|| 3.43 ||
एवं बुद्धेः परं बुद्ध्वा संस्तभ्यात्मानमात्मना। जहि शत्रुं महाबाहो कामरूपं दुरासदम्।।
evaṁ buddheḥ paraṁ buddhvā saṁstabhyātmānam ātmanā jahi śatruṁ mahā-bāho kāma-rūpaṁ durāsadam
Word by Word
evam (thus) buddheḥ (than the intelligence) param (superior) buddhvā (knowing) saṁstabhya (steadying) ātmānam (the mind) ātmanā (by spiritual intelligence) jahi (conquer) śatru m (the enemy) mahā-bāho (O mighty-armed one) kāma-rūpam (in the form of lust) durāsadam (formidable)
Translation
Thus knowing oneself to be transcendental to the material senses, mind and intelligence, O mighty-armed Arjuna, one should steady the mind by deliberate spiritual intelligence and thus—by spiritual strength—conquer this insatiable enemy known as lust.
Meaning
Kṛṣṇa concludes the third chapter with a final call to action. He tells Arjuna to realize that the soul is superior to the material intelligence. By using this spiritual strength, he should steady his mind and conquer the ‘formidable enemy’ known as lust.
“Jahi śatruṁ”—Kill the enemy! Kṛṣṇa uses warrior language for an internal process. He addresses Arjuna once again as ‘Mahā-bāho’, reminding him that he has the strength for this task. The solution to Arjuna’s crisis is not to run away from the external battle, but to win the internal battle first.
By identifying with his eternal soul rather than his temporary body, Arjuna gains the leverage needed to defeat his selfish desires. Once the internal enemy (lust) is conquered, the external duty (fighting for Dharma) becomes easy and natural. This is the essence of Karma-yoga: acting in the world while being anchored in the Spirit.