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BG 3.40 — 3.40 The senses, the mind and the intellect are said to be its seat; through these it deludes the embodied by veiling his wisdom.
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इन्द्रियाणि मनो बुद्धिरस्याधिष्ठानमुच्यते |
एतैर्विमोहयत्येष ज्ञानमावृत्य देहिनम् ||३-४०||

indriyāṇi mano buddhirasyādhiṣṭhānamucyate . etairvimohayatyeṣa jñānamāvṛtya dehinam ||3-40||


3.40 The senses, the mind and the intellect are said to be its seat; through these it deludes the embodied by veiling his wisdom.

Word-by-word meanings

3.40 इन्द्रियाणि the senses? मनः the mind? बुद्धिः the intellect? अस्य its? अधिष्ठानम् seat? उच्यते is called? एतैः by these? विमोहयति deludes? एषः this? ज्ञानम् wisdom? आवृत्य having enveloped? देहिनम् the embodied.Commentary If the abode of the enemy is known it is ite easy to kill him. So Lord Krishna like a wise army general points out to Arjuna the abode of desire so that he may be able to attack it and kill it ite readily.

Commentaries

Non-dualism. The individual self and Brahman are one. The world is appearance (maya). Liberation through knowledge.

Sri Shankaracharya

3.40 Indriyani, the organs; manah, mind; and buddhih, the intellect; ucyate, are said to be; asya, its, desire's; adhisthanam, abode. Esah, this one, desire; vimohayati, diversely deludes; dehinam, the embodied being; avrtya, by veiling; jnanam, Knowledg; etaih, with the help of these, with the organs etc. which are its abodes. [The activities of the organs etc. are the media for the expression of desire. Desire covers the Knoweldge of the Self by stimulating these.]

Swami Gambirananda

3.40 The organs, mind, and the intellect are said to be its abode. This one diversely deludes the embodied being by veiling Knowledge with the help of these.

This interpretation draws on the Advaita tradition and may not represent the view of any single school. For authoritative guidance within a specific tradition, seek a qualified teacher.

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