Sanskrit
बुद्धिर्ज्ञानमसम्मोहः क्षमा सत्यं दमः शमः । सुखं दुःखं भवोऽभावो भयं चाभयमेव च ॥ ४ ॥
buddhir jñānam asammohaḥ kṣamā satyaṃ damaḥ śamaḥ sukhaṃ duḥkhaṃ bhavo'bhāvo bhayaṃ cābhayam eva ca
Translation
Reason, wisdom, non-illusion, forgiveness, truth, self-restraint, calmness, pleasure, pain, existence, non-existence, fear, and also courage
Annie Besant · The Bhagavad-Gita, translated by Annie Besant (4th ed., 1922) — Wikisource · Public Domain
Explanation
Opens a two-verse list (with verse 5) of what “issues from” Krishna — and notably not virtues alone but paired opposites: pleasure and pain, existence and non-existence, fear and courage. Including painful and negative states alongside admirable ones is the point: nothing in the field of experience is exempt from being traced back to him, not just what flatters. The pairs — sukha/duḥkha, bhava/abhāva, bhaya/abhaya — keep both poles in the list. This is vibhūti before it is named: every state of mind, not only the good ones, is traced to one source.
Study deeper
Word by word
- buddhir jñānam asammohaḥबुद्धिः ज्ञानं असंमोहः
- intellect, knowledge, non-delusion (buddhiḥ + jñānam + asammohaḥ)
- kṣamā satyaṃ damaḥ śamaḥक्षमा सत्यं दमः शमः
- forbearance, truth, self-restraint, calm (kṣamā + satyam + damaḥ + śamaḥ)
- sukhaṃ duḥkhaṃ bhavo'bhāvoसुखं दुःखं भवोऽभावो
- pleasure, pain, existence, non-existence (sukham + duḥkham + bhavaḥ + abhāvaḥ)
- bhayaṃ cābhayam eva caभयं चाभयं एव च
- and fear and fearlessness (bhayam + ca + abhayam + eva + ca)
Commentary
Site Commentary
The list could have named virtues only — reason, wisdom, truth — and still made its metaphysical point. Instead verse 4 insists on keeping fear beside courage, pain beside pleasure, non-existence beside existence: the claim isn’t that Krishna is the source of what’s admirable, it’s that nothing in experience, including what a person would rather not own, sits outside that source.
Original commentary written for this site · © Amit Singh — original commentary
Concepts
Apply this verse
Lessons
Personal
- When you take ownership of your own story, include the fear and the failure alongside the wins, the way this verse keeps pain paired with pleasure rather than listing only what flatters. An account that keeps only the admirable half isn't honest ownership.
Professional
- When reporting what your project actually produced, state the setbacks with the same directness as the successes — this verse deliberately pairs painful outcomes with good ones rather than omitting them. A retrospective that lists only wins isn't a complete account of the work.
Family & Social
- When telling family about a hard stretch, include the fear and difficulty alongside the good news rather than editing out what's uncomfortable. This verse insists painful states belong in the account too — softening the story for their comfort isn't protecting them.
Ask yourself
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