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A simple, modern translation and explanation of the Bhagavad Gita with shloka (verse) meaning

~ Gita Journey is a straightforward, modern, contemporary, basic explanation and commentary of the Bhagawat Gita, with Sanskrit to English word meanings. Each shloka (verse) is explained in detail. An introduction to the Bhagavad Gita along with study resources can also be found here. A summary of each chapter of the Bhagavad Gita is also included. It does not matter whether you are a student, a retiree, a professional, a mom, a dad or a housewife – no prior knowledge is needed.

A simple, modern translation and explanation of the Bhagavad Gita with shloka (verse) meaning

Category Archives: tribhihi

Bhagavad Gita Verse 40, Chapter 18

28 Friday Jun 2013

Posted by skr_2011 in 18.40, chapter 18 verse 40, deveshu, divi, ebhihi, gunaihe, muktam, prakritijaihi, prithvyaam, punaha, sattvam, syaat, tribhihi

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na tadasti prithvyaam vaa divi deveshu vaa punaha |
sattvam prakritijairmuktam yadebhihi syaattribhirgunaihe || 40 ||

 
There is no being on earth, or in heaven, or among the gods, or also in heaven, which can be free from the three gunaas born of Prakriti.
 
na : no
tat : that
asti : is
prithvyaam : on earth
vaa : or
divi : in heaven
deveshu : among gods
vaa : or
punaha : or also
sattvam : being
prakritijaihi : born of Prakriti
muktam : free
yat : which
ebhihi : these
syaat : there is
tribhihi : three
gunaihe : from gunaas
 
We are at the halfway mark of the eighteenth shloka, so let us recap what we have come across so far. The chapter began with Arjuna asking Shri Krishna about the difference between sanyaasa and tyaaga. Shri Krishna did not answer this question directly, but addressed the topic of karma yoga, which is the same as tyaaga. He ended this topic by declaring that the consequence or the fruit of action binds those who are attached to personal reward, and does not bind to those who are not attached. Next, he analyzed knowledge, action, agent, intellect, fortitude and happiness with the framework of the three gunaas, which is concluded with this shloka.
 
Shri Krishna summarizes this analysis by proclaiming the dominion of the three gunaas. He says that there is no being, object or entity, living or inert, that is beyond the influence of the gunaas. The gunaas work throughout the universe, and not just in a certain part of it, like the earth. We may be tempted to take this proclamation in a negative sense by accepting that there is no escape from the grip of Prakriti, no liberation. But that is not the case. The proclamation is meant to reinforce one of the central messages of the Gita, which is that Prakriti by itself is not the problem, it is our identification with Prakriti that is the problem we need to tackle.
 
The nature of this predicament was referenced in the fifteenth chapter through the illustration of the upside down tree which comprises the three gunaas. Only through the axe of detachment can this tree be destroyed. But, given that everything ultimately is under the influence of Prakriti, how can such a weapon be obtained? How can the identification with Prakriti be ended? Before this fundamental question is taken up, Shri Krishna spends a few shlokas on another preparatory topic next.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 22, Chapter 16

17 Wednesday Apr 2013

Posted by skr_2011 in 16.22, aacharati, aatmanaha, chapter 16 verse 22, etaihi, gatim, kaunteya, naraha, paraam, shreyaha, tamodvaaraihi, tataha, tribhihi, vimuktaha, yaati

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etairvimuktaha kaunteya tamodvaaraistribhirnaraha |
aacharatyaatmanaha shreyastato yaati paraam gatim || 22 ||

 
One who is free from these, the three gates of darkness, does good to himself, O Kaunteya, and with that, attains the supreme goal.
 
etaihi : these
vimuktaha : free
kaunteya : O Kaunteya
tamodvaaraihi : gates of darkness
tribhihi : three
naraha : one who
aacharati : does
aatmanaha : himself
shreyaha : good
tataha : with that
yaati : attains
paraam : supreme
gatim : goal
 
Shri Krishna describes the fate of one who has successfully conquered desire, anger and greed, the three gates of tamas or darkness. He says that such a person, from a practical standpoint, puts his life on the right track, he does good to himself. From an absolute standpoint, such a person attains the supreme goal of self realization, of oneness with Ishvara, instead of entrapment in the never ending cycle of birth and death.
 
