Bhagavad Gita BG 16.2

Chapter 16, Verse 2 — Meaning, Translation & Explanation

अहिंसा सत्यमक्रोधस्त्यागः शान्तिरपैशुनम् । दया भूतेष्वलोलुप्त्वं मार्दवं ह्रीरचापलम् ॥

ahimsa satyam akrodhas tyagah shantir apaishunam daya bhuteshv alolutptam mardavam hrir acapalam

Meaning

Ahimsa, truth, freedom from anger, renunciation, tranquility, absence of backbiting, compassion for beings, freedom from covetousness, gentleness, modesty, absence of fickleness.

Understanding

V2 continues the list of daivi-sampat (divine qualities) from v1, presenting a second cluster of virtues: (1) Ahimsa (non-violence/non-harm — the foundational ethical quality); (2) Satyam (truth, honesty in speech and conduct); (3) Akrodha (freedom from anger — not suppression but absence of the reactive anger-tendency); (4) Tyaga (renunciation of the fruits of action — cf. Ch18's definition); (5) Shanti (inner peace, tranquility); (6) Apaishunam (absence of backbiting/fault-finding behind others' backs — paishunam = tale-bearing); (7) Daya bhuteshu (compassion for all beings — the active care for living creatures); (8) Alolutptam (freedom from covetousness, non-craving for others' possessions); (9) Mardavam (gentleness, softness in conduct); (10) Hrih (modesty, a proper sense of shame before transgression — a positive quality); (11) Acapalam (absence of fickleness/restlessness — stability of mind and conduct). Together with v1's list, these twenty-six qualities form the complete portrait of the divine human being.

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