BG 18.30
The pure intellect knows when to act and when to renounce. It knows what should be done and what should not. It can discriminate between fear and fearlessness, bondage and deliverance.
बन्धं मोक्षं च या वेत्ति बुद्धिः सा पार्थ सात्त्विकी
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pravṛittiṁ — activities
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cha — and
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nivṛittiṁ — renuncation from action
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cha — and
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kāryākārye — proper and improper action
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kārya — proper action
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akārye — improper action
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bhayābhaye — fear and fearlessness
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bhaya — fear
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abhaye — without fear
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bandhaṁ — what is binding
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mokṣhaṁ — what is liberating
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cha — and
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yā — which
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vetti — understands
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buddhiḥ — intellect
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sā — that
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pārtha — Arjuna
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sāttvikī — of the nature of purity
I will now explain to you the threefold division of reasoning and conviction, Arjuna. The pure intellect knows when to act and when to renounce. It knows what should be done and what should not. It can discriminate between fear and fearlessness, bondage and deliverance. The intellect which incorrectly understands righteousness and immorality, which cannot decide which action is proper and which is improper, is of a passionate nature. The intellect which is enveloped in darkness, which regards immorality as righteousness and perceives all things contrary to what they are, is of an ignorant nature.
Similar verses
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One who unites with righteous action, acting with a pure intellect and control of the mind and senses seeing the same soul in all living beings, is capable of acting while remaining detached.
- Verse 5.7
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The intellect which incorrectly understands righteousness and immorality, which cannot decide which action is proper and which is improper, is of a passionate nature.
- Verse 18.31
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Guided by a pure intellect, subdued by steadiness, renouncing all objects of the senses and casting aside both love and hatred, ...
- Verse 18.51
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...when one knows that infinite happiness can be grasped by the intellect but is beyond the reach of the senses, one never strays from reality again.
- Verse 6.21
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Having imparted this philosophy concerning the body and soul, I will now tell you how one may use their intellect to release themselves from the bondage of action.
- Verse 2.39