With this shloka, the message of the entire sixteenth chapter is summarized and concluded. Most of us, given the materialistic nature of the world, are on the path of preyas, the pleasant, the path of continuous satisfaction of selfish desires. Shri Krishna urges us to slowly tune down the three devilish qualities of desire, anger and greed, so that we can start walking on the path of shreyas or the auspicious, the path of the divine qualities. Only then do we become qualified to attain the supreme goal of self realization.
 
Having heard this, we probably have a question that arises in our minds. Every second of our lives, we are bombarded with a ton of desires. If our awareness level is high, we can regulate them some of the time, but not all of the time. Furthermore, anger can erupt and take over our mind within a microsecond. How can we, on our own, control desire, anger and greed? It is not easy. Anticipating this question, Shri Krishna answers it in the next shloka.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 13, Chapter 7

09 Saturday Jun 2012

Posted by skr_2011 in 7.13, abhijaanaati, avyayam, bhaavaihi, chapter 7 verse 13, ebhihi, ebhyaha, gunamaiyaihai, idam, jagat, maam, mohitam, na, param, sarvam, tribhihi

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tribhirgunamayairbhaavairebhihi sarvamidam jagat |
mohitam naabhijaanaati maamebhyaha paramavyayam || 13 ||

 
This entire universe, deluded by these three modes in the form of gunaas, does not know me to be beyond these (gunaas) and imperishable.
 
tribhihi : three
gunamaiyaihai : in the form of gunaas
bhaavaihi : modes
ebhihi : these
sarvam : entire
idam : this
jagat : universe
mohitam : deluded by
na : do not
abhijaanaati : know me
maam : me
ebhyaha : these (gunaas)
param : beyond
avyayam : imperishable
 
So far in this chapter, Shri Krishna indicated that Ishvara is the ultimate cause, that he pervades everything, the entire universe is a play of the three gunaas, and that he supports all the three gunaas but they do not impact him. In theory, if we know this, then we should be a hundred percent clear about the true nature of Ishvara, which is the objective of this chapter. But there is still more to come. Why is that? It is because there is something in these three gunaas or aspects of nature that prevents us from accessing Ishvara.
 
Shri Krishna says that most people are deluded or confused about the true nature of Ishvara due to the overpowering effect of the three gunaas. This overpowering effect is our tendency to get carried away by name and form. It is our tendency to judge a book by its cover. We are so dazzled by the diversity of various forms of gold jewellery (the effect) that we fail to recognize that everything is ultimately gold (the cause).
 
Each gunaa or mode of nature has the ability to overpower us. Imagine a vendor at a vegetable market that has to haggle with his customers in order to turn a profit. A taamasic vendor can resort to any tactic including fraud to dupe unsuspecting customers, and potentially get caught doing so. A raajasic vendor can use fair, but aggressive negotiating tactics with even the shrewdest of his customers, eventually shrinking his customer base to zero. Now, we typically think that a saatvic vendor would follow the correct strategy, but this is not the case. Even saatva can overpower the vendor if he always gives in to the customer’s negotiations and goes into a loss.
 
Now, let us see what exactly happened with each of the vendors. The taamasic vendor could only see the most tangible thing in front of him – the crisp note that he can keep in his pocket as soon as the sale is made. He did not have the ability to think one step beyond the note, that he would get caught for fraud.
 
The raajasic vendor thought one step ahead and knew that he should not resort to anything illegal. But by always focusing on his personal gain, he missed the big picture in that he would eventually lose all his customers.
 
The saatvic vendor understood the big picture to some extent. But he forgot that he had to support a family at home, and therefore had to strike the right balance of maximizing his profit and making the customer happy.
 
So what does all this have to do with Ishvara? All three vendors were deluded or overpowered by gunaas. This is because our mind and senses is made up of the very “stuff” of the gunaas, as we saw in a previous shloka in chapter 3. They run after prakriti or nature which is also made up of the gunaas. We are helpless because our senses and our mind is wired to focus on names and forms, and not the underlying essence or cause. We get so carried away by names and forms that we cannot comprehend that Ishvara who is beyond any name and form, any attribute or modification.
 
So then, how do we develop this ability to pierce through the three gunaas and understand the real nature of Ishvara? Shri Krishna tackles this topic next.

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