A core teaching · grounding in mood · a little context helps
“Freedom grows from one kind of character; bondage grows from another.”
The divine nature leads to freedom; the demonic nature leads to bondage. Do not grieve, Pandava. You are born with the divine nature.
The verse in reading order — each Sanskrit word with its meaning beneath. Tap a word to focus on it.
Read literallydivine · nature or wealth · for freedom · for bondage · demonic · is held to be · do not · grieve · nature or wealth · divine · born with · you are · Pandava
Qualities that uplift a person lead to freedom, while qualities rooted in ego create bondage. Krishna tells Arjuna not to despair, because Arjuna already has the qualities that lead upward.
Krishna speaks this verse, on the battlefield of Kurukshetra, in the chapter titled "Daivasura Sampad Vibhaga" (The Divine and Demoniac Natures).
Verse 5 sits in Chapter 16 of the Bhagavad Gita — Daivasura Sampad Vibhaga, "The Divine and Demoniac Natures". The chapter has 24 verses in total.
Before a board exam, a child who lost her temper at her brother may decide she is a bad person. Krishna's words to Arjuna fit her: do not grieve, you were born with the better nature.
Did you like this verse?
Krishna reassures Arjuna directly: divine qualities free, demonic ones bind, and Arjuna was born with the divine.
What this verse means
Qualities that uplift a person lead to freedom, while qualities rooted in ego create bondage. Krishna tells Arjuna not to despair, because Arjuna already has the qualities that lead upward.
Context & commentary
After listing the traits of the divine and the demonic, Krishna turns to Arjuna directly. The battlefield is still frozen, but the teaching sharpens: Arjuna's fear does not define him, and his deeper nature already belongs to the side that frees.
What it looks like today
Before a board exam, a child who lost her temper at her brother may decide she is a bad person. Krishna's words to Arjuna fit her: do not grieve, you were born with the better nature.
“Do not grieve; Krishna tells Arjuna his nature already leans toward freedom.”