Verse 13.8
Speaker: Krishna
Sanskrit
अमानित्वमदम्भित्वमहिंसा क्षान्तिरार्जवम् | आचार्योपासनं शौचं स्थैर्यमात्मविनिग्रहः ||८||
Transliteration (IAST)
amānitvam adambhitvam ahiṁsā kṣāntir ārjavam | ācāryopāsanaṁ śaucaṁ sthairyam ātma-vinigrahaḥ ||8||
Word-by-Word Meanings
amānitvam-humility/absence of pride
adambhitvam-absence of hypocrisy
ahiṁsā-non-violence
kṣāntiḥ-forbearance/patience
ārjavam-straightforwardness
ācārya-upāsanam-service to the teacher
śaucam-purity
sthairyam-steadfastness
Translation
Humility, unpretentiousness, non-violence, forbearance, uprightness, service to the teacher, purity, steadfastness, and self-control -
Commentary
Krishna begins listing the twenty qualities that constitute true knowledge (jñāna). These are not mere intellectual attainments but lived virtues that prepare the mind for Self-realization. Shankaracharya explains that these qualities are called 'knowledge' because they are the means to knowledge, just as a path is named after its destination.
Themes
jnanadharmayoga