Sanskrit
निर्मानमोहा जितसङ्गदोषाः अध्यात्मनित्या विनिवृत्तकामाः । द्वन्द्वैर्विमुक्ताः सुखदुःखसंज्ञैः गच्छन्त्यमूढाः पदमव्ययं तत् ॥
nirmānamohā jitasaṅgadoṣāḥ adhyātmanityā vinivṛttakāmāḥ dvandvair vimuktāḥ sukhaduḥkhasaṃjñair gacchanty amūḍhāḥ padam avyayaṃ tat
Translation
Without pride and delusion, victorious over the vice of attachment, dwelling constantly in the Self, desire pacified, liberated from the pairs of opposites known as pleasure and pain, they tread, undeluded, that indestructible path.
Annie Besant · The Bhagavad-Gita, translated by Annie Besant (4th ed., 1922) — Wikisource · Public Domain
Explanation
This is a qualities-of-the-liberated verse, the same genre as chapter 2’s sthitaprajna passage and chapter 12’s list of the beloved devotee, though shorter: free of pride and delusion, past the fault of attachment, constant in self-abidance, released from the dvandvas — the paired opposites of pleasure and pain the Gita treats throughout as the basic unit of bondage (2.14, 2.45). Worth noticing is the sequencing: the verse names psychological faults before it names the practice that replaces them, suggesting vice-removal is treated as prior to, not simultaneous with, positive absorption in the Self. Note on the source text: the printed page splits this compound sentence across four lines with a mid-word hyphen break at the page edge (sukhaduḥkhasaṃjñai- / rgacchantyamūḍhāḥ); the word has been rejoined here into its proper position at the end of the third pada. Who reaches the felled-tree’s other side: the sthitaprajña again — free of pride, of the like/dislike reflex, of the pairs. The chapter keeps returning the whole path to the same inner state described since chapter 2.
Study deeper
Word by word
- nirmānamohā jitasaṅgadoṣāḥनिर्मानमोहा जितसङ्गदोषाः
- free of pride and delusion, having conquered the evil of attachment (nir-māna-mohāḥ + jita-saṅga-doṣāḥ)
- adhyātmanityā vinivṛttakāmāḥअध्यात्मनित्या विनिवृत्तकामाः
- ever fixed on the Self, desires turned away (adhyātma-nityāḥ + vinivṛtta-kāmāḥ)
- dvandvair vimuktāḥ sukhaduḥkhasaṃjñairद्वन्द्वैः विमुक्ताः सुखदुःखसंज्ञैः
- freed from the pairs known as pleasure and pain (dvandvaiḥ + vimuktāḥ + sukha-duḥkha-saṃjñaiḥ)
- gacchanty amūḍhāḥ padam avyayaṃ tatगच्छन्त्य् अमूढाः पदं अव्ययं तत्
- the undeluded reach that imperishable place (gacchanti + amūḍhāḥ + padam + avyayam + tat)
Commentary
Site Commentary
Read the order carefully: pride, delusion, and attachment are named and removed before self-abidance and desire-pacification are described — the negative work precedes the positive practice rather than running alongside it. This isn’t incidental sequencing; it implies that positive absorption in the Self doesn’t simply crowd out these faults on its own, they need to be dealt with first. It’s the same genre as the sthitaprajna portrait in chapter 2, but its ordering makes an argument the earlier passage left implicit.
Original commentary written for this site · © Amit Singh — original commentary
Concepts
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Lessons
Personal
- Don't assume a new positive habit will automatically displace an old fault like pride or attachment — this verse's ordering suggests you often need to address the fault directly first, then build the replacement practice on cleared ground.
Professional
- Before rolling out a new positive practice — psychological safety, blameless retros — address the specific dysfunctional behaviors, like blame-seeking or ego-driven credit-taking, that are still active. A new practice rarely displaces an old fault by itself; sequence the removal first.
Family & Social
- Before expecting shared rituals or quality time to repair a strained relationship, address the specific fault sitting underneath it — a grudge, wounded pride — directly. The positive practice works far better once that fault has actually been cleared.
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