Divine strength is humble and forgiving.
Krishna speaks to Arjuna
तेजः क्षमा धृतिः शौचमद्रोहो नातिमानिता |भवन्ति सम्पदं दैवीमभिजातस्य भारत ||१६-३||
tejaḥ kṣamā dhṛtiḥ śaucamadroho nātimānitā . bhavanti sampadaṃ daivīmabhijātasya bhārata ||16-3||
Use this verse for a divine-strength reflection.
Meaning
Vigor, forgiveness, fortitude, purity, absence of hatred, and absence of excessive pride belong to one born with divine qualities, O Bharata.
Translation: Gita Guidance (original English rendering).
In plain words
Divine nature includes strength with forgiveness and confidence without pride.
Word-by-word meaning
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Explanation
Krishna completes the list of divine wealth. These qualities are balanced: energy without aggression, forgiveness without weakness, firmness without stubbornness, purity without superiority, and confidence without arrogance.
Read the traditional commentary
Here Krishna completes the portrait of the daivi-sampad with qualities that balance fire and restraint. Tejas is radiant vigour — not aggression but a luminous moral energy — while kshama, forgiveness, ensures that this strength never curdles into cruelty. Dhriti, fortitude, holds the seeker steady through hardship, the inner ballast that keeps the boat upright in storms.
The closing virtues — shaucha (purity), adroha (freedom from malice), and nati-manita (the absence of swollen pride) — guard against the subtle corruption of spiritual progress itself, where attainment so easily breeds arrogance. Calling Arjuna 'Bharata,' Krishna reminds him of his own noble lineage and points him toward the inheritance that truly matters: a character shaped for liberation rather than bondage.
In daily life
Use strength to protect dharma, not inflate ego.
A leader can be firm with standards and still forgive mistakes without humiliating people.
Try this today
Practice one act of firmness with kindness.
My strength is guided by humility and forgiveness.Reflect
Is my strength mixed with pride or forgiveness?
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Quick check
What does ‘भारत’ mean in this verse?
The Gita on character, in other chapters
- Verse 13.8Genuine wisdom shows itself as humility, harmlessness, and self-mastery, not as accumulated facts.
- Verse 11.42 · ArjunaThe Divine walks with us through ordinary life; recognizing this awakens both humility and gratitude.
- Verse 12.13True devotion shows itself as freedom from ego and warmth toward every living being.
- Verse 17.3You become what you truly revere — so choose carefully where you place your deepest faith.
Swipe left for 16.4 · Asuric tendencies begin with ego and ignorance.
Questions about Bhagavad Gita 16.3
Who says Bhagavad Gita 16.3, and to whom?
Krishna speaks to Arjuna in verse 16.3, in Chapter 16, Daivasura Sampad Vibhaga Yoga (Daivasura Sampad Vibhaga Yoga).
What does Bhagavad Gita 16.3 mean?
Vigor, forgiveness, fortitude, purity, absence of hatred, and absence of excessive pride belong to one born with divine qualities, O Bharata. (Translation: Gita Guidance (original English rendering).)
What is the lesson of Bhagavad Gita 16.3 for daily life?
Use strength to protect dharma, not inflate ego. A leader can be firm with standards and still forgive mistakes without humiliating people.
What do the Sanskrit words in Bhagavad Gita 16.3 mean?
तेजः — vigour, radiance, spiritual energy; क्षमा — forgiveness, forbearance; धृतिः — fortitude, steadfast resolve; शौचम् — purity, cleanliness; अद्रोहः — absence of malice or hatred.
Where does verse 16.3 come in the Bhagavad Gita?
It is verse 3 of 24 in Chapter 16, Daivasura Sampad Vibhaga Yoga. The next verse is 16.4.