Gita 18.53

Chapter 18: Liberation

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Gita 18.53
अहंकारं बलं दर्पं कामं क्रोधं परिग्रहम्। विमुच्य निर्ममः शान्तो ब्रह्मभूयाय कल्पते॥

ahaṁkāraṁ balaṁ darpaṁ kāmaṁ krodhaṁ parigraham vimucya nirmamaḥ śānto brahma-bhūyāya kalpate

"Abandoning ego, force, arrogance, desire, anger, and possessiveness, free from 'mine-ness' and peaceful—one becomes fit for union with Brahman."

What This Means:

By giving up ego, aggression, pride, lust, anger, and greed, becoming free from possessiveness and peaceful, a person becomes ready to merge with the Absolute.

Going Deeper:

Six obstacles to transcendence: 'Ahamkara' - ego; 'Bala' - force/violence; 'Darpa' - arrogance; 'Kama' - desire; 'Krodha' - anger; 'Parigraha' - possessiveness. 'Nirmama' - free from 'mine'; 'Shanta' - peaceful. 'Brahma-bhuyaya kalpate' - becomes fit for becoming Brahman. This verse lists what must be released for final liberation.

How To Apply This:

Identify which of these six obstacles is strongest in you: ego, aggression, pride, desire, anger, or possessiveness. Work specifically on releasing that one first.

Key Sanskrit Terms:

Ahamkara= ego, I-senseDarpa= arrogance, prideParigraha= possessiveness, acquisitivenessNirmama= free from 'mine'Brahma-bhuyaya= for becoming Brahman