BG 18.42
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Devanagari
शमो दमस्तप: शौचं क्षान्तिरार्जवमेव च ।
ज्ञानं विज्ञानमास्तिक्यं ब्रह्मकर्म स्वभावजम् ॥ ४२ ॥
Verse text
śamo damas tapaḥ śaucaṁ
kṣāntir ārjavam eva ca
jṣānaṁ vijṣānam āstikyaṁ
brahma-karma svabhāva-jam
Synonyms
śamaḥ
—
peacefulness
;
damaḥ
—
self-control
;
tapaḥ
—
austerity
;
śaucam
—
purity
;
kṣāntiḥ
—
tolerance
;
ārjavam
—
honesty
;
eva
—
certainly
;
ca
—
and
;
jṣānam
—
knowledge
;
vijṣānam
—
wisdom
;
āstikyam
—
religiousness
;
brahma
—
of a brāhmaṇa
;
karma
—
duty
;
svabhāva-jam
—
born of his own nature.
Translation
Peacefulness, self-control, austerity, purity, tolerance, honesty, knowledge, wisdom and religiousness – these are the natural qualities by which the brāhmaṇas work.
Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
42. The natural activities of the brāhmaṇa are control of the mind, control of the external senses, austerity, cleanliness, tolerance, honesty, knowledge of scripture, realization, and faith in the scriptures.
Translation (Baladeva Vidyabhusana)
42. The natural activities of the brāhmaṇa are control of the mind, control of the external senses, austerity, cleanliness, tolerance, honesty, knowledge of scripture, and realization, and faith in the scriptures.
Purport (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
This verse describes the natural activities of the brāhmaṇa who has a predominance of sattva. Control of the inner sense organ (śamaḥ), control of the external senses (damaḥ), austerity of body, mind and words, jṣāna and vijṣāna, which arise from understanding the scriptures, and firm faith in the purport of the scriptures (āstikyam) are the activities of the brāhmaṇa arising from his nature.
Purport (Baladeva Vidyabhusana)
This verse describes the natural activities (generated through his previous impressions) of the brāhmaṇa. His activities are: controlling the internal sense—antaḥ karaṇa (śamaḥ); controlling the external senses (damaḥ); accepting pains to the body which are prescribed by scripture; cleanliness of two types, internal and external (śaucam); tolerance (kṣāntiḥ); straightforward dealings, not being crooked (arjavam); understanding the superior and inferior cagetories of existence from scripture (jṣāna): realizing the ultimate process defined in the scriptures (vijṣāna); having firm faith in the truth presented in scripture (āstkiyam)— that the Supreme Lord Hari is to be understood by all the Vedas; that He alone is the cause of everything; that He is to be worshipped by actions prescribed by Himself; that He is to be satisfied by devotion; and that one should offer everything including oneself to Him. These are the actions of the brāhmaṇa which arise as his nature. Even if these type of actions appear (occasionally) in a kṣatriya or other varṇa with an increase of sattva, these actions are mentioned in relation to the brāhmaṇa because his predominance of sattva. Thus it is said in Viṣṇu Smṛti:
kṣamā satyaṁ damaḥ śaucaṁ dānam indriya-saṁyamaḥ
ahiṁsā guru-śuśrūṣā tīrthānusaraṇaṁ dayā
ārjavaṁ lobha-śūnyatvaṁ deva-brāhmaṇa-pūjanam
anabhyasūyā ca tathā dharma-sāmānya ucyate
Forgiveness, truthfulness, control, cleanliness, charity, restraint of the senses, non violence, service to guru, visiting holy places, compassion, straighforwardness, freedom from greed, worship of devas and brāhmaṇas, and freedom from envy are the general qualities of the brāhmaṇa. Viṣṇu Smṛti 2.16-17