Arjuna said: O Lord, by what signs is a person known who has gone beyond these three qualities? How does such a person behave, and how does one cross beyond the three qualities?
— Arjuna
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Bhagavad Gita · 14.21
Hindi · हिन्दी
अर्जुन बोले हे प्रभो इन तीनों गुणोंसे अतीत हुआ मनुष्य किन लक्षणोंसे युक्त होता है उसके आचरण कैसे होते हैं और इन तीनों गुणोंका अतिक्रमण कैसे किया जा सकता है ॥
The verse in reading order — each Sanskrit word with its meaning beneath. Hover a word to focus on it.
अर्जुन उवाचArjuna saidकैः लिंगैःby what signsत्रीन्threeगुणान्qualitiesएतान्theseअतीतःgone beyondभवतिbecomesप्रभोO Lordकिम् आचारःwhat is the conductकथम् चand howएतान्theseत्रीन् गुणान्three qualitiesअतिवर्ततेcrosses beyond
Read literallyArjuna said · by what signs · three · qualities · these · gone beyond · becomes · O Lord · what is the conduct · and how · these · three qualities · crosses beyond
Understanding the verse
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It turns abstract philosophy into a practical test: look for signs, conduct, and method.
Arjuna asks how to recognize someone who has gone beyond the three qualities, how that person behaves, and how such freedom is reached.
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On the battlefield
Context & commentary
On the battlefield of Kurukshetra, Arjuna has just heard that a wise person can rise above the three qualities and escape birth, death, and aging. He now asks Krishna for the practical signs, the conduct, and the method, because he wants a lived answer, not a theory.
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In your life
Why this verse still matters
You hear a calm person speak after a painful breakup and wonder: what changed in them? This is the question behind the question — how does freedom actually show up in a human life?
The takeaway
“It is okay to ask how real freedom looks before you can live it.”
Explore related themes: vairagya(51 verses), gunas(47 verses)
Common questions
What does Bhagavad Gita 14.21 mean?
Arjuna asks how to recognize someone who has gone beyond the three qualities, how that person behaves, and how such freedom is reached.
Who speaks Bhagavad Gita 14.21?
Arjuna speaks this verse, on the battlefield of Kurukshetra, in the chapter titled "Gunatraya Vibhaga Yoga" (The Three Modes of Material Nature).
Which chapter of the Bhagavad Gita contains verse 14.21?
Verse 21 sits in Chapter 14 of the Bhagavad Gita — Gunatraya Vibhaga Yoga, "The Three Modes of Material Nature". The chapter has 27 verses in total.
Why does Bhagavad Gita 14.21 matter today?
You hear a calm person speak after a painful breakup and wonder: what changed in them? This is the question behind the question — how does freedom actually show up in a human life?
It turns abstract philosophy into a practical test: look for signs, conduct, and method.
What this verse means
Arjuna asks how to recognize someone who has gone beyond the three qualities, how that person behaves, and how such freedom is reached.
Context & commentary
On the battlefield of Kurukshetra, Arjuna has just heard that a wise person can rise above the three qualities and escape birth, death, and aging. He now asks Krishna for the practical signs, the conduct, and the method, because he wants a lived answer, not a theory.
Why this verse still matters
You hear a calm person speak after a painful breakup and wonder: what changed in them? This is the question behind the question — how does freedom actually show up in a human life?
“It is okay to ask how real freedom looks before you can live it.”
Explore related themes: vairagya (51 verses), gunas (47 verses)