Sanskrit
कैर्लिङ्गैस्त्रीन्गुणानेतानतीतो भवति प्रभो । किमाचारः कथं चैतांस्त्रीन्गुणानतिवर्तते ॥
kair liṅgais trīn guṇān etān atīto bhavati prabho kim ācāraḥ kathaṃ caitāṃs trīn guṇān ativartate
Translation
What are the marks of him who hath crossed over the three qualities, O Lord? How acteth he, and how doth he go beyond these three qualities?
Annie Besant · The Bhagavad-Gita, translated by Annie Besant (4th ed., 1922) — Wikisource · Public Domain
Explanation
Arjuna speaks for the first time in the chapter, and the question is structurally identical to 2.54’s “what are the marks of the man of steady wisdom?” — not a request for more theory but for a description of a concrete person. Krishna’s answer runs verses 22-25, mirroring how 2.55-72 answered the parallel question about the sthitaprajna. The two portraits describe essentially the same state from different vocabularies — chapter 2 through psychological composure, this chapter through the specific lens of standing apart from the three gunas. Arjuna asks for liṅgas, observable marks — the same request as BG 2.54 about the sthitaprajña. Krishna’s answer (BG 14.22–BG 14.25) is, almost word for word, that same portrait.
Study deeper
Word by word
- kair liṅgais trīn guṇān etānकैः लिङ्गैस् त्रीन् गुणान् एतान्
- by what marks does one, these three guṇas (kaiḥ + liṅgaiḥ + trīn + guṇān + etān)
- atīto bhavati prabhoअतीतो भवति प्रभो
- become transcendent, O Lord (atītaḥ + bhavati + prabho)
- kim ācāraḥ kathaṃ caitāṃsकिं आचारः कथं चैतांस्
- what is his conduct, how [does he] these [guṇas] (kim + ācāraḥ + katham + ca + etān)
- trīn guṇān ativartateत्रीन् गुणान् अतिवर्तते
- cross beyond the three guṇas (trīn + guṇān + ativartate)
Commentary
Site Commentary
In twenty verses of guna-analysis, Arjuna doesn’t speak once — until here, at the exact point Krishna has finished describing bondage but before he’s described its opposite. A single question, placed at precisely this hinge, is doing the work of an editor’s note: it tells the reader that everything before this was necessary setup, and everything about to follow is the actual point the setup existed for.
Original commentary written for this site · © Amit Singh — original commentary
Apply this verse
Lessons
Personal
- Notice where your own questions naturally arise after a long explanation — the point where you finally need to ask 'so what does this actually look like' is usually the real point, and everything before it was setup for that one question.
Professional
- When reviewing a long technical proposal, notice the exact point where you feel the need to ask 'but what does this look like in practice' — that instinct is usually marking the hinge between necessary background and the actual decision being asked of you.
Family & Social
- Notice when a long conversation with someone close to you finally produces the one real question either of you needed to ask — everything said before that moment was probably necessary groundwork, not padding, for getting there.
Ask yourself
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