शमो दमस् तपः शौचं क्षान्तिर् आर्जवम् एव च । ज्ञानं विज्ञानम् आस्तिक्यं ब्रह्मकर्म स्वभावजम् ॥
śamo damas tapaḥ śaucaṃ kṣāntir ārjavam eva ca | jñānaṃ vijñānam āstikyaṃ brahma-karma svabhāva-jam ||
Brāhmaṇa dharma: śama, dama, tapas, purity, forbearance, uprightness, knowledge, wisdom, faith — born of svabhāva.
Word by word (3)
- śamo damas tapaḥ śaucaṃ kṣāntir ārjavam eva ca
- — peace-of-mind/serenity (śama = internal quietude), self-restraint/control of senses (dama = external sense-regulation), austerity/tapas, purity (śauca = cleanness), forbearance/patience (kṣānti = patient endurance), uprightness/straightforwardness (ārjavam = straightness-of-character) — six qualities of brāhmaṇa dharma
- jñānaṃ vijñānam āstikyaṃ brahma-karma svabhāva-jam
- — knowledge (jñāna = theoretical knowledge), realized/practical wisdom (vijñāna = applied/experiential knowledge), faith/belief-in-the-tradition (āstikya = theistic-orientation, from āstika = one who affirms Vedic authority), these are the brahma-karma (Brāhmaṇa-duty) born of svabhāva (one's own nature)
- jñāna-vijñāna
- — knowledge and realized knowledge; jñāna = śāstric/theoretical knowledge; vijñāna = experiential/practical realization of that knowledge; the Brāhmaṇa's primary dharma is the cultivation and transmission of both — not merely theoretical learning but the realization that makes the learning alive; contrast with Ch.7 V2 where Krishna promises to teach jñāna + vijñāna together
Serenity, self-restraint, austerity, purity, forbearance, uprightness, knowledge, realized wisdom, and faith — these are the duties of Brāhmaṇas, born of their own nature.
A modern analogy
The Brāhmaṇa dharma is the dharma of the teacher-philosopher-priest: inner peace (śama), outer self-regulation (dama), austerity to sustain depth, purity of body-mind, patience, honesty, both theoretical knowledge (jñāna) and lived wisdom (vijñāna), and foundational faith in what the tradition has realized. Compare to Ch.16 V1-3's list of daivī qualities — brāhmaṇa dharma and daivī nature heavily overlap.
V42 gives the brāhmaṇa-karma — 9 qualities organized as 3+6 (or 6+3): six practical qualities (śama-dama-tapas-śauca-kṣānti-ārjava) + three knowledge-faith qualities (jñāna-vijñāna-āstikya). The brāhmaṇa-dharma is overwhelmingly inward-oriented and knowledge/wisdom focused — contrast with V43's kṣatriya dharma which is outward-action focused (śaurya, tejas, dhṛti, etc.). The nine qualities of V42 parallel the list from Ch.16 V1-3 (daivī sampat), confirming that brāhmaṇa svabhāva is predominantly sāttvic.
Āstikya (faith/theistic orientation) as the ninth and final brāhmaṇa quality is significant: the Gita places foundational faith in the tradition (not blind faith, but the trust that makes engagement with the śāstra possible) as a natural quality of brāhmaṇa constitution. Without āstikya, jñāna-vijñāna cannot be received or transmitted properly. This is also why Ch.17 opens with śraddhā — faith is the epistemic prerequisite for the entire tradition of knowledge the Brāhmaṇa is to cultivate.
Public-domain translations (4) compare all →
Serenity, self-restraint, austerity, purity, forgiveness, and also uprightness, knowledge, wisdom, faith — these are the duties of the Brahmanas, born of nature. [1]
The control of the mind and the senses, austerity, purity, forbearance, and also uprightness, knowledge, realisation, belief in a hereafter — these are the duties of the Brahmanas, born of their own nature. [4]
MISSING from index. [9]
Tranquility, self-restraint, ascetic austerities, purity, forgiveness, rectitude, knowledge, experience, and belief (in an existence hereafter), these are the duties of Brahmanas, born of their proper nature. [13]
This verse speaks to
Where this thread continues
Where yogeśvara Kṛṣṇa is, where archer Pārtha stands — there abide fortune, victory, flourishing, and steadfast dharma.
Kṣatriya dharma: bravery, vigor, fortitude, skill, not-fleeing-battle, generosity, lordly bearing — born of svabhāva.
Mental tapas: serenity of mind, kindliness, silence, self-restraint, and purity of motive/bhāva.
By bhakti one truly knows what and who I am; then knowing Me truly, one enters into Me immediately.
Those whose sin has ended — virtuous in deed, freed from dvandva-delusion — worship Me with firm resolve.
OṀ Tat Sat: triple name of Brahman — by which brāhmaṇas, Vedas, and yajñas were ordained in the beginning.