A declaration · expansive in mood · a little context helps
“All qualities are expressions of the same divine source.”
Nonviolence, equanimity, contentment, austerity, charity, honor, and dishonor—all these different states of beings arise from Me alone.
The verse in reading order — each Sanskrit word with its meaning beneath. Hover a word to focus on it.
Read literallynonviolence · equanimity · contentment · austerity · charity · honor · dishonor · they become · states · of beings · from Me · only · of different kinds
Nonviolence, balance, contentment, discipline, generosity, honor, and dishonor all arise from Krishna alone in different beings.
Krishna speaks this verse, on the battlefield of Kurukshetra, in the chapter titled "Vibhuti Yoga" (The Yoga of Divine Glories).
Verse 5 sits in Chapter 10 of the Bhagavad Gita — Vibhuti Yoga, "The Yoga of Divine Glories". The chapter has 42 verses in total.
You catch yourself being kind in one conversation and harsh in the next, then wonder which version is real. This verse says the deeper source is bigger than either mood.
Did you like this verse?
It shifts attention from self-judgment to the source of qualities, so you can align with what nourishes them.
What this verse means
Nonviolence, balance, contentment, discipline, generosity, honor, and dishonor all arise from Krishna alone in different beings.
Context & commentary
On the battlefield, Arjuna is frozen by conflict. Krishna is revealing that even the finest human qualities—nonviolence, balance, contentment, discipline, generosity, honor, and dishonor—do not arise independently. They all flow from Krishna's presence in beings.
Why this verse still matters
You catch yourself being kind in one conversation and harsh in the next, then wonder which version is real. This verse says the deeper source is bigger than either mood.
“You do not have to manufacture your best qualities alone; they are already rooted in something larger.”
Explore related themes: vibhuti (43 verses), tapas (22 verses)