Bhagavad Gītā · Chapter 16, Verse 3
तेजः क्षमा धृतिः शौचमद्रोहो नातिमानिता।
भवन्ति सम्पदं दैवीमभिजातस्य भारत।।
भवन्ति सम्पदं दैवीमभिजातस्य भारत।।
tejaḥ kṣamā dhṛtiḥ śaucam adroho nāti-mānitā
bhavanti sampadaṁ daivīm abhijātasya bhārata
also searched as "tejah kshama dhritih shaucham adroho natimanita"
Translation
Grandeur, patience, fortitude, purity, freedom from hatred and over-pride—these, O Arjuna, belong to one who is born to a divine destiny.
Vāṇi's rendering
Courage, patience, endurance, purity; no malice, no self-importance — these are the marks of one born for the divine.
Word by word
| Sanskrit & transliteration | Meaning |
|---|---|
| तेजःtejaḥ | fiery courage, brightness of spirit |
| क्षमाkṣamā | patience; the readiness to forgive |
| धृतिःdhṛtiḥ | endurance, the power to hold on |
| शौचम्śaucam | cleanness, inner and outer |
| अद्रोहःadrohaḥ | absence of malice; wishing no one harm (appears as 'adroho' before the following vowel) |
| नna | not (joined with the next word as 'nāti-') |
| अतिमानिताati-mānitā | excessive self-regard; with 'na', freedom from self-importance |
| भवन्तिbhavanti | are, belong to |
| सम्पदम्sampadam | endowment, inheritance of qualities |
| दैवीम्daivīm | divine |
| अभिजातस्यabhijātasya | of one born toward, born for |
| भारतbhārata | O Arjuna, of Bharata's line |
Frequently asked
What does Bhagavad Gita Chapter 16 Verse 3 mean?
Krishna continues naming the qualities of one born for the divine: fiery courage, patience, endurance, cleanness, and two freedoms — from malice and from self-importance. These are not mystical attainments. They are the daily shape of a person's conduct. Divinity here is recognised by how someone treats others when unwatched.
What does tejah kshama dhritih shaucham adroho natimanita mean?
Tejaḥ is brightness that does not flinch. Kṣamā bears with people. Dhṛtiḥ holds on when holding on is unglamorous. Śaucam is cleanness of body and motive. Adroha wishes no one harm; nātimānitā claims no special place. Four presences, two absences — together, the whole verse.
Why are absence of malice and absence of pride listed as divine qualities?
Because they cost the most. Courage and patience can be built; a grudge and a swollen self must be surrendered. Krishna counts these subtractions as equal to the virtues, since malice quietly poisons every good act and self-importance takes the credit for it. Removing them leaves the rest room to work.
Is the divine nature something I am born with or something I can develop?
Abhijātasya means born toward — a direction, not a verdict. Krishna is not sorting people into fixed groups; he is describing where a life is tending. Each act of patience, each grudge released, turns the tendency. Whichever list you find yourself on today, the next hour is still yours to spend.
Themes in this verse
Read every verse this way, held — inside Vāṇi.
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Commentary
Look at what is not on this list. No visions, no powers, no ecstasies. Courage, patience, endurance, cleanness — and then two absences: no malice, no self-importance. Krishna is describing divinity by its behaviour, not by its experiences. Arjuna wants to know which side he belongs to; he is handed something he can verify by tomorrow evening. Notice that half of it is subtraction. You do not become fit for the divine by acquiring something rare, but by setting down the two things that make you heavy — the grudge you rehearse, and the importance you defend. Put one of them down today.