Bhagavad Gita Chapter 4, Verse 10

Chapter 4 – Jnana Karma Sanyasa Yoga · Speaker: Krishna

Sanskrit verse

वीतरागभयक्रोधा मन्मया मामुपाश्रिताः ।
बहवो ज्ञानतपसा पूता मद्भावमागताः ॥

Transliteration

vītarāgabhayakrodhā manmayā māmupāśritāḥ .
bahavo jñānatapasā pūtā madbhāvamāgatāḥ ॥

Meaning

Freed from attachment, fear and anger, absorbed in Me and taking refuge in Me, many, purified by the austerity of knowledge, have attained My being.

Word meanings

वीत – freed from, gone
राग – attachment, craving
भय – fear
क्रोधाः – anger (those free of)
मन्मयाः – absorbed in Me, filled with Me
माम् – in Me
उपाश्रिताः – taking refuge
बहवः – many
ज्ञानतपसा – by the austerity of knowledge
पूताः – purified
मद्भावम् – My being, My nature
आगताः – have attained

Anvaya (word order)

वीतरागभयक्रोधाः मन्मयाः माम् उपाश्रिताः ज्ञानतपसा पूताः बहवः मद्भावम् आगताः ।

Explanation

In the previous verse Krishna said that one who truly knows His divine birth and deeds comes to Him. Now He affirms that this is no theory but the lived experience of countless souls: ‘bahavo mad-bhavam agatah’ — many have attained My being. Liberation is not the privilege of a chosen few; it is a path open to every sincere seeker.

Krishna describes the marks of these liberated ones. First, ‘vita-raga-bhaya-krodhah’ — free from attachment, fear and anger. The three are linked. Raga is clinging to an object or a person; where there is clinging there is fear of losing it; and when someone stands in the way of what we cling to, anger arises. Attachment is the root; fear and anger are its branches. (The same three were named among the marks of the person of steady wisdom in 2.56.)

Second, ‘man-mayah’ — absorbed in Me: those whose minds are filled with the Lord, whose every thought carries His remembrance. Third, ‘mam upashritah’ — taking refuge in Me: those who have placed all their dependence upon God. When the mind rests on God rather than on the world, there is simply no room left for attachment, fear and anger.

‘Jnana-tapasa putah’ — purified by the austerity of knowledge. Shankara explains that knowledge of the Supreme is itself the highest austerity, burning away every impurity of the mind. The acharyas read ‘mad-bhavam’ in their own ways: for Shankara it is the state of the Lord, that is, liberation itself; for Ramanuja it is attaining a nature like the Lord's — pure and free from the bondage of karma — in which the soul enjoys closeness to Him.

Context

In 4.9 Krishna said that one who knows His divine birth and actions is liberated. Here He confirms that many have reached His being by this path. In the next verse (4.11) He explains that He responds to each person according to the way they approach Him.

Life lesson

Attachment, fear and anger are branches of a single tree whose root is clinging. When we rest our mind and trust in God, all three begin to wither on their own, and peace comes into our life.

Key terms

Vita-raga: one from whom attachment has departed
Man-maya: absorbed in God, with the mind filled with Him
Jnana-tapas: the austerity of knowledge, which purifies the mind
Mad-bhava: the Lord's being or nature — the state of liberation