Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 16, Verse 1

श्रीभगवानुवाच । अभयं सत्त्वसंशुद्धिर्ज्ञानयोगव्यवस्थितिः । दानं दमश्च यज्ञश्च स्वाध्यायस्तप आर्जवम्

śrībhagavānuvāca | abhayaṃ sattvasaṃśuddhirjñānayogavyavasthitiḥ | dānaṃ damaśca yajñaśca svādhyāyastapa ārjavam

Translation

Fearlessness, purity of heart, steadfastness in knowledge and Yoga; alms-giving, self-restraint and worship, study of one's own (scriptures), austerity, uprightness;

— Alladi Mahadeva Sastri

Word meanings

abhayam

fearlessness

sattvasaṃśuddhiḥ

of being (living), purity

jñānayogavyavasthitiḥ

in wisdom, and, in yoga, and, fixity

dānam

gift

damaḥ

self-restraint

ca

and

yajñaḥ

sacrifice

ca

and

svādhyāyaḥ

study (of Shāstras)

tapaḥ

austerity

ārjavam

rectitude

Śaṅkarācārya's commentary

Purity of heart: purity of the antaḥ-karaṇa (sattva); i.e., abandonment of deception, dissimulation, falsehood and the like in all transactions; that is, transacting business in perfect honesty. Knowledge consists in understanding the nature of things, such as the Self, as taught in the Scripture (śāstra) and by the Teacher (Ācārya). Yoga consists in making what has been thus learnt an object of one's own direct perception, by concentration (one-pointedness) through the subjugation of the senses. This — viz., fearlessness, purity of heart, and steadfastness in knowledge and Yoga — forms the Daivī or Sāttvic nature by pre-eminence. Alms-giving: distributing food and the like as far as lies in one's power. Self-control: the subjugation of external senses. Worship: including the fire-worship (agnihotra) and the like enjoined in the Śruti, as also the worship of the Gods (Deva-yajña) enjoined in the Smṛti. Study: study of the Ṛg-Veda and the like with a view to some unseen results (adṛṣṭa). Austerity: bodily mortification and other penances, mentioned in the sequel. Uprightness: this should be a constant attitude.