Topic

Ahankara

2 verses from the Bhagavad Gita on ahankara. Explore teachings across 1 chapter.

All Verses

yasya nahankrito bhavo buddhir yasya na lipyate hatvapi sa imal lokan na hanti na nibadhyate

One whose intelligence is free from the sense of 'I am the doer' and whose understanding is not tainted — even if that person slays these worlds — does not slay and is not bound. The absence of ego-doership brings true freedom from karmic bondage.

  • Freedom from ahankara liberates one from karmic consequences even in violent action
  • It is the ego-identification with doership that creates bondage, not the action itself
  • This paradox illuminates the deepest teaching on nishkama karma
ahankaram balam darpam kamam krodham parigraham vimucya nirmamah santo brahma-bhuyaya kalpate

Having relinquished egotism, force, arrogance, desire, anger, and possessiveness, freed from the sense of 'mine' and at peace — one becomes fit for becoming Brahman. These are the final obstacles that must be transcended before liberation.

  • Egotism, arrogance, desire, anger, and possessiveness are the final obstacles to liberation
  • Freedom from 'mine-ness' and inner peace are signs of readiness for Brahman-realization
  • This verse completes the portrait of the jnana-siddha — one ripe for the highest attainment