Bhagavad Gita Chapter 18, Verse 53 (BG 18.53) — Meaning, Translation & Commentary

In the previous verse, the virtues worthy of cultivation were enumerated. In this verse, the defects to be renounced are presented. The abandonment of these vices is essential for the success of meditation. **Ego** refers to the arrogance of authorship—identifying the non-self elements such as the body and senses as one's own nature, and claiming agency in their actions. **Force** here means the strength of one overwhelmed by desire and attachment, not the capacity to fulfill one's dharma. **Pride** is arrogance itself. This pride alone leads a person astray from the path of dharma and is the cause of transgressing righteousness. **Desire and Anger** — Desire is the craving for sensory pleasures, while anger is the form that unfulfilled desire takes. **Hoarding** — The tendency of one attached to objects is to accumulate ever more wealth and possessions. Gathering things beyond necessity through right or wrong means, solely for enjoyment, is called hoarding. In truth, these defects are not entirely separate from one another. Ego alone expresses itself through these various tendencies, and with ego comes the sense of possessiveness. The teaching of Lord Sri Krishna is that the seeker must renounce ego and the sense of "mine-ness." Through their abandonment, the seeker's mind becomes peaceful and pure. This peace is not the desolate silence of a grave or desert, but the peace born of recognizing one's true nature through knowledge. Thus, the seeker endowed with the virtues conducive to meditation described here is called the supreme aspirant. Such a seeker alone is worthy of attaining Brahman. This verse does not say that such a seeker becomes Brahman itself, but rather becomes qualified for Brahman-knowledge. This is the preparatory foundation for Self-realization. In this manner, progressively...