— Bhagavad Gita 16.3 (tr. Swami Swarupananda, 1909)
About this quote
This verse comes from Chapter 16 of the Bhagavad Gita, Daivasura Sampad Vibhaga Yoga (The Divine and Demonic Natures) — the two inheritances: qualities that liberate — fearlessness, purity, compassion — and the lust, anger and greed that destroy.
The Bhagavad Gita — ‘the Song of the Lord’ — is the dialogue between Krishna and the warrior Arjuna set within the Mahabharata, and one of the most influential spiritual texts ever composed. English translation by Swami Swarupananda (1909), a public-domain rendering from the Sanskrit; the exact chapter and verse are cited with this quote.
