📿 Shloka Collection

Tejah Kshama Dhritih Shaucham

Gita 16.3 Bhagavad Gita
📖 Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 16 — Daivasura Sampad Vibhaga Yoga
तेजः क्षमा धृतिः शौचमद्रोहो नातिमानिता ।
भवन्ति सम्पदं दैवीमभिजातस्य भारत ॥
Tejah kshama dhritih shaucham adroho natimanita
Bhavanti sampadam daivim abhijatasya Bharata
तेजः
radiance, inner strength
क्षमा
forgiveness
धृतिः
fortitude, patience
शौचम्
cleanliness — outer and inner
अद्रोहः
bearing no malice toward anyone
न अतिमानिता
absence of excessive pride
भवन्ति
are present
सम्पदम्
the wealth (of qualities)
दैवीम्
divine
अभिजातस्य
of one who is born with
भारत
O Arjuna (descendant of Bharata)

With this shloka, the catalogue of divine qualities reaches its conclusion. Tejas is inner radiance — the kind of quiet strength that shows on a person's face without them trying to display it. Kshama is forgiveness: letting go of wrongs done to you. Dhriti is fortitude — holding steady when everything around you is falling apart, the way a tree stays rooted through a storm.

Shaucha means cleanliness of both body and mind. Adroha means harboring no ill will or deceit toward anyone. Natimanita means not thinking of yourself as greater than you are — no inflated self-image, no demand for special treatment.

Krishna wraps up by telling Arjuna: these qualities belong to one born with a divine nature. The word abhijatasya — 'born with' — suggests that these qualities come from past good karma. But they can also be cultivated through practice. A seed may arrive by nature, but it still needs watering.

Shlokas 16.1 through 16.3 together list twenty-six divine qualities. This checklist serves as a mirror for self-assessment — a way for anyone to honestly evaluate where they stand.

The word abhijatasya indicates that these qualities arise from samskaras — impressions carried from past lives and from good actions in this life. This is not fatalism; it is an encouragement. Every good action strengthens these qualities.

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