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Chapter 3 · Verse 40 · Karma Yoga

Bhagavad Gita 3.40

contemplative Mind & Meditation Jnana & Wisdom Self & Identity

Sanskrit

इन्द्रियाणि मनो बुद्धिरस्याधिष्ठानमुच्यते। एतैर्विमोहयत्येष ज्ञानमावृत्य देहिनम्।।3.40।।

Transliteration

indriyāṇi mano buddhir asyādhiṣhṭhānam uchyate etair vimohayatyeṣha jñānam āvṛitya dehinam

Word by Word

indriyāṇi the senses
manaḥ the mind
buddhiḥ the intellect
asya of this
adhiṣhṭhānam dwelling place
uchyate are said to be
etaiḥ by these
vimohayati deludes
eṣhaḥ this
jñānam knowledge
āvṛitya clouds
dehinam the embodied soul
Simplified Perspective

The senses, mind, and intellect are the three gates through which ignorance enters the soul—they cloud our direct knowing of the Self and bind us to the world of objects and desires. Yet Krishna names them not to condemn them, but to awaken us: once we see how they obscure truth, we can withdraw our identification from them and reclaim our inner witness.

In daily life, this means noticing when you are caught in sensory reactivity—scrolling endlessly, chasing comfort, fleeing discomfort—and gently asking: who is watching this? That space of awareness, untouched by what the senses report, is your freedom.

Listen

Bhagavad Gita 3.40 — BG 3.40

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Sanskrit text from the Bhagavad Gita (public domain). Commentary © Mahakatha.

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