Sanskrit
त्रैगुण्यविषया वेदा निस्त्रैगुण्यो भवार्जुन । निर्द्वन्द्वो नित्यसत्त्वस्थो निर्योगक्षेम आत्मवान् ॥
traiguṇyaviṣayā vedā nistraiguṇyo bhavārjuna nirdvandvo nityasattvastho niryogakṣema ātmavān
Translation
The Vedas deal with the three attributes; be thou above these three attributes, O Arjuna; beyond the pairs of opposites, ever steadfast in purity, careless of possessions, full of the Self.
Annie Besant · The Bhagavad-Gita, translated by Annie Besant (4th ed., 1922) — Wikisource · Public Domain
Explanation
Krishna’s own instruction, stated directly for the first time in this passage: go beyond the three guṇas the Vedic ritual system operates within altogether — beyond dualities like pleasure and pain, unconcerned with acquisition, grounded in the Self. This is the positive counterpart to the ritualists’ condition described in verses 42–44, and prepares the ground for the tank-and-flood analogy in the verse right after.
Concepts