टीका

Commentary

This verse serves as the summary statement and emotional pivot of the chapter’s opening section. Having listed the divine qualities in verses 1-3 and the demonic qualities in verse 4, Krishna now states the consequence of each: divine qualities lead to liberation (vimoksha), demonic qualities lead to bondage (nibandha).

The declaration is simple and absolute. There is no middle ground in the Gita’s framework here — you are either moving toward freedom or toward deeper entanglement. Every choice to practice non-violence, truthfulness, or compassion loosens the chains. Every act of hypocrisy, arrogance, or cruelty tightens them.

But the truly important part of this verse is the second half: maa shuchah — “do not grieve.” Krishna sees Arjuna’s anxiety. Having heard the demonic qualities listed, Arjuna might well worry: “Am I on the wrong side?” After all, he is on a battlefield, about to kill his relatives. Is that not anger? Is that not cruelty?

Krishna’s reassurance is direct and personal: “You are born with divine qualities, O Pandava.” This is not flattery but fact — Arjuna’s very anguish over right and wrong, his reluctance to harm, his desire for guidance — these are themselves the marks of the divine nature. The person with a demonic nature does not ask, “Am I doing the right thing?” That question itself is evidence of daivi sampat.

For the reader, the message is equally clear: if you are reading these verses with genuine concern for your own character, you are already on the divine path. The very desire to grow is the first sign of the divine nature at work.