3.43 Strike it down Krishna speaks
एवं बुद्धेः परं बुद्ध्वा संस्तभ्यात्मानमात्मना
जहि शत्रुं महाबाहो कामरूपं दुरासदम्
evaṁ buddheḥ paraṁ buddhvā sanstabhyātmānam ātmanā
jahi śhatruṁ mahā-bāho kāma-rūpaṁ durāsadam
Knowing that which is beyond the understanding, steadying the lower self by the higher, strike down this enemy, mighty-armed one — desire, so hard to master.
Explanation
Steadying the lower self by the higher.
Knowing what is beyond the understanding, steady the self by the self and strike down this enemy — desire, so hard to master.
The chapter ends on the same construction as 6.5: the self as its own instrument. And it ends by conceding the difficulty in the final phrase, which is characteristic of this book at its most demanding.
Word by word
- evam
- thus
- buddheḥ
- than the intellect
- param
- superior
- buddhvā
- knowing
- sanstabhya
- subdue
- ātmānam
- the lower self (senses, mind, and intellect)
- ātmanā
- by higher self (soul)
- jahi
- kill
- śhatrum
- the enemy
- mahā-bāho
- mighty-armed one
- kāma-rūpam
- in the form of desire
- durāsadam
- formidable
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