Read-aloud uses a voice on your device. It reads our explanation; it is not a sung aarti or a Sanskrit pronunciation lesson.
Bhagavad Gita 2.63
The traditional text
स्मृतिभ्रंशाद् बुद्धिनाशो बुद्धिनाशात्प्रणश्यति॥
Roman reading aid
krodhād bhavati saṃmohaḥ saṃmohāt smṛti-vibhramaḥ |
smṛti-bhraṃśād buddhi-nāśo buddhi-nāśāt praṇaśyati ||
Meaning in everyday language
Anger gives rise to bewilderment; bewilderment disrupts the memory that guides us. When that memory fails, discernment is lost; with discernment lost, a person comes to ruin.
Understand the teaching
This continues the movement from repeated preoccupation to attachment and craving in 2.62. Smriti in the teaching includes remembering the understanding and guidance that should shape action. The concern is that an angry person may no longer keep those standards in view. This is an ethical and spiritual account of judgement, rather than a clinical description of memory disease.
An everyday application is to make an important reply only after recovering the facts and your purpose. What happened, what evidence is available, and what outcome would be fair? Anger can point to a real wrong; a considered response still needs discernment. Read both verses together to notice how the earlier habits of attention affect that response.
Words and phrases
- क्रोधात् (krodhāt)
- from anger
- संमोहः (saṃmohaḥ)
- bewilderment
- स्मृतिविभ्रमः (smṛti-vibhramaḥ)
- disruption of memory
- बुद्धिनाशः (buddhi-nāśaḥ)
- loss of discernment
- प्रणश्यति (praṇaśyati)
- comes to ruin
Pause and think
You have drafted an angry message. What could you check before sending it?
See an explained answer
I can reread it after a pause, separate facts from assumptions and choose words that address the problem. Remembering my purpose can change the response.