Skip to content

Bhagavad Gita Chapter 14 Verse 22 (14.22)

Bhagavad Gita Chapter 14 Verse 22 (14.22)

श्रीभगवानुवाच

प्रकाशं च प्रवृत्तिं च मोहमेव च पाण्डव । न द्वेष्टि सम्प्रवृत्तानि न निवृत्तानि काङ्क्षति | | १४-२२ | |

śhrī bhagavān uvācha prakāśhaṁ cha pravṛittiṁ cha mohameva cha pāṇḍava na dveṣhṭi sampravṛittāni na nivṛittāni kāṅkṣhati

Word-by-word guide:
Line 0:
  • श्री (Sri) — श्री(the Blessed Lord said)
  • भगवान् (Bhagavan) — भगवान(the Blessed Lord said)
  • उवाच (uvacha) — बोले(the Blessed Lord said)
Line 1:
  • प्रकाशम् (prakasham) — प्रकाश को(light/clarity (Sattva))
  • (cha) — और(and indeed)
  • प्रवृत्तिम् (pravrittim) — प्रवृत्ति को(activity (Rajas))
  • (cha) — और(and indeed)
  • मोहम् (moham) — मोह को(delusion (Tamas))
  • एव (eva) — ही(and indeed)
  • (cha) — और(and indeed)
  • पाण्डव (Pandava) — हे पाण्डव(Arjuna)
Line 2:
  • (na) — नहीं(nor when they are absent)
  • द्वेष्टि (dveshti) — द्वेष करता(does not hate)
  • सम्प्रवृत्तानि (sampravrittani) — उपस्थित होने पर(when they are present)
  • (na) — नहीं(nor when they are absent)
  • निवृत्तानि (nivrittani) — हट जाने पर(nor when they are absent)
  • काङ्क्षति (kankshati) — इच्छा करता(long/desire)

English: Krishna said: Arjuna, He who shuns not the quality which is present, and longs not for that which is absent;

💡 Commentary Note

Krishna answers: One who does not hate light (Sattva), activity (Rajas), or delusion (Tamas) when they are present, nor longs for them when they are absent, is free.

Learnings from Shloka 22:
  • Neutral Acceptance:: Do not fight the natural presence of mental states; observe them without liking or disliking.
  • No Longing:: When a positive state passes, do not cling to it; remain content in the silence of the witness.

Gita/Sanskrit Language Quiz

Practice this shloka vocabulary

Match Sanskrit words from shloka 14.22 with their Hindi and English meanings.

Practice vocabulary