Daily Must Read Verses

Here are the verses from the Daily Must Read section:

Verse - 2.07

• Sanskrit:

  कार्पण्यदोषोपहतस्वभाव:

  पृच्छामि त्वां धर्मसम्मूढचेता: |

  यच्छ्रेय: स्यान्निश्चितं ब्रूहि तन्मे

  शिष्यस्तेऽहं शाधि मां त्वां प्रपन्नम् || 7||

• English Transliteration:

  kārpaṇya-doṣhopahata-svabhāvaḥ

  pṛichchhāmi tvāṁ dharma-sammūḍha-chetāḥ

  yach-chhreyaḥ syānniśhchitaṁ brūhi tanme

  śhiṣhyaste ’haṁ śhādhi māṁ tvāṁ prapannam

  kārpaṇya-doṣha—the flaw of cowardice; upahata—besieged; sva-bhāvaḥ—nature; pṛichchhāmi—I am asking; tvām—to you; dharma—duty; sammūḍha—confused; chetāḥ—in heart; yat—what; śhreyaḥ—best; syāt—may be; niśhchitam—decisively; brūhi—tell; tat—that; me—to me; śhiṣhyaḥ—disciple; te—your; aham—I; śhādhi—please instruct; mām—me; tvām—unto you; prapannam—surrendered

  I am confused about my duty, and am besieged with anxiety and faintheartedness. I am Your disciple and am surrendered to You. Please instruct me for certain what is best for me.

• Summary: In this verse, Arjuna is expressing his inner conflict and moral confusion about his duty on the battlefield. He turns to Krishna, seeking his divine guidance and instruction on what is the right path to take. Arjuna surrenders to Krishna as a disciple, showcasing his readiness to receive knowledge and guidance. This is a great moment in the Bhagavad Gita, when for the first time Arjun, who is Shree Krishna’s friend and cousin, requests him to be his Guru. Arjun pleads to Shree Krishna that he has been overpowered by kārpaṇya doṣh, or the flaw of cowardice in behavior, and so he requests the Lord to become his Guru and instruct him about the path of auspiciousness.

Verse - 2.20

• Sanskrit:

  न जायते म्रियते वा कदाचि

  नायं भूत्वा भविता वा न भूय: |

  अजो नित्य: शाश्वतोऽयं पुराणो

  न हन्यते हन्यमाने शरीरे || 20||

• English Transliteration:

  na jāyate mriyate vā kadāchin

  nāyaṁ bhūtvā bhavitā vā na bhūyaḥ

  ajo nityaḥ śhāśhvato ’yaṁ purāṇo

  na hanyate hanyamāne śharīre

  na jāyate—is not born; mriyate—dies; vā—or; kadāchit—at any time; na—not; ayam—this; bhūtvā—having once existed; bhavitā—will be; vā—or; na—not; bhūyaḥ—further; ajaḥ—unborn; nityaḥ—eternal; śhāśhvataḥ—immortal; ayam—this; purāṇaḥ—the ancient; na hanyate—is not destroyed; hanyamāne—is destroyed; śharīre—when the body

  The soul is neither born, nor does it ever die; nor having once existed, does it ever cease to be. The soul is without birth, eternal, immortal, and ageless. It is not destroyed when the body is destroyed.

• Summary: The soul is neither born, nor does it ever die; nor having once existed, does it ever cease to be. The soul is without birth, eternal, immortal, and ageless. It is not destroyed when the body is destroyed.

Verse - 2.14

• Sanskrit:

  मात्रास्पर्शास्तु कौन्तेय शीतोष्णसुखदु:खदा: |

  आगमापायिनोऽनित्यास्तांस्तितिक्षस्व भारत || 14||

• English Transliteration:

  mātrā-sparśhās tu kaunteya śhītoṣhṇa-sukha-duḥkha-dāḥ

  āgamāpāyino ’nityās tāns-titikṣhasva bhārata

  *mātrā-sparśhāḥ—contact of the senses with the sense objects; tu—indeed; kaunteya—Arjun, the son of Kunti; śhīta—winter; uṣhṇa—summer; sukha—happiness; duḥkha—distress; dāḥ—give; āgama—come; apāyinaḥ—go; anityāḥ—non-permanent; tān—them; titikṣhasva—tolerate; bhārata—descendant of the Bharat*

  O son of Kunti, the contact between the senses and the sense objects gives rise to fleeting perceptions of happiness and distress. These are non-permanent, and come and go like the winter and summer seasons. O descendent of Bharat, one must learn to tolerate them without being disturbed.

• Summary: The contact between the senses and the sense objects gives rise to fleeting perceptions of happiness and distress. These are non-permanent, and come and go like the winter and summer seasons. One must learn to tolerate them without being disturbed. The human body houses five senses—the senses of sight, smell, taste, touch, and hearing—and these, in contact with their objects of perception, give rise to sensations of happiness and distress. None of these sensations is permanent. They come and go like the changing seasons. If we permit ourselves to be affected by them, we will sway like a pendulum from side to side. A person of discrimination should practice to tolerate both the feelings of happiness and distress without being disturbed by them

Verse - 2.70

• Sanskrit:

  आपूर्यमाणमचलप्रतिष्ठं

  समुद्रमाप: प्रविशन्ति यद्वत् |

  तद्वत्कामा यं प्रविशन्ति सर्वे

  स शान्तिमाप्नोति न कामकामी || 70||

• English Transliteration:

  āpūryamāṇam achala-pratiṣhṭhaṁ

  samudram āpaḥ praviśhanti yadvat

  tadvat kāmā yaṁ praviśhanti sarve

  sa śhāntim āpnoti na kāma-kāmī

  āpūryamāṇam—filled from all sides; achala-pratiṣhṭham—undisturbed; samudram—ocean; āpaḥ—waters; praviśhanti—enter; yadvat—as; tadvat—likewise; kāmāḥ—desires; yam—whom; praviśhanti—enter; sarve—all; saḥ—that person; śhāntim—peace; āpnoti—attains; na—not; kāma-kāmī—one who strives to satisfy desires

  Just as the ocean remains undisturbed by the incessant flow of waters from rivers merging into it, likewise the sage who is unmoved despite the flow of desirable objects all around him attains peace, and not the person who strives to satisfy desires.

• Summary: Just as the ocean remains undisturbed by the incessant flow of waters from rivers merging into it, likewise the sage who is unmoved despite the flow of desirable objects all around him attains peace, and not the person who strives to satisfy desires. The ocean is unique in its ability to maintain its undisturbed state, despite being inundated by the incessant flow of rivers into it. All the rivers of the world constantly empty themselves into the oceans, which neither overflow nor get depleted. Shree Krishna uses the word āpūryamāṇaṁ (filled from all sides) to describe that even the rivers pouring all their water during the rainy season into the ocean cannot make it flow over. Similarly, the realized sage remains quiescent and unmoved in both conditions—while utilizing sense objects for bodily necessities, or being bereft of them.

Verse - 2.47

• Sanskrit:

  कर्मण्येवाधिकारस्ते मा फलेषु कदाचन |

  मा कर्मफलहेतुर्भूर्मा ते सङ्गोऽस्त्वकर्मणि || 47 ||

• English Transliteration:

  karmaṇy-evādhikāras te mā phaleṣhu kadāchana

  mā karma-phala-hetur bhūr mā te saṅgo ’stvakarmaṇi

  karmaṇi—in prescribed duties; eva—only; adhikāraḥ—right; te—your; mā—not; phaleṣhu—in the fruits; kadāchana—at any time; mā—never; karma-phala—results of the activities; hetuḥ—cause; bhūḥ—be; mā—not; te—your; saṅgaḥ—attachment; astu—must be; akarmaṇi—in inaction

  You have a right to perform your prescribed duties, but you are not entitled to the fruits of your actions. Never consider yourself to be the cause of the results of your activities, nor be attached to inaction.

• Summary: This verse gives four instructions regarding the science of work:

  1. Do your duty, but do not concern yourself with the results.
  2. The fruits of your actions are not for your enjoyment.
  3. Even while working, give up the pride of doership.
  4. Do not be attached to inaction.

Verse - 16.21

• Sanskrit:

  त्रिविधं नरकस्येदं द्वारं नाशनमात्मन: |

  काम: क्रोधस्तथा लोभस्तस्मादेतत्त्रयं त्यजेत् || 21||

• English Transliteration:

  tri-vidhaṁ narakasyedaṁ dvāraṁ nāśhanam ātmanaḥ

  kāmaḥ krodhas tathā lobhas tasmād etat trayaṁ tyajet

  tri-vidham—three types of; narakasya—to the hell; idam—this; dvāram—gates; nāśhanam—destruction; ātmanaḥ—self; kāmaḥ—lust; krodhaḥ—anger; tathā—and; lobhaḥ—greed; tasmāt—therefore; etat—these; trayam—three; tyajet—should abandon

  There are three gates leading to the hell of self-destruction for the soul—lust, anger, and greed. Therefore, one should abandon all three.

• Summary: There are three gates leading to the hell of self-destruction for the soul—lust, anger, and greed. Therefore, one should abandon all three. Together, lust, anger, and greed are the foundations from which the demoniac vices develop. They fester in the mind and make it a suitable ground for all other vices to take root. Consequently, Shree Krishna labels them as gateways to hell, and strongly advises to shun them to avoid self-destruction. Those desirous of welfare should learn to dread these three and carefully avoid their presence in their own personality.