Chapter 3 · Verse 40 · Karma Yoga
Bhagavad Gita 3.40
Sanskrit
इन्द्रियाणि मनो बुद्धिरस्याधिष्ठानमुच्यते। एतैर्विमोहयत्येष ज्ञानमावृत्य देहिनम्।।3.40।।
Transliteration
indriyāṇi mano buddhir asyādhiṣhṭhānam uchyate etair vimohayatyeṣha jñānam āvṛitya dehinam
In plain words
Right now, your mind is running the show—scrolling, worrying, replaying, grasping—and it feels like that's all you are. Krishna says: those senses and thoughts that are drowning you in loops are not your master, and they're not you. There is a part of you that can simply watch them, untouched and clear, and that watching itself is your way out.
Word by Word
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
Your Mantra Prescription
This mantra is prescribed for clarity and purpose. Is that what you're going through?
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