Sattvic intellect sees what frees and what binds.
Krishna speaks to Arjuna
प्रवृत्तिं च निवृत्तिं च कार्याकार्ये भयाभये |बन्धं मोक्षं च या वेत्ति बुद्धिः सा पार्थ सात्त्विकी ||१८-३०||
pravṛttiṃ ca nivṛttiṃ ca kāryākārye bhayābhaye . bandhaṃ mokṣaṃ ca yā vetti buddhiḥ sā pārtha sāttvikī ||18-30||
Use this verse as a decision compass.
Meaning
O Partha, that intellect is sattvic which knows action and withdrawal, what should and should not be done, fear and fearlessness, bondage and liberation.
Translation: Gita Guidance (original English rendering).
In plain words
Sattvic intellect clearly discerns right action, restraint, risk, freedom, and bondage.
Word-by-word meaning
Tap a word to see its meaning.
Explanation
Krishna defines clear discernment. A sattvic intellect knows when to act, when to stop, what is duty, what is not, what is dangerous, what is liberating, and what binds.
Read the traditional commentary
Sattvic buddhi is the clear, discerning intellect that rightly knows the great pairs of life: when to engage (pravritti) and when to withdraw (nivritti), what ought and ought not to be done, when to fear and when to be fearless, and above all what binds the soul and what liberates it.
This is wisdom in its most practical form — not abstract cleverness but sound discrimination in the actual choices that shape a life. The sattvic mind sees clearly through the fog of impulse and confusion and chooses the path of dharma and freedom. Such discernment is the inner compass without which even sincere effort can wander into bondage.
In daily life
Use discernment before major choices.
A person choosing a job can assess growth, ethics, mental bondage, and long-term freedom.
Try this today
Run one choice through do, do not, risk, freedom, and bondage.
My intellect sees what frees and what binds.Reflect
Does this choice lead to bondage or freedom?
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Quick check
What does ‘प्रवृत्तिं च निवृत्तिं च’ mean in this verse?
Krishna on sattva, in other chapters
- Verse 17.20Give freely to those who cannot repay you, thoughtfully and at the right time — true generosity seeks nothing in return.
- Verse 4.17Discern not only whether you act, but the quality of the act — the consequences of action run deeper than they appear.
- Verse 16.24Let tested wisdom guide your discernment of right and wrong, then act in the world with knowing, clear-eyed conviction.
- Verse 13.35Cultivate the inner eye of knowledge to distinguish the changing field from the deathless knower, and you walk straight to the Supreme.
Swipe left for 18.31 · Rajasic intellect misreads duty under desire-pressure.
Questions about Bhagavad Gita 18.30
Who says Bhagavad Gita 18.30, and to whom?
Krishna speaks to Arjuna in verse 18.30, in Chapter 18, Moksha Sannyas Yoga (Moksha Sannyas Yoga).
What does Bhagavad Gita 18.30 mean?
O Partha, that intellect is sattvic which knows action and withdrawal, what should and should not be done, fear and fearlessness, bondage and liberation. (Translation: Gita Guidance (original English rendering).)
What is the lesson of Bhagavad Gita 18.30 for daily life?
Use discernment before major choices. A person choosing a job can assess growth, ethics, mental bondage, and long-term freedom.
What do the Sanskrit words in Bhagavad Gita 18.30 mean?
प्रवृत्तिं च निवृत्तिं च — the path of action and of renunciation; कार्याकार्ये — what should and should not be done; भयाभये — fear and fearlessness; बन्धं मोक्षं च — bondage and liberation; या वेत्ति — that which knows.
Where does verse 18.30 come in the Bhagavad Gita?
It is verse 30 of 78 in Chapter 18, Moksha Sannyas Yoga. The next verse is 18.31.