Bhagavad Gita Chapter 18 Verse 19 (18.19)
Reflective Prompt:
When observing your general understanding of the world, which guna represents your vision?
- ▪ Option 1: Seeing the underlying unity, the one divine spark connecting all living beings (Sattvik).
- ▪ Option 2: Focusing on divisions, viewing others as separate, different, or hostile (Rajasik).
- ▪ Option 3: Clinging dogmatically to a narrow view or superstition as if it were the whole truth (Tamasik).
Bhagavad Gita Chapter 18 Verse 19 (18.19)
ज्ञानं कर्म च कर्ताच त्रिधैव गुणभेदतः । प्रोच्यते गुणसङ्ख्याने यथावच्छृणु तान्यपि | | १८-१९ | |
jñānaṁ karma cha kartācha tridhaiva guṇabhedataḥ prochyate guṇasaṅkhyāne yathāvachchhṛiṇu tānyapi
Word-by-word guide:
Line 1:
- ज्ञानम्
(jñānam)— ज्ञान(knowledge) - कर्म
(karma)— कर्म(action) - च
(cha)— और(and) - कर्ता
(kartā)— कर्ता(doer) - च
(cha)— और(and) - इ-ध
(tri-dhā)— इ-ध(threefold) -
ivajoined in tridhaiva - उन-एदत
(guṇa-bhedataḥ)— उन-एदत(according to difference in qualities (gunas))
Line 2:
- ओयए
(prochyate)— कहा गया(is declared) - उन-सयए
(guṇa-saṅkhyāne)— उन-सयए(in the science of the gunas) - यथव
(yathāvat)— यथव(duly/exactly) - शृणु
(śhṛiṇu)— सुनो(hear) - तानि
(tāni)— उन्हें भी(them also) - अपि
(api)— उन्हें भी(them also)
English: The knowledge, the act and the doer differ according to the qualities. Listen to this too:
Learnings from Shloka 19:
- Psychological Types:: The gunas determine our intellectual capacity, execution style, and personality.
- Universal Blueprint:: Analyzing personality traits through gunas helps in conscious self-improvement.
Gita/Sanskrit Language Quiz
Practice this shloka vocabularyMatch Sanskrit words from shloka 18.19 with their Hindi and English meanings.
Practice vocabulary
Krishna explains that knowledge, action, and the doer are classified into three types based on the three gunas.