Understand Gita
Qualities, signs and symptoms in the Gītā
The Gītā names qualities and symptoms precisely: of a brāhmaṇa and a kṣatriya, of the divine and the demoniac, of a devotee dear to Kṛṣṇa, of knowledge, austerity and the three modes. Each list is given in the verse's own words.
Qualities by nature of work
Qualities of a brāhmaṇa Bhagavad-gītā 18.42 9
- Peacefulness
- self-control
- austerity
- purity
- tolerance
- honesty
- wisdom
- knowledge
- religiousness
Qualities of a kṣatriya Bhagavad-gītā 18.43 7
- Heroism
- power
- determination
- resourcefulness
- courage in battle
- generosity
- leadership
Work of a vaiśya and a śūdra Bhagavad-gītā 18.44 5
- Farming
- cattle raising
- business
- labor
- service to others
Divine and demoniac natures
Divine qualities Bhagavad-gītā 16.1–3 25
- Fearlessness
- purification of one's existence
- cultivation of spiritual knowledge
- charity
- self-control
- performance of sacrifice
- study of the Vedas
- austerity
- simplicity
- nonviolence
- truthfulness
- freedom from anger
- renunciation
- tranquility
- aversion to faultfinding
- compassion
- freedom from covetousness
- gentleness
- modesty
- steady determination
- vigor
- forgiveness
- fortitude
- cleanliness
- freedom from envy and the passion for honor
Demoniac qualities Bhagavad-gītā 16.4 6
- Arrogance
- pride
- anger
- conceit
- harshness
- ignorance
The devotee and knowledge
Qualities of a devotee dear to Kṛṣṇa Bhagavad-gītā 12.13–19 28
- not envious 12.13
- a kind friend to all living entities 12.13
- does not think himself a proprietor 12.13
- free from false ego 12.13
- equal both in happiness and distress 12.13
- always satisfied 12.13
- engaged in devotional service with determination 12.13
- mind and intelligence are in agreement with Me 12.13
- no one is put into difficulty 12.15
- not disturbed by anxiety 12.15
- steady in happiness and distress 12.15
- not dependent on the ordinary course of activities 12.16
- pure 12.16
- expert 12.16
- without cares 12.16
- free from all pains 12.16
- does not strive for some result 12.16
- neither grasps pleasure or grief 12.17
- neither laments nor desires 12.17
- renounces both auspicious and inauspicious things 12.17
- equal to friends and enemies 12.18
- equiposed in honor and dishonor, heat and cold, happiness and distress, fame and infamy 12.18
- free from contamination 12.18
- always silent 12.18
- satisfied with anything 12.18
- doesn't care for any residence 12.18
- fixed in knowledge 12.18
- engaged in devotional service 12.18
What is knowledge Bhagavad-gītā 13.8–12 19
- Humility
- pridelessness
- nonviolence
- tolerance
- simplicity
- approaching a bona fide spiritual master
- cleanliness
- steadiness
- self-control
- renunciation of the objects of sense gratification
- absence of false ego
- the perception of the evil of birth, death, old age and disease
- nonattachment to children, wife, home and the rest
- evenmindedness amid pleasant and unpleasant events
- constant and unalloyed devotion to Me
- resorting to solitary places
- detachment from the general mass of people
- accepting the importance of self-realization
- philosophical search for the Absolute Truth
Qualities created by Kṛṣṇa alone Bhagavad-gītā 10.4–5 17
- Intelligence
- knowledge
- freedom from doubt and delusion
- forgiveness
- truthfulness
- self-control and calmness
- pleasure and pain
- birth
- death
- fear
- fearlessness
- nonviolence
- equanimity
- satisfaction
- austerity
- charity
- fame and infamy
Austerity
Austerity of the body Bhagavad-gītā 17.14 5
- worship of the Supreme Lord, the brāhmaṇas, the spiritual master, and superiors like the father and mother
- Cleanliness
- simplicity
- celibacy
- nonviolence
Austerity of speech Bhagavad-gītā 17.15 3
- speaking truthfully and beneficially
- avoiding speech that offends
- recite the Vedas regularly
Austerity of the mind Bhagavad-gītā 17.16 5
- serenity
- simplicity
- gravity
- self-control
- purity of thought
Signs of the modes and of bewilderment
Sign of the mode of goodness Bhagavad-gītā 14.11 1
- all the gates of the body are illuminated by knowledge
Symptoms of the mode of passion Bhagavad-gītā 14.12 4
- great attachment
- uncontrollable desire
- hankering
- intense endeavor
Symptoms of the mode of ignorance Bhagavad-gītā 14.13 4
- madness
- illusion
- inertia
- darkness
Symptoms of Arjuna's bewilderment Bhagavad-gītā 1.28–30 10
Every quality is quoted word for word from the Bhagavad-gītā As It Is translation of its verse, in English and in Hindi. The list titles are ours.