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← Chapter 18: The Yoga of Liberation through Renunciation

Verse 18.29

Speaker: Krishna

Sanskrit

बुद्धेर्भेदं धृतेश्चैव गुणतस्त्रिविधं शृणु | प्रोच्यमानमशेषेण पृथक्त्वेन धनञ्जय ||२९||

Transliteration (IAST)

buddher bhedaṁ dhṛteś caiva guṇatas tri-vidhaṁ śṛṇu | procyamānam aśeṣeṇa pṛthaktvena dhanañjaya ||29||

Word-by-Word Meanings

buddheḥ-of intellect
bhedam-the distinction/division
dhṛteḥ-of fortitude/steadfastness
guṇataḥ-according to the gunas
tri-vidham-threefold
śṛṇu-hear
aśeṣeṇa-completely/without remainder
pṛthaktvena-distinctly/separately

Translation

Hear now the threefold distinction of intellect and also of fortitude, according to the gunas, as I declare them fully and separately, O Dhananjaya.

Commentary

Krishna transitions to classifying buddhi (intellect/discernment) and dhṛti (fortitude/will-power) according to the three gunas. Shankaracharya notes that 'aśeṣeṇa' (completely) indicates Krishna will leave nothing unsaid on this topic. Ramanuja observes that intellect and fortitude are the two faculties most critical for spiritual progress - one for discernment, the other for sustained practice.

Themes

jnanayoga