Bhagavad Gita on gratitude: 7 verses to notice what you have
For a good day you want to remember. Read one a day, or all seven over morning tea.
- 7 verses
- Gita, then the Ramcharitmanas
- About 14 min to read
- Sanskrit, English, audio
Krishna tells Arjuna where to look for him: in the taste of water, the light of the sun and moon, the strength in people (7.8). These verses start there, with the ordinary things we stop noticing. Then they ask what we owe back (3.12), find the spark in whatever shines (10.41), and turn gratitude into action: share first (3.13), give well (17.20). The last is from the Ramcharitmanas, a boatman who refused his fare.
The seven verses
- Verse 1See itThe taste in waterGita 7.8
- Verse 2What's underneathWhat you receive, you oweGita 3.12
- Verse 3SteadyA spark of something largerGita 10.41
- Verse 4SteadyHeld up by the earthGita 15.13
- Verse 5DoShare before you eatGita 3.13
- Verse 6DoGive the right wayGita 17.20
- Verse 7A storyThe boatman who refused his fareRamcharitmanas
The taste in water
प्रणवः सर्ववेदेषु शब्दः खे पौरुषं नृषु ॥
I am the taste in water, the light of the sun and moon, the sound in space, the strength in people.
Bhagavad Gita 7.8 · Krishna
Full translation
O son of Kunti, I am the taste in water, the light in the moon and sun, the syllable Om in all the Vedas, the sound in space, and the valor in human beings.
हे कुन्तीनन्दन जलोंमें रस मैं हूँ, चन्द्रमा और सूर्यमें प्रभा प्रकाश मैं हूँ, सम्पूर्ण वेदोंमें प्रणव ओंकार मैं हूँ, आकाशमें शब्द और मनुष्योंमें पुरुषार्थ मैं हूँ ॥
What it means for you
Krishna could have pointed to temples or miracles. He points to water, sunlight and sound, the things you used today without a thought. Gratitude in the Gita starts with noticing them.
Try this
Drink your next glass of water slowly, and taste it.
What you receive, you owe
तैर्दत्तानप्रदायैभ्यो यो भुङ्क्ते स्तेन एव सः ॥
Enjoy what life gives without giving anything back, and you are no better than a thief.
Bhagavad Gita 3.12 · Krishna
Full translation
The radiant beings, nourished by sacrifice, will give you the enjoyments you need. One who enjoys their gifts without offering back is a thief.
यज्ञसे भावित पुष्ट हुए देवता भी तुमलोगोंको बिना माँगे ही कर्तव्यपालनकी आवश्यक सामग्री देते रहेंगे । इस प्रकार उन देवताओंसे प्राप्त हुई सामग्रीको दूसरोंकी सेवामें लगाये बिना जो मनुष्य स्वयं ही उसका उपभोग करता है, वह चोर ही है ॥
What it means for you
Krishna's word is stena, thief. The food, air and help that keep you going came from somewhere. Taking them as your due quietly turns a gift into a theft. Gratitude starts the giving back.
Try this
Give back one small thing today to someone or something that keeps you going.
A spark of something larger
तत्तदेवावगच्छ त्वं मम तेजोंऽशसंभवम् ॥
Whatever shines with excellence, beauty or power, see it as a spark of the divine.
Bhagavad Gita 10.41 · Krishna
Full translation
Whatever being or thing is endowed with splendour, beauty, or power—know that to have arisen from a spark of my radiance.
जोजो ऐश्वर्ययुक्त, शोभायुक्त और बलयुक्त प्राणी तथा वस्तु है, उसउसको तुम मेरे ही तेजयोग के अंशसे उत्पन्न हुई समझो ॥
What it means for you
A friend's kindness, a child's laugh, a piece of music that stops you. Krishna says each is a spark of his radiance. Seeing them that way makes the good in your day feel less like luck and more like a gift.
Try this
Name three things that shone today, however small.
Held up by the earth
पुष्णामि चौषधीः सर्वाः सोमो भूत्वा रसात्मकः ॥
I enter the earth and hold up every living thing. As the moon's nectar, I nourish every plant.
Bhagavad Gita 15.13 · Krishna
Full translation
Entering the earth, I sustain all beings with my power. Becoming the moon of life-giving essence, I nourish all plants.
मैं ही पृथ्वीमें प्रविष्ट होकर अपनी शक्तिसे समस्त प्राणियोंको धारण करता हूँ और मैं ही रसमय चन्द्रमाके रूपमें समस्त ओषधियोंवनस्पतियों को पुष्ट करता हूँ ॥
What it means for you
The ground under you, the rain, the plants on your plate. Krishna says he is the power holding all of it up. Every meal sits on a long chain of things you didn't make.
Try this
Before your next meal, pause for a few seconds and think of where it came from.
Share before you eat
भुञ्जते ते त्वघं पापा ये पचन्त्यात्मकारणात् ॥
Those who share first are freed; those who cook only for themselves feed on wrong.
Bhagavad Gita 3.13 · Krishna
Full translation
Those who eat the leftovers of sacrifice are freed from all faults. Those who cook only for themselves eat only wrongdoing.
यज्ञशेष योग का अनुभव करनेवाले श्रेष्ठ मनुष्य सम्पूर्ण पापोंसे मुक्त हो जाते हैं । परन्तु जो केवल अपने लिये ही पकाते अर्थात् सब कर्म करते हैं, वे पापीलोग तो पापका ही भक्षण करते हैं ॥
What it means for you
In many Indian homes the first portion goes to the gods, the cow or a guest before the family eats. Krishna's point is simple: share first. A grateful life shows up at the table.
Try this
Share something you have today before you enjoy it yourself: food, time or a skill.
Give the right way
देशे काले च पात्रे च तद्दानं सात्त्विकं स्मृतम् ॥
Give because giving is right, to someone who can't repay you, at the right time and place.
Bhagavad Gita 17.20 · Krishna
Full translation
A gift given with the feeling that giving is a duty, offered to a worthy person at the right place and time, is called sattvic.
दान देना कर्तव्य है ऐसे भावसे जो दान देश, काल और पात्रके प्राप्त होनेपर अनुपकारीको दिया जाता है, वह दान सात्त्विक कहा गया है ॥
What it means for you
Krishna's best kind of giving, sāttvika dāna, expects nothing back, goes where it's needed, and comes at the right time. That is gratitude, passed on.
Try this
Give something this week to someone who can't return the favour.
The boatman who refused his fare
मिटे दोष दुख दारिद दावा ॥ बहुत काल मैं कीन्हि मजूरी ।
आजु दीन्ह बिधि बनि भलि भूरी ॥
I've worked for wages all my life. Today I was paid in full.
Ramcharitmanas, Ayodhya Kand
Kevat at the Ganga
Kevat, a boatman, would not take Ram across the Ganga until he had washed Ram's feet, joking that dust which once turned a stone into a woman might turn his boat into one too. Ram laughed and agreed. On the far bank Sita offered her ring as the fare. Kevat folded his hands and refused. He had worked for wages all his life, he said, and today he had been paid in full.
Some things can't be priced, and gratitude can be payment enough.
What it means for you
Kevat counted the moment itself as his reward. Some of your best days will feel like that too.
Try this
Tell one person today, specifically, what they've given you.
That's all seven.
Come back to the one that stayed with you. Or let Wisdom pick seven verses for your own situation, with the Sanskrit read aloud.
Common questions
What does the Bhagavad Gita say about gratitude?
Krishna asks Arjuna to see him in ordinary things: the taste of water, the light of the sun and moon (7.8). He says enjoying what we're given without giving back is theft (3.12), and that those who share before they eat are freed (3.13).
Which Gita verse is about being thankful for food?
3.13 says those who eat after offering and sharing are freed from fault. 15.14 says Krishna is the fire within that digests food, which is why many families say a verse before meals.
Is there a Gita verse about giving?
17.20 describes the best kind of giving: given because it's right, to someone who can't repay, at the right time and place.
Should I read one verse a day or all seven at once?
Either works. All seven take about 14 minutes. One a day gives each verse time to settle, and the page remembers where you stopped.
