Sanskrit
अहङ्कारं बलं दर्पं कामं क्रोधं परिग्रहम् । विमुच्य निर्ममः शान्तो ब्रह्मभूयाय कल्पते ॥ ५३ ॥
ahaṅkāraṃ balaṃ darpaṃ kāmaṃ krodhaṃ parigraham vimucya nirmamaḥ śānto brahma-bhūyāya kalpate
Translation
Having cast aside egoism, violence, arrogance, desire, wrath, covetousness, selfless and peaceful—he is fit to become the Eternal.
Annie Besant · The Bhagavad-Gita, translated by Annie Besant (4th ed., 1922) — Wikisource · Public Domain
Explanation
The sequence begun at verse 51 lands here: having cast off egoism, violence, arrogance, desire, anger, and possessiveness, the selfless and peaceful person becomes “fit to become Brahman” (brahma-bhuyaya kalpate). The verb is deliberately modest — kalpate, “becomes fit for,” not “becomes” — this is a description of readiness, and the actual arrival, notably, turns out in the next three verses to be something other than a terminus. The same list as BG 16.18’s demonic bundle — ahaṅkāra, force, arrogance, desire, anger, possessiveness — now cast off. Free of it, nir-mama and śānta, one is “fit for becoming Brahman” (BG 14.26).
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Word by word
- ahaṅkāraṃ balaṃ darpaṃअहङ्कारं बलं दर्पं
- egoism, force, arrogance (ahaṅkāram + balam + darpam)
- kāmaṃ krodhaṃ parigrahamकामं क्रोधं परिग्रहं
- desire, anger, possessiveness (kāmam + krodham + parigraham)
- vimucya nirmamaḥ śāntoविमुच्य निर्ममः शान्तो
- having cast off, mine-less, at peace (vimucya + nir-mamaḥ + śāntaḥ)
- brahma-bhūyāya kalpateब्रह्म-भूयाय कल्पते
- he is fit for becoming Brahman (brahma-bhūyāya + kalpate)
Commentary
Site Commentary
The list moves in a particular order — ahankara and darpa (egoism, arrogance) are struck first, kama and krodha (desire and anger) next, parigraha (possessiveness, actual accumulation) last. The internal posture is asked to give way before the external grip on things does — you don’t wait to own less in order to want less; wanting less is what finally lets you hold less.
Original commentary written for this site · © Amit Singh — original commentary
Concepts
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Lessons
Personal
- Before you try to declutter your life or shed possessions, check whether the ego and craving driving the attachment are still intact — outward simplifying rarely sticks until the inward wanting behind it loosens first.
Professional
- Before mandating that a team give up outdated tools, processes, or turf, address the status anxiety attached to holding them — people release control only after the underlying insecurity driving the grip has actually eased.
Family & Social
- Before asking a family member to let go of an old grudge or role they cling to, notice that releasing the thing follows releasing what it was protecting — address the underlying fear or pride first, not just the visible habit.
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