Bhagavad Gita BG 3.43
Chapter 3, Verse 43 — Meaning, Translation & Explanation
एवं बुद्धेः परं बुद्ध्वा संस्तभ्यात्मानमात्मना । जहि शत्रुं महाबाहो कामरूपं दुरासदम् ॥ ४३ ॥
evaṃ buddheḥ paraṃ buddhvā saṃstabhyātmānam ātmanā jahi śatruṃ mahā-bāho kāma-rūpaṃ durāsadam
Meaning
Thus knowing the Self to be superior to the intellect, O mighty-armed Arjuna, steadying the self through the Self, slay this enemy — desire — which is so difficult to conquer (durāsada).
Understanding
This is the grand finale of Chapter 3 — and it is a battle cry. Krishna has mapped the enemy (desire), its location (senses-mind-intellect), its method (covering knowledge), and now gives the ultimate weapon and the battle plan. 'Buddheḥ paraṃ buddhvā' — 'having understood the Self to be beyond the intellect' — this is the key insight. If the intellect is the highest instrument of the personal mind, and if desire can capture even the intellect, then only something beyond the intellect can overcome desire. That 'beyond' is the Self (ātman). 'Saṃstabhyātmānam ātmanā' — 'steadying the self by the Self' — using the higher Self to stabilise the lower self. Then: jahi śatrum — 'slay the enemy.' Durāsada (difficult to overcome) acknowledges the challenge while making the command clear. The Self is the only weapon adequate to this enemy.
Word by Word
| Word | IAST | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| बुद्धेः परम् | buddheḥ param | beyond the intellect / superior to buddhi |
| बुद्ध्वा | buddhvā | having understood / knowing |
| संस्तभ्य | saṃstabhya | steadying / stabilising / firmly establishing |
| आत्मानम् आत्मना | ātmānam ātmanā | the self by the Self / steadying oneself through the Higher Self |
| दुरासदम् | durāsadam | difficult to overcome / hard to approach / formidable |
| एवम् | evam | thus / in this way (knowing the hierarchy) |
| जहि | jahi | slay / kill / destroy (imperative) |
| शत्रुम् | śatrum | the enemy / the adversary (desire) |
| महाबाहो | mahā-bāho | O mighty-armed (Arjuna) |
| कामरूपम् | kāma-rūpam | in the form of desire / desire-shaped |