Bhagavad Gita Chapter 13, Verse 8

Chapter 13 – Kshetra Kshetrajna Vibhaga Yoga · Speaker: Krishna

Sanskrit verse

अमानित्वमदम्भित्वमहिंसा क्षान्तिरार्जवम् ।
आचार्योपासनं शौचं स्थैर्यमात्मविनिग्रहः ॥

Transliteration

amānitvamadambhitvamahiṃsā kṣāntirārjavam .
ācāryopāsanaṃ śaucaṃ sthairyamātmavinigrahaḥ ॥

Meaning

Humility, freedom from pretence, non-violence, forbearance, uprightness, service of the teacher, purity, steadfastness and self-control —

Word meanings

अमानित्वम् – humility, absence of craving for honour
अदम्भित्वम् – unpretentiousness, freedom from hypocrisy
अहिंसा – non-violence in thought, word and deed
क्षान्तिः – forbearance, forgiveness
आर्जवम् – uprightness, straightforwardness
आचार्योपासनम् – devoted service of the teacher
शौचम् – purity, outer and inner
स्थैर्यम् – steadfastness
आत्मविनिग्रहः – self-control, restraint of body, senses and mind

Anvaya (word order)

अमानित्वम् अदम्भित्वम् अहिंसा क्षान्तिः आर्जवम् आचार्योपासनम् शौचम् स्थैर्यम् आत्मविनिग्रहः ।

Explanation

Having finished describing the field, Krishna turns to the part of Arjuna’s question concerning knowledge. Strikingly, he does not define knowledge through a philosophical formula but through qualities of character. From this verse to verse 12 runs a garland of twenty virtues, at the end of which he declares: this is knowledge, and whatever is contrary to it is ignorance. For the Gita, knowledge is not information but a transformation of the whole person.

The list begins with amanitva, freedom from the craving for honour. That is no accident: the ego is the chief obstacle to self-knowledge, so humility is the first gateway. Adambhitva means not parading one’s piety or virtues. Ahimsa includes refraining from causing pain in thought and word as well as in deed. Kshanti is the strength to bear wrongs without retaliation, and arjava is the straightforwardness in which inner and outer are the same.

Acharyopasana, devoted service of the teacher, deserves special mention. The Chandogya Upanishad says that one who has a teacher comes to know, and in 4.34 Krishna had urged Arjuna to learn from the wise through reverence, sincere questioning and service. Shaucha embraces both cleanliness of body and clarity of mind. Sthairya is the steadiness to persevere in practice when enthusiasm fades, and atma-vinigraha is the disciplining of body and mind toward a higher aim.

Shankara calls these qualities knowledge because they are its means: they purify the inner instrument so that self-knowledge can dawn. Ramanuja treats them as the qualities that make a seeker fit for the vision of the self as distinct from the body. Madhva likewise sees them as prerequisites for true knowledge of the Lord. The conclusion common to all is clear: without character, philosophy is only a play of words.

In an age that measures knowledge by data and degrees, this verse is a mirror. The truly learned person is not the one who knows most, but the one in whom humility, forgiveness, simplicity and self-restraint have blossomed.

Context

The description of the field ended in verse 7. From here through verse 12 Krishna lists the twenty marks of knowledge; this verse gives the first nine. The next verse adds dispassion, freedom from egoism and reflection on the sorrows of embodied life.

Life lesson

Knowledge is tested in conduct, not in argument. Let go of the hunger for praise, avoid show, cause no harm and forgive others their faults. Seek the company of a good teacher, and bring purity and self-restraint into daily life.

Key terms

Amanitva: Humility, absence of the desire for honour
Adambhitva: Freedom from pretence and hypocrisy
Arjava: Uprightness, harmony of thought, word and deed
Acharyopasana: Reverent service of and learning from the teacher
Atma-vinigraha: Self-control over body, senses and mind