Bhagavad Gita 14.11: meaning and translation
Chapter 14: Gunatraya Vibhaga Yoga. Krishna says
When the light of knowledge shines through all the gates of the body (the senses), Krishna says, one may know that sattva has grown.
Click or tap a word for its meaning and its dictionary page.
Text and layers
Text and layers
These choices stay in this browser.
Bhagavad Gita 14.11
सर्वद्वारेषु देहेऽस्मिन्प्रकाश उपजायते ।ज्ञानं यदा तदा विद्याद्विवृद्धं सत्त्वमित्युत ॥
Sarvadvareshu dehesminprakasha upajayateJnanam yada tada vidyadvivriddham sattvamityuta
sarvadvāreṣu dehe’sminprakāśa upajāyate |jñānaṃ yadā tadā vidyādvivṛddhaṃ sattvamityuta ||
Our explanation When the light of knowledge shines through all the gates of the body (the senses), Krishna says, one may know that sattva has grown.
हिंदी अर्थ कृष्ण कहते हैं कि जब शरीर के सब द्वारों (इंद्रियों) में ज्ञान का प्रकाश फैलता है, तब जानना चाहिए कि सत्त्व बढ़ा हुआ है।
Word by word
Every word, with its dictionary page
Word by word
- सर्वद्वारेषु sarvadvāreṣu · in all the gates (the senses) (compound (neuter), locative plural) Dictionary: sarva, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 1184, col. 3 “whole, entire, all, every”; dvāra, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 504, col. 2 “opening, aperture (esp. of the human body, cf. nava-)”
- देहे dehe · in the body (noun (masculine), locative singular) Dictionary: deha, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 496, col. 3 “the body”
- अस्मिन् asmin · this (pronoun (masculine), locative singular) Dictionary: 1. idam, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 165, col. 2 “this, this here, referring to something near the speaker”
- प्रकाशः prakāśaḥ · light (noun (masculine), nominative singular) Dictionary: pra-kāśa, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 653, col. 1 “clearness, brightness, splendour, lustre, light”
- उपजायते upajāyate · arises (present, 3rd person singular) Dictionary: upa-jan, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 198, col. 1 “to be born, originate, come forth, appear, become visible”
- ज्ञानम् jñānam · knowledge (noun (neuter), nominative singular) Dictionary: jñāna, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 426, col. 1 “knowing, becoming acquainted with, knowledge”
- यदा yadā · when (indeclinable) Dictionary: yadā, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 844, col. 1 “when, at what time, whenever”
- तदा tadā · then (indeclinable) Dictionary: tadā, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 434, col. 3 “at that time, then, in that case”
- विद्यात् vidyāt · one should know (optative, 3rd person singular) Dictionary: 1. vid, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 963, col. 2 “to know, understand, perceive, learn”
- विवृद्धम् vivṛddham · grown, increased (past participle (neuter), accusative singular) Dictionary: vi-vṛddha, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 989, col. 1 “grown, increased, enhanced”
- सत्त्वम् sattvam · sattva (noun (neuter), accusative singular) Dictionary: sat-tva, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 1135, col. 2 “the quality of purity or goodness”
- इति iti · thus (indeclinable) Dictionary: 2. iti, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 165, col. 1 “in this manner, thus”
- उत uta · indeed (indeclinable) Dictionary: 2. uta, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 175, col. 2 “and, also, even, or”
Old translations
Kashinath Trimbak Telang, 1882. Public domain. Page 108.
When in this body at all portals1 light (that is to say) knowledge prevails, then should one know goodness to be developed.
Footnotes (the translator’s own) - I. e. the senses of perception. ↩
Compare 3 translations
Kashinath Trimbak Telang, 1882. Public domain. Page 108.
When in this body at all portals1 light (that is to say) knowledge prevails, then should one know goodness to be developed.
Footnotes (the translator’s own) - I. e. the senses of perception. ↩
You are reading this one
Annie Besant, 1895. Public domain. Page 131.
When the wisdom-light streameth forth from all the gates of the body, then it may be known that Sattva is increasing.
You are reading this one
Swami Swarupananda, 1909 (first printed 1907). Public domain. Page 275.
When through every sense in this body, the light of intelligence shines, then it should be known that Satva is predominant.
You are reading this one
Cite this verse
The translation: K. T. Telang, The Bhagavadgîtâ (The Sacred Books of the East, vol. VIII, Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1882), p. 108. Bhagavad Gita 14.11.
The translation: Annie Besant, The Bhagavad Gîtâ, or The Lord's Song (London: Theosophical Publishing Society, 1895), p. 131. Bhagavad Gita 14.11.
The translation: Swami Swarupananda, Srimad-Bhagavad-Gita (Mayavati: Prabuddha Bharata Press, 1909; first printed in Prabuddha Bharata, 1907–1909), p. 275. Bhagavad Gita 14.11.
Our explanation: “Bhagavad Gita 14.11: meaning and translation.” Pujadeep. Updated October 25, 2026. https://pujadeep.com/bhagavad-gita/14/11/
Pujadeep’s explanations are free to quote with credit: name Pujadeep and link to the page. How to credit
Classical readings, by school
No readings by school on this verse yet.
Share
Show the ways to share
Send one picture or the text to one chat. The picture names its source and the address of this page.
Drawing the picture
See the words
Bhagavad Gita 14.11
सर्वद्वारेषु देहेऽस्मिन्प्रकाश उपजायते ।
ज्ञानं यदा तदा विद्याद्विवृद्धं सत्त्वमित्युत ॥
“When in this body at all portals light (that is to say) knowledge prevails, then should one know goodness to be developed.”
(K. T. Telang, The Bhagavadgîtâ (The Sacred Books of the East, vol. VIII, Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1882), p. 108, public domain)
“When the wisdom-light streameth forth from all the gates of the body, then it may be known that Sattva is increasing.”
(Annie Besant, The Bhagavad Gîtâ, or The Lord's Song (London: Theosophical Publishing Society, 1895), p. 131, public domain)
“When through every sense in this body, the light of intelligence shines, then it should be known that Satva is predominant.”
(Swami Swarupananda, Srimad-Bhagavad-Gita (Mayavati: Prabuddha Bharata Press, 1909; first printed in Prabuddha Bharata, 1907–1909), p. 275, public domain)
Sanskrit: G. A. Natesan & Co., Madras, 1922.
https://pujadeep.com/bhagavad-gita/14/11/ Nothing is sent from this site. Your own app sends it, to the chat you choose. The picture quotes the translation you chose on this page, with its name and year.
Sanskrit text: The Bhagavad-Gita, or The Lord's Song, with the text in Devanagari and an English translation, 1922. Meanings: written for Pujadeep and checked against the cited edition. Source and changes
Questions families ask
Who speaks Bhagavad Gita 14.11?
Krishna speaks this verse, in chapter 14 (Gunatraya Vibhaga Yoga).
Where does the Sanskrit text come from?
Sanskrit text: The Bhagavad-Gita, or The Lord's Song, with the text in Devanagari and an English translation, 1922. Meanings: written for Pujadeep and checked against the cited edition. See the source
Is the meaning on this page a translation?
Explanation written for this site from the sources listed here, and checked against the cited edition. It is not a translation and not the only way to read the text. Free to quote with credit.
Source and licence
- Sanskrit text
- The Bhagavad-Gita, or The Lord's Song, with the text in Devanagari and an English translation (Annie Besant, G. A. Natesan & Co., Madras, 1922). Public domain. The Sanskrit on these pages was read from this printing’s page images.
- Translation
- The Bhagavadgîtâ with the Sanatsugâtîya and the Anugîtâ, translated by Kâshinâth Trimbak Telang (The Sacred Books of the East, vol. VIII, ed. F. Max Müller) (Kashinath Trimbak Telang, F. Max Müller, Clarendon Press, Oxford, 1882). Public domain. Shown verbatim, as printed.
- Translation
- The Bhagavad Gîtâ, or The Lord's Song, translated by Annie Besant (Annie Besant, Theosophical Publishing Society, London, 1895). Public domain. Shown verbatim, as printed.
- Translation
- Srimad-Bhagavad-Gita, with Sanskrit Text; Paraphrase with Word-by-word Literal Translation; English Rendering and Comments, Index, &c., by the Swami Swarupananda (Himalayan Series, No. XX) (Swami Swarupananda, The Editors and Publishers, Advaita Ashrama, Mayavati, Prabuddha Bharata Press, Mayavati, Almora, Himalayas, 1909). Public domain. Shown verbatim, as printed.
- Common wording
- In this text, 32 words follow today's common wording, checked against sanskritdocuments.org; Sanskrit Wikisource; Gita Press, Gorakhpur; GRETIL, Göttingen and Bhaktivedanta Book Trust.
- Our explanation
- Explanation written for this site from the sources listed here, and checked against the cited edition. It is not a translation and not the only way to read the text. Free to quote with credit.
- Checked
- Checked against the cited edition, October 14, 2026.
- Updated
- October 25, 2026