Bhagavad Gita · Chapter 14 of 18 · 27 verses
The Three Forces of Nature
Guṇatraya Vibhāga Yoga
What this chapter teaches
The three universal qualities — Sattva (clarity), Rajas (passion), Tamas (inertia) — bind the soul to the body. Understanding them is the key to transcending them.
Chapter 14 elaborates on the three guṇas (qualities) that make up all of material nature. Sattva (goodness, clarity, purity) binds through attachment to happiness and knowledge. Rajas (passion, restlessness, craving) binds through attachment to action and its fruits. Tamas (dullness, inertia, ignorance) binds through negligence and sleep. These three constantly compete for dominance. One who transcends all three — whose actions are not driven by guṇas — has gone beyond the limitations of conditioned existence and merged with the Supreme.
All 27 verses — Sanskrit, transliteration, English
श्री भगवानुवाचपरं भूयः प्रवक्ष्यामि ज्ञानानां ज्ञानमुत्तमम्।यज्ज्ञात्वा मुनयः सर्वे परां सिद्धिमितो गताः॥
śrī bhagavānuvācaparaṁ bhūyaḥ pravakṣyāmi jñānānāṁ jñānamuttamam|yajjñātvā munayaḥ sarve parāṁ siddhimito gatāḥ ||
The Blessed Lord said I shall speak again of the supreme Knowledge, the best of all knowledges, by realizing which all the contemplatives reached the highest Perfection from here.
इदं ज्ञानमुपाश्रित्य मम साधर्म्यमागताः।सर्गेऽपि नोपजायन्ते प्रलये न व्यथन्ति च॥
idaṁ jñānamupāśritya mama sādharmyamāgatāḥ|sarge'pi nopajāyante pralaye na vyathanti ca ||
Those who attain identity with Me by resorting of this Knowledge are not born even during creation, nor do they suffer pain during dissolution.
मम योनिर्महद्ब्रह्म तस्मिन् गर्भं दधाम्यहम्।संभवः सर्वभूतानां ततो भवति भारत॥
mama yonirmahadbrahma tasmin garbhaṁ dadhāmyaham|saṁbhavaḥ sarvabhūtānāṁ tato bhavati bhārata ||
My womb is the great-sustainer. In that I place the seed. From that, O scion of the Bharata dynasty, occurs the birth of all things.
सर्वयोनिषु कौन्तेय मूर्तयः सम्भवन्ति याः।तासां ब्रह्म महद्योनिरहं बीजप्रदः पिता॥
sarvayoniṣu kaunteya mūrtayaḥ sambhavanti yāḥ|tāsāṁ brahma mahadyonirahaṁ bījapradaḥ pitā ||
O son of Kunti, whatever forms are born from all the wombs, of them the great-sustainer is the womb; I am the father who deposits the seed.
सत्त्वं रजस्तम इति गुणाः प्रकृतिसंभवाः।निबध्नन्ति महाबाहो देहे देहिनमव्ययम्॥
sattvaṁ rajastama iti guṇāḥ prakṛtisaṁbhavāḥ|nibadhnanti mahābāho dehe dehinamavyayam ||
O mighty-armed one, the alities, viz sattva, rajas and tamas, born of Nature, being the immutable embodies being to the body.
तत्र सत्त्वं निर्मलत्वात्प्रकाशकमनामयम्।सुखसङ्गेन बध्नाति ज्ञानसङ्गेन चानघ॥
tatra sattvaṁ nirmalatvātprakāśakamanāmayam|sukhasaṅgena badhnāti jñānasaṅgena cānagha ||
Among them, sattva, being pure, [Nirmala, pure-transparent, i.e., capable of resisting any form of ignorance, and hence as illuminator, i.e.a revealer of Consciousness.] is an illuminator and is harmless. O sinless one, it binds through attachment to happiness and attachment to knowledge.
रजो रागात्मकं विद्धि तृष्णासङ्गसमुद्भवम्।तन्निबध्नाति कौन्तेय कर्मसङ्गेन देहिनम्॥
rajo rāgātmakaṁ viddhi tṛṣṇāsaṅgasamudbhavam|tannibadhnāti kaunteya karmasaṅgena dehinam ||
Know rajas to be of the nature of passion, born of hankering and attachment. O son of Kunti, that binds the embodied one through attachment to action.
तमस्त्वज्ञानजं विद्धि मोहनं सर्वदेहिनाम्।प्रमादालस्यनिद्राभिस्तन्निबध्नाति भारत॥
tamastvajñānajaṁ viddhi mohanaṁ sarvadehinām|pramādālasyanidrābhistannibadhnāti bhārata ||
On the other hand, know tamas, which deludes all embodied beings, to be born of ignorance. O scion of the Bharata dynasty, that binds through inadvertence, laziness and sleep.
सत्त्वं सुखे सञ्जयति रजः कर्मणि भारत।ज्ञानमावृत्य तु तमः प्रमादे सञ्जयत्युत॥
sattvaṁ sukhe sañjayati rajaḥ karmaṇi bhārata|jñānamāvṛtya tu tamaḥ pramāde sañjayatyuta ||
O scion of the Bharata dynasty, sattva attaches one to happiness, rajas to action, while tamas, covering up knowledge, leads to inadvertence also.
रजस्तमश्चाभिभूय सत्त्वं भवति भारत।रजः सत्त्वं तमश्चैव तमः सत्त्वं रजस्तथा॥
rajastamaścābhibhūya sattvaṁ bhavati bhārata|rajaḥ sattvaṁ tamaścaiva tamaḥ sattvaṁ rajastathā ||
O scion of the Bharata dynasty, sattva increases by subduing rajas and tamas, rajas by overpowering sattva and tamas, and tamas by dominating over sattva and rajas.
सर्वद्वारेषु देहेऽस्मिन्प्रकाश उपजायते।ज्ञानं यदा तदा विद्याद्विवृद्धं सत्त्वमित्युत॥
sarvadvāreṣu dehe'sminprakāśa upajāyate|jñānaṁ yadā tadā vidyādvivṛddhaṁ sattvamityuta ||
When the illumination that is knowledge radiates in this body through all the doors (of the senses), then one should know that sattva has increased greatly.
लोभः प्रवृत्तिरारम्भः कर्मणामशमः स्पृहा।रजस्येतानि जायन्ते विवृद्धे भरतर्षभ॥
lobhaḥ pravṛttirārambhaḥ karmaṇāmaśamaḥ spṛhā|rajasyetāni jāyante vivṛddhe bharatarṣabha ||
O best of the Bharata dynasty, when rajas becomes predominant, these come into being: avarice, movement, undertaking of actions, unrest and hankering.
अप्रकाशोऽप्रवृत्तिश्च प्रमादो मोह एव च।तमस्येतानि जायन्ते विवृद्धे कुरुनन्दन॥
aprakāśo'pravṛttiśca pramādo moha eva ca|tamasyetāni jāyante vivṛddhe kurunandana ||
O descendant of the Kuru dynasty, when tamas predominates these surely [i.e. without exception.-M.S.] come into being: non-discrimination and inactivity, inadvertence and delusion.
यदा सत्त्वे प्रवृद्धे तु प्रलयं याति देहभृत्।तदोत्तमविदां लोकानमलान्प्रतिपद्यते॥
yadā sattve pravṛddhe tu pralayaṁ yāti dehabhṛt|tadottamavidāṁ lokānamalānpratipadyate ||
When an embodied one undergoes death while sattva is exclusively prodominant, then he attains the taintless worlds of those who know the highest (entities).
रजसि प्रलयं गत्वा कर्मसङ्गिषु जायते।तथा प्रलीनस्तमसि मूढयोनिषु जायते॥
rajasi pralayaṁ gatvā karmasaṅgiṣu jāyate|tathā pralīnastamasi mūḍhayoniṣu jāyate ||
When one dies while rajas predominates, he is born among people attached to activity. Similarly, when one dies while tamas predominates, he takes birth among the stupid species.
कर्मणः सुकृतस्याहुः सात्त्विकं निर्मलं फलम्।रजसस्तु फलं दुःखमज्ञानं तमसः फलम्॥
karmaṇaḥ sukṛtasyāhuḥ sāttvikaṁ nirmalaṁ phalam|rajasastu phalaṁ duḥkhamajñānaṁ tamasaḥ phalam ||
They say that the result of good work is pure and is born of sattva. But the result of rajas is sorrow; the result of tamas is ignorance.
सत्त्वात्सञ्जायते ज्ञानं रजसो लोभ एव च।प्रमादमोहौ तमसो भवतोऽज्ञानमेव च॥
sattvātsañjāyate jñānaṁ rajaso lobha eva ca|pramādamohau tamaso bhavato'jñānameva ca ||
From sattva is born knowledge [Knowledge acired through the sense-organs.], and from rajas, verily, avarice. From tamas are born inadvertence and delusion as also ignorance, to be sure.
ऊर्ध्वं गच्छन्ति सत्त्वस्था मध्ये तिष्ठन्ति राजसाः।जघन्यगुणवृत्तिस्था अधो गच्छन्ति तामसाः॥
ūrdhvaṁ gacchanti sattvasthā madhye tiṣṭhanti rājasāḥ|jaghanyaguṇavṛttisthā adho gacchanti tāmasāḥ ||
People who conform to sattva go higher up; those who conform to rajas stay in the middle; those who conform to tamas, who conform to the actions of the lowest ality, go down.
नान्यं गुणेभ्यः कर्तारं यदा द्रष्टानुपश्यति।गुणेभ्यश्च परं वेत्ति मद्भावं सोऽधिगच्छति॥
nānyaṁ guṇebhyaḥ kartāraṁ yadā draṣṭānupaśyati|guṇebhyaśca paraṁ vetti madbhāvaṁ so'dhigacchati ||
When the witness sees none other than the alities as the agent, and knows that which is superior [i.e. different from.] to the alities, he attains My nature.
गुणानेतानतीत्य त्रीन्देही देहसमुद्भवान्।जन्ममृत्युजरादुःखैर्विमुक्तोऽमृतमश्नुते॥
guṇānetānatītