तेजस् क्षमा धृतिः शौचम् अद्रोहो नातिमानिता । भवन्ति सम्पदं दैवीम् अभिजातस्य भारत ॥
tejas kṣamā dhṛtiḥ śaucam adroho nātimānitā | bhavanti sampadaṃ daivīm abhijātasya bhārata ||
The final daivī qualities: tejas, kṣamā, dhṛti, śauca, adroha, nātimānitā — belonging to one born to divine nature.
Word by word (3)
- tejas kṣamā dhṛtiḥ śaucam
- — tejas (inner energy/vitality/radiance), kṣamā (forgiveness/patience — literally 'the capacity to bear'), dhṛti (fortitude/steadiness), śauca (purity — inner and outer)
- adroho nātimānitā
- — adroha (freedom from malice/ill-will — a-droha = non-betrayal), nātimānitā (absence of excess pride — na + ati + māna = not overly self-valuing)
- bhavanti sampadaṃ daivīm abhijātasya bhārata
- — these constitute (bhavanti) the divine wealth/endowment (sampadaṃ daivīm) of one born (abhijātasya) to divine nature, O Bharata — the seal of the 26-quality list
Energy, forgiveness, fortitude, purity, freedom from malice, absence of excessive pride — these constitute the divine endowment of one born for the divine nature, O Arjuna.
A modern analogy
If V1's qualities are the foundation and V2's are the walls, V3's qualities are the roof — they complete and protect the structure. Tejas (radiance) is what makes the house visible; kṣamā (forgiveness) is what keeps it standing under storm; dhṛti (fortitude) is the structural integrity; śauca (purity) is the cleanness of the dwelling.
V3 closes the 26-quality daivī-sampad list (9 from V1, 11 from V2, 6 from V3 = 26 total). The closing phrase 'sampadaṃ daivīm abhijātasya' frames the entire list as a 'wealth' — these are not burdens or requirements but an endowment, a birth-right of the divine disposition. The contrast with V4's āsurī-sampad (4 qualities: dambha, darpa, abhimāna, krodha, pāruṣya, ajñāna) is stark in length and quality.
The asymmetry is instructive: 26 daivī qualities vs. 6 āsurī qualities. This is not accidental — the divine path is vast and multidimensional while the demonic path is simple and narrow (pride, anger, harshness, ignorance). The divine character is a rich ecology; the āsurī character is a monoculture of ego-assertion. Nātimānitā (not excessively prideful) as the LAST daivī quality is also deliberate — the 26 qualities close with the management of ego.
Advaita lens
The list closes on nātimānitā — absence of excessive self-regard — the precise inversion of the āsurī portrait that follows (dambha, darpa, abhimāna). Pride is the ahaṃkāra's signature; its absence marks one in whom the Self outshines the ego. Tejas here means spiritual radiance, not aggression: the brilliance of a mind no longer dimmed by self-reference.
Bhakti lens
Abhijātasya sampadaṃ daivīm — 'born to the divine endowment' — reads, in bhakti, as grace: these qualities are the Lord's own nature (His tejas, His kṣamā) manifesting in one who has turned toward Him. Kṣamā especially — forgiveness that asks nothing back — is the divine fragrance no spiritual pretender can counterfeit.
Karma-Yoga lens
Dhṛti (steadfastness) and kṣamā (forbearance) are the karma-yogi's two operational virtues: staying power through difficulty, and non-retaliation under provocation. Adroha (absence of treachery) governs conflict conduct — oppose actions when dharma requires, but never become an enemy of beings. V3 completes the job description for acting in the world without being corrupted by it.
Public-domain translations (4) compare all →
Energy, forgiveness, fortitude, purity, absence of hatred, absence of pride; these belong to one born for a divine lot, O Bharata. [1]
Boldness, forgiveness, fortitude, purity, absence of hatred, absence of pride; these belong to one born for a divine state, O descendant of Bharata. [4]
Energy, forgiveness, courage, purity, freedom from malice, freedom from pride — these belong to one born to a divine nature, O descendant of Bharata. [9]
Vigor, forgiveness, firmness, cleanliness, absence of quarrelsomeness, freedom from vanity — these become his, O Bharata, who is born to godlike possessions. [13]
This verse speaks to
Where this thread continues
The sound of righteous forces pierces the hearts of those who know they are on the wrong side.
Six āsurī qualities: dambha, darpa, abhimāna, krodha, pāruṣya, ajñāna — all rooted in ego-assertion and ignorance.
More daivī qualities: ahiṃsā, satya, akrodha, tyāga, śānti, apaiśuna, dayā, aloluptva, mārdava, hrī, acāpala.
Three gates to hell, destructive of the self: kāma, krodha, lobha. Therefore abandon this triad.
Approach the teacher with prostration, inquiry, and service. The knowers of truth will instruct you in jñāna.
Daivī wealth begins: abhaya, sattva-śuddhi, jñāna-yoga, dāna, dama, yajña, svādhyāya, tapa, ārjava.