Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 16, Verse 3

तेजः क्षमा धृतिः शौचमद्रोहो नातिमानिता । भवन्ति सम्पदं दैवीमभिजातस्य भारत

tejaḥ kṣamā dhṛtiḥ śaucamadroho nātimānitā | bhavanti sampadaṃ daivīmabhijātasya bhārata

Translation

Energy, forgiveness, fortitude, purity, absence of hatred, absence of pride; these belong to one born for a divine lot, O Bhārata.

— Alladi Mahadeva Sastri

Word meanings

tejaḥ

splendour

kṣamā

forgiveness

dhṛtiḥ

fortitude

śaucam

purity

adrohaḥ

absence of malice

na

not

atimānitā

over-pride

bhavanti

are

sampadam

to endowment

daivīm

(to) divine

abhijātasya

of the born

bhārata

O Bhārata

Śaṅkarācārya's commentary

'Tejas' means energy, not brightness of the skin. Forgiveness: unaffectedness when beaten or reviled. 'Absence of anger' was explained as suppression of anger when it arises; thus 'forgiveness' and 'absence of anger' should be distinguished from each other. Fortitude: that state of mind (antaḥ-karaṇa) which removes the exhaustion of the body and senses when they droop down, and upheld by which the body and senses no longer get dejected. Purity: of two sorts, external and internal; the one accomplished by means of earth and water, the other consisting in the taintlessness of mind and heart, in freedom from impurities such as deception and passion. Absence of hatred: absence of a desire to injure others. Pride: supposing oneself worthy of a high honor. These — from 'fearlessness' to 'absence of pride' — are found in one who is born for a divine lot, i.e., who is worthy of the powers of the Devas, for whom there is happiness in store.