Sanskrit
सर्वद्वारेषु देहेऽस्मिन्प्रकाश उपजायते । ज्ञानं यदा तदा विद्याद्विवृद्धं सत्त्वमित्युत ॥
sarvadvāreṣu dehe'smin prakāśa upajāyate jñānaṃ yadā tadā vidyād vivṛddhaṃ sattvam ity uta
Translation
When the wisdom-light streameth forth from all the gates of the body, then it may be known that Harmony is increasing.
Annie Besant · The Bhagavad-Gita, translated by Annie Besant (4th ed., 1922) — Wikisource · Public Domain
Explanation
The first diagnostic sign, opening the triad that runs through verse 13: sattva increasing shows up as light and understanding streaming through “all the gates of the body” — the senses functioning as channels of clarity rather than distraction. Practical rather than abstract, this is Krishna teaching Arjuna to read his own inner state the way a physician reads symptoms. How to diagnose which guṇa is ascendant, by its felt signature: sattva shows as light and understanding at every “gate” (sense) of the body. BG 14.12 and BG 14.13 give the rajas and tamas signatures.
Study deeper
Word by word
- sarvadvāreṣu dehe'sminसर्वद्वारेषु देहेऽस्मिन्
- at all the gates of this body (sarva-dvāreṣu + dehe + asmin)
- prakāśa upajāyateप्रकाश उपजायते
- a light arises (prakāśaḥ + upajāyate)
- jñānaṃ yadā tadā vidyādज्ञानं यदा तदा विद्याद्
- and knowledge — when [this happens] one should know (jñānam + yadā + tadā + vidyāt)
- vivṛddhaṃ sattvam ity utaविवृद्धं सत्त्वं इत्य् उत
- that sattva has grown strong (vivṛddham + sattvam + iti + uta)
Commentary
Site Commentary
The test given here isn’t a feeling to introspect for, it’s something observable through “all the gates of the body” at once — the senses collectively lit up with clarity, not just a private mental sense of well-being. That’s a meaningfully different kind of instruction than “notice if you feel harmonious”; it’s closer to a checklist run across every channel simultaneously than a mood you either happen to catch or don’t.
Original commentary written for this site · © Amit Singh — original commentary
Concepts
Apply this verse
Lessons
Personal
- Instead of relying on a vague sense of whether you're in a good state, check something concrete and observable — is your attention clear across every area of your life right now, or sharp in one and foggy in the rest — a real signal beats a mood you might be imagining.
Professional
- Instead of asking whether a project feels healthy, check for a concrete signal across every part of it at once — code quality, incident rate, morale, customer feedback — a scattered mix of good-here bad-there is a more honest reading than one impression standing in for the whole.
Family & Social
- Instead of trusting a general sense that things are fine at home, check a few concrete, observable signs at once — how everyone's sleeping, talking, showing up for each other — a single good moment can mask several other channels quietly going dark.
Ask yourself
A few ways to take this verse past reading. Ticks and the note stay in this browser.