Bhagavad Gita Chapter 13, Verse 9

Chapter 13 – Kshetra Kshetrajna Vibhaga Yoga · Speaker: Krishna

Sanskrit verse

इन्द्रियार्थेषु वैराग्यमनहंकार एव च ।
जन्ममृत्युजराव्याधिदुःखदोषानुदर्शनम् ॥

Transliteration

indriyārtheṣu vairāgyamanahaṃkāra eva ca .
janmamṛtyujarāvyādhiduḥkhadoṣānudarśanam ॥

Meaning

Dispassion toward the objects of the senses, absence of egoism, and constant reflection on the evils of birth, death, old age, disease and suffering —

Word meanings

इन्द्रियार्थेषु – toward the objects of the senses
वैराग्यम् – dispassion, non-attachment
अनहंकारः – absence of egoism
एव च – and also
जन्म – birth
मृत्यु – death
जरा – old age
व्याधि – disease
दुःख – suffering, pain
दोष – evils, defects
अनुदर्शनम् – repeated reflection, constant perception

Anvaya (word order)

इन्द्रियार्थेषु वैराग्यम् अनहंकारः एव च जन्ममृत्युजराव्याधिदुःखदोषानुदर्शनम् ।

Explanation

The garland of the marks of knowledge continues. Vairagya toward sense objects does not mean contempt for the world; it is the clear understanding that the pleasures of sound, touch, form, taste and smell are fleeting and cannot quench the thirst of the soul. In 2.59 Krishna observed that even when objects are withdrawn the relish for them lingers, and it fades only on seeing the Supreme. True dispassion is the quieting of that inner relish, not merely outer avoidance.

Anahamkara, freedom from egoism, goes deeper than the humility of the previous verse. Amanitva gives up the craving for honour from others; anahamkara loosens the very sense of being the doer, the enjoyer and the superior one. Verses 6 and 7 placed the ego within the field; now the seeker of knowledge begins to withdraw identification from it.

The second line prescribes a searching contemplation: janma-mrityu-jara-vyadhi-duhkha-dosha-anudarshanam, repeatedly seeing the defects inherent in birth, death, old age, disease and suffering. Anudarshana means not a single glance but sustained remembrance. Shankara explains that reflecting on the confinement of the womb, the anguish of death, the decline of strength and memory in old age and the helplessness of illness naturally gives rise to dispassion and turns the mind inward. Some commentators also read duhkha-dosha as ‘the defect of sorrow’ that pervades all of these.

This is not pessimism. In the well-known story of the Buddha, it was the sight of an old man, a sick man and a corpse that awakened his renunciation. In the Katha Upanishad Nachiketa turns down the pleasures offered by Yama as things that last only until tomorrow. Ramanuja says that reflecting on the defects bound up with the body impels the seeker to search for the self that is distinct from it. Madhva sees in this contemplation a recognition of the soul’s need to take refuge in the Lord.

When the transience of life is seen clearly, a person stops quarrelling over trifles and turns toward what is truly lasting. Such remembrance brings not fear but clarity and compassion.

Context

Verse 8 gave the first nine marks of knowledge. This verse adds dispassion, freedom from egoism and reflection on the sorrows of embodied life. The next verse continues the list with non-attachment and even-mindedness in pleasant and unpleasant circumstances.

Life lesson

Enjoy the pleasures of the senses, if you will, but remember their impermanence. Quiet reflection on the transience of life frees the mind from petty conflicts and pride. Instead of chasing what will pass, give time to what is eternal.

Key terms

Vairagya: Dispassion, freedom from attachment and craving for sense objects
Anahamkara: Freedom from the ego’s sense of doership and superiority
Doshanudarshana: Repeated reflection on the defects of birth, death, old age, disease and suffering
Indriyartha: Objects of the senses: sound, touch, form, taste, smell