Shloka 11

Devanagari script

सम्बन्ध-- इस प्रकार अन्य दो गुणोंको दबाकर प्रत्येक गुणके बढ़नेकी बात कही गयी। अब प्रत्येक गुणकी वृद्धिके लक्षण जाननेकी इच्छा होनेपर क्रमशः सत्त्गगुण, रजोगुण और तमोगुणकी वृद्धिके लक्षण बतलाये जाते हैं-- सर्दद्वारेषु देहेडस्मिन्‌ प्रकाश उपजायते । ज्ञानं यदा तदा विद्याद्‌ विवृद्धं सत्त्वमित्युत,जिस समय इस देहमें: तथा अन्तःकरण और इन्द्रियोंमें चेतनता और विवेकशक्ति उत्पन्न होती है, उस समय ऐसा जानना चाहिये कि सत्त्वगुण बढ़ा हैः

Transliteration

arjuna uvāca — sarvadvāreṣu dehe 'smin prakāśa upajāyate | jñānaṁ yadā tadā vidyād vivṛddhaṁ sattvam ity uta ||

Translation

Arjuna thưa: Khi trong thân này, nơi mọi “cửa ngõ” — tức trong tâm và qua các giác quan — ánh sáng trong trẻo khởi lên, biểu hiện thành năng lực phân biệt và tri kiến chân thật, thì phải biết rằng guna sattva đã tăng trưởng mạnh mẽ.

Word by Word

सर्वद्वारेषुin all the gates (i.e., sense-organs/avenues)

देहेin the body

अस्मिन्in this

प्रकाशःillumination, clarity

उपजायतेarises, is produced

ज्ञानम्knowledge, discernment

यदाwhen

तदाthen

विद्यात्one should know

विवृद्धम्increased, grown

सत्त्वम्sattva (the quality of goodness/clarity)

इतिthus

उतindeed/and (emphatic particle)

Speaker

अजुन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Arjuna

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The growth of sattva is recognized by inner illumination: clarity in the mind, heightened discernment, and a steady capacity for knowledge through the senses and faculties. This clarity supports ethical action by making right judgment and self-restraint easier.

What is happening in the narrative?

Arjuna is asking about the observable signs of the three guṇas. In response, the text begins by describing how to identify an increase of sattva: when ‘light’ and knowledge arise throughout one’s embodied faculties.