity, willing heat |
| आर्जवम्ārjavam | straightness, no crookedness in word or act |
Frequently asked
What does Bhagavad Gita Chapter 16 Verse 1 mean?
Krishna begins naming the qualities of one born to the divine nature. He starts with abhayam — fearlessness — then cleanness of heart, steadiness in knowing and practice, giving, restraint, offering, study, austerity, and straightness. It is not a mystical inventory. It is a description of how such a person actually behaves on an ordinary day.
Why does Krishna list fearlessness first in Abhayam sattva-samshuddhih?
Because fear corrupts every other quality quietly. A frightened man still gives, but with conditions; still speaks, but with angles. Ārjavam — straightness — is the first casualty of fear. Krishna puts abhayam at the head because the rest of the list only becomes real once you stop protecting yourself.
Are these qualities something I have to be born with?
Krishna calls them the marks of the daivī nature, but the whole chapter is spoken to a man in the middle of a collapse. He is not being told what he is. He is being shown what to practise. Dānam, damaḥ, svādhyāyaḥ — these are verbs before they are traits.
What is svadhyaya in this verse?
Study — of scripture, and of oneself, which the word carries in the same breath. Not accumulation of information, but returning regularly to what steadies you and looking honestly at what does not. Placed beside tapaḥ, austerity, it suggests something done daily and without applause.
Read every verse this way, held — inside Vāṇi.
View on the App Store
Commentary
Fearlessness comes first, and the order is not accidental. Everything else on the list depends on it. Giving is impossible while you are guarding; restraint collapses into fear of loss; straightforwardness is the first thing a frightened person abandons — he calculates instead. Krishna is describing what the divine nature looks like from outside, and it looks like plain habits: study, offering, a clean heart, austerity. Nothing here is mystical. Arjuna wanted to know which nature is his; the answer is not a diagnosis but a practice. Begin where Krishna begins. Notice what you did today only because you were afraid.