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Bhagavad Gita · Chapter 2: Sankhya Yoga · Speaker: Krishna

Bhagavad Gita 2.45: Traigunyavishaya veda

Krishna says the Vedas deal with the world of the three gunas (the qualities of nature).

Bhagavad Gita 2.45

त्रैगुण्यविषया वेदा निस्त्रैगुण्यो भवार्जुन ।निर्द्वन्द्वो नि­त्य­स­त्त्व­स्थो निर्योगक्षेम आत्मवान् ॥

Trai­gun­ya­vi­sha­ya veda nist­rai­gun­yo bhavarjuna
Nirdvandvo nit­ya­satt­vas­tho nir­yo­gak­she­ma atmavan

trai­guṇ­ya­vi­ṣa­yā vedā nist­rai­guṇ­yo bhavārjuna |
nirdvandvo nit­ya­satt­vas­tho nir­yo­gak­ṣe­ma ātmavān ||

Our meaning Krishna says the Vedas deal with the world of the three gunas (the qualities of nature). He asks Arjuna to rise above the three gunas and above the pairs of opposites, to stay always in sattva (purity), to be free of worry about getting and keeping, and to be centred in the self.

हिंदी अर्थ कृष्ण कहते हैं कि वेद तीनों गुणों (प्रकृति के गुण) के क्षेत्र की बात करते हैं। वे अर्जुन से कहते हैं कि वे तीनों गुणों और द्वंद्वों से ऊपर उठें, सदा सत्त्व में स्थित रहें, पाने और बचाने की चिंता छोड़ें, और आत्मा में स्थित रहें।

Word by word

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Word by word

  1. त्रैगुण्यविषयाः traiguṇyaviṣayāḥ dealing with the three gunas (compound (masculine), nominative plural) Dictionary: traiguṇya, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 462, col. 1 the 3 Guṇas ; viṣaya, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 997, col. 1 sphere (of influence or activity)
  2. वेदाः vedāḥ the Vedas (noun (masculine), nominative plural) Dictionary: 1. veda, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 1015, col. 1 knowledge, true or sacred knowledge or lore
  3. निस्त्रैगुण्यः nistraiguṇyaḥ beyond the three gunas (compound (masculine), nominative singular) Dictionary: nis-traiguṇya, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 543, col. 3 destitute of the three Guṇas
  4. भव bhava be (imperative, 2nd person singular) Dictionary: 1. bhū, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 760, col. 2 arise, come into being, exist
  5. अर्जुन arjuna O Arjuna (noun (masculine), vocative singular) Dictionary: arjuna, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 90, col. 1
  6. निर्द्वन्द्वः nirdvandvaḥ free from the pairs of opposites (compound (masculine), nominative singular) Dictionary: nir-dvaṃdva, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 541, col. 2 indifferent to the alternatives or opposite pairs
  7. नित्यसत्त्वस्थः nityasattvasthaḥ always established in sattva (compound (masculine), nominative singular) Dictionary: nitya, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 547, col. 2 continual, perpetual, eternal ; sat-tva, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 1135, col. 2 the quality of purity or goodness ; stha, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 1262, col. 3 standing, staying, abiding, being situated in
  8. निर्योगक्षेमः niryogakṣemaḥ free from getting and keeping (compound (masculine), nominative singular) Dictionary: nis, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 543, col. 2 out, forth, away ; yoga-kṣema, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 856, col. 3 the security or secure possession of what has been acquired
  9. आत्मवान् ātmavān self-possessed (adjective (masculine), nominative singular) Dictionary: ātma-vat, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 135, col. 3 self-possessed, composed, prudent

Public-domain translations

Kashinath Trimbak Telang, 1882. Public domain. Page 48.

The Vedas (merely) relate to the effects of the three qualities1; do you, O Arguna! rise above those effects of the three qualities, and be free from the pairs of opposites2, always preserve courage3, be free from anxiety for new acquisitions or protection of old acquisitions, and be self-controlled4.

  1. I. e. the whole course of worldly affairs. As to qualities, see chapter XIV. ↩
  2. Heat and cold, pain and pleasure, and so forth. Cf. Manu I, 26. ↩
  3. Cf. Sutta Nipâta, p. 17 and other places. ↩
  4. Keeping the mind from worldly objects. ↩
English translation: K. T. Telang, The Bhagavadgîtâ (The Sacred Books of the East, vol. VIII, Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1882); public domain. archive.org (page 48, scan leaf n61). Shown verbatim.
Compare 3 translations

Kashinath Trimbak Telang, 1882. Public domain. Page 48.

The Vedas (merely) relate to the effects of the three qualities1; do you, O Arguna! rise above those effects of the three qualities, and be free from the pairs of opposites2, always preserve courage3, be free from anxiety for new acquisitions or protection of old acquisitions, and be self-controlled4.

  1. I. e. the whole course of worldly affairs. As to qualities, see chapter XIV. ↩
  2. Heat and cold, pain and pleasure, and so forth. Cf. Manu I, 26. ↩
  3. Cf. Sutta Nipâta, p. 17 and other places. ↩
  4. Keeping the mind from worldly objects. ↩
English translation: K. T. Telang, The Bhagavadgîtâ (The Sacred Books of the East, vol. VIII, Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1882); public domain. archive.org (page 48, scan leaf n61). Shown verbatim.

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Annie Besant, 1895. Public domain. Page 33.

The Vedas deal with the three attributes;1 be thou without these three attributes, O Arjuna; without the pairs of opposites, ever steadfast in Sattva, careless of possessions, full of the SELF.

  1. Gunas=attributes, or forms of energy. They are Sattva, purity, Rajas, activity or passion, Tama, inertness or darkness. ↩
English translation: Annie Besant, The Bhagavad Gîtâ, or The Lord's Song (London: Theosophical Publishing Society, 1895); public domain. archive.org (page 33, scan leaf n39). Shown verbatim.

You are reading this one

Swami Swarupananda, 1909 (first printed 1907). Public domain. Page 48.

The Vedas deal with the three Gunas. Be thou free, O Arjuna, from the triad of the Gunas, free from the pairs of opposites, ever-balanced, free from (the thought of) getting and keeping, and established in the Self.

English translation: Swami Swarupananda, Srimad-Bhagavad-Gita (Mayavati: Prabuddha Bharata Press, 1909; first printed in Prabuddha Bharata, 1907–1909); public domain. archive.org (page 48, scan leaf n61). Shown verbatim.

You are reading this one

Sanskrit text: The Bhagavad-Gita, or The Lord's Song, with the text in Devanagari and an English translation, 1922. Meanings: written for Pujadeep with AI help and reviewed. Source and changes

Questions families ask

Who speaks Bhagavad Gita 2.45?

Krishna speaks this verse, in chapter 2 (Sankhya 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 with AI help and reviewed. See the source

Is the meaning on this page a translation?

Explanation written for this site with AI help from the sources listed here, and reviewed. 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.
Sanskrit text
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. Used only to date the text. The Devanagari on this page is a reading text and is not copied from this printing.
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 with AI help from the sources listed here, and reviewed. It is not a translation and not the only way to read the text. Free to quote with credit.
Review
AI review: 2 independent reviews against the cited edition, October 15, 2026.

Sources and licences

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