Bhagavad Gītā · Chapter 16, Verse 5
दैवी सम्पद्विमोक्षाय निबन्धायासुरी मता।मा शुचः सम्पदं दैवीमभिजातोऽसि पाण्डव।।
daivī sampad vimokṣāya nibandhāyāsurī matā
mā śucaḥ sampadaṁ daivīm abhijāto ’si pāṇḍava
also searched as "Daivi sampad vimokshaya nibandhayasuri mata"
Translation
The divine destiny is said to lead to liberation, while the demoniac to bondage. Do not grieve, O Arjuna, for you are born with a divine destiny.
Vāṇi's rendering
The divine inheritance frees; the dark one binds. Do not worry — you were born to the divine.
Word by word
| Sanskrit & transliteration | Meaning |
|---|---|
| दैवीdaivī | divine, belonging to the light |
| सम्पद्sampad | endowment, inheritance, the wealth one is born holding |
| विमोक्षायvimokṣāya | for release, leading to freedom |
| निबन्धायnibandhāya | for binding, leading to bondage |
| आसुरीāsurī | the dark endowment; joined by sandhi to the preceding word |
| मताmatā | is held to be, is reckoned |
| माmā | do not |
| शुचःśucaḥ | grieve, worry |
| सम्पदम्sampadam | the endowment, the inheritance |
| दैवीम्daivīm | divine |
| अभिजातःabhijātaḥ | born into, born to |
| असिasi | you are |
| पाण्डवpāṇḍava | son of Pandu — Arjuna |
Frequently asked
What does Bhagavad Gita Chapter 16 Verse 5 mean?
It means the two endowments run in opposite directions — the divine one loosens, the dark one ties — and that Arjuna belongs to the first. Krishna does not argue the point or prove it. He states it, and adds mā śucaḥ: do not worry. The steadying comes before the striving, not after it.
What does 'daivi sampad vimokshaya nibandhayasuri mata' mean?
The divine inheritance frees; the dark one binds. Sampad is wealth you did not earn — what you arrived carrying. One kind of carrying loosens the knots as you go. The other tightens them. Krishna is naming the direction each one travels, not handing out verdicts on people.
How can Krishna say Arjuna is born to the divine when Arjuna is about to fight a war?
Because the divine endowment is not gentleness or withdrawal. Fearlessness, straightness, non-cruelty, steadiness — these belong to a warrior as much as anyone. Krishna is not exempting Arjuna from the battle. He is telling him what he is made of before he enters it.
What if I recognise myself in the demoniac list instead?
Everyone does, in places. Anger, arrogance, harshness — these are accurate observations, not diagnoses. Krishna gives Arjuna the assurance before Arjuna asks for it, which suggests it was never a reward for passing inspection. Read the list honestly, then read mā śucaḥ, and keep walking.
Read every verse this way, held — inside Vāṇi.
View on the App Store
Commentary
Krishna has just listed two ledgers of qualities, and Arjuna is doing what every honest person does with such a list — checking himself against the darker column. So the verse turns and steadies him before the fear can settle: mā śucaḥ. Do not worry. You were born to the divine. Notice that this is said to the man who a moment ago wanted to throw down his bow. Not a certificate of purity. A statement of what he belongs to, spoken before he has earned it. You will find your own darker column, and it will be accurate. It is not the column you were born to.