अर्जुन उवाच ।कैर्लिङ्गैस्त्रीन्गुणानेतानतीतो भवति प्रभो ।किमाचारः कथं चैतांस्त्रीन्गुणानतिवर्तते ॥
arjuna uvāca |kair liṅgais trīn guṇān etān atīto bhavati prabho |kimācāraḥ kathaṃ caitāṃs trīn guṇān ativartate ||
- अर्जुन · arjuna
- Arjuna
- उवाच · uvāca
- said
- कैः · kaiḥ
- by what
- लिङ्गैः · liṅgaiḥ
- by marks, signs
- त्रीन् · trīn
- three
- गुणान् · guṇān
- the strands
- एतान् · etān
- these
- अतीतः · atītaḥ
- one who has gone beyond
- प्रभो · prabho
- O Lord
- किमाचारः · kimācāraḥ
- of what conduct
- कथम् · katham
- how
- अतिवर्तते · ativartate
- passes beyond, transcends
“Arjuna said: By what marks is one known who has gone beyond these three strands, O Lord? How does he live — and how does he pass beyond them?”
— Original plain-language translation
Arjuna asks the classic three questions: the signs, the conduct, and the method. The pattern mirrors his question about the steady-minded one in 2.54. Krishna's answer occupies the rest of the chapter — first the portrait, then the path.
— Reader's notes (original)