Bhagavad Gita Chapter 16 Verse 7 (16.7)

pravṛittiṁ cha nivṛittiṁ cha janā na vidurāsurāḥ na śhauchaṁ nāpi chāchāro na satyaṁ teṣhu vidyate

Word-by-word guide:

Line 1:

प्रव्रित्तिम् (pravrittim) — मैं करो नहीं समझना आपके उद्देश्य(what to do (righteous action))
च (cha) — और(and)
इइइ (nivrittim) — त्याग(what to avoid (renunciation))
च (cha) — और(and)
जनाः (janah) — लोग(people)
न (na) — नहीं(not)
विदुः (viduh) — जानते हैं(do not know)
आसुरः (asurah) — आसुरी(demoniac)

Line 2:

न (na) — नहीं(not)
शौचम् (shaucham) — शुद्धता(purity)
n joined in nāpi
अपि (api) — न ही(nor)
c joined in chāchāro
आचारः (acarah) — आचरण(good conduct)
न (na) — नहीं(not)
सत्यम् (satyam) — सत्य(truth)
तेषु (teshu) — उनमें(in them)
विद्यते (vidyate) — होता है(exists)

English: The godless do not know how to act or how to renounce. They have neither purity nor truth. They do not understand the right principles of conduct.

💡 Commentary Note

Demoniac people do not understand what to do (pravritti) and what to avoid (nivritti). They possess neither purity, nor right conduct, nor truth.

Learnings from Shloka 7:

Lack of Discernment:: Negative minds confuse selfish impulses with correct actions, lacking ethical direction.
Lack of Purity:: Without truth and clean habits, the mind remains cloudy and easily agitated.

Gita/Sanskrit Language Quiz

Practice this shloka vocabulary

Match Sanskrit words from shloka 16.7 with their Hindi and English meanings.

Practice vocabulary

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