Chapter 16 - Verse 1

Purity of heart : purity of the antah-karana (sattva), i. e., abandonment of deception, dissimulation, falsehood and the like, in all transactions; that is to say, transacting business in perfect honesty. Knowledge consists in understanding the nature of things, such as the Self, as taught in the Scripture (sastra) and by the Teacher (Acharya). Yoga consists in making what has been thus learnt an object of one’s own direct perception, by concentration (one-pointedness) through the subjugation of the senses. This—viz., fearlessness, purity of heart, and steadfastness in knowledge and Yoga—forms the Daivi or Sattvic nature by pre-eminence. Whatever attributes among those (mentioned in xvi. 1—3) can possibly pertain to the disciples treading a particular path,* they constitute the Sattvic nature of the disciples in that particular path. Alms-giving: distributing food and the like as far as lies in one’s power. Self-control: the subjugation of external senses; that of the antah-karana (internal sense, manas) being mentioned in the next verse. Worship: including the fire worship (agnihotra) and the like enjoined in the sruti, as also the worship of the Gods (Deva-yajna) and the like enjoined in the smriti. Study, etc: study of the Ṛg-Veda and the like having in view some unseen results (adrishta). Austerity: bodily mortification and other penances, which will be mentioned in the sequel. Uprightness: this should be a constant attitude.

Karma-Yoga or Jnana-Yoga. The first three of the attributes mentioned here can be found in Jnana-Yogins only, the rest being common to Jnana-Yogins and Karma-Yogins. The latter, though wanting in the first three attributes, are nevertheless classed among Sattvic men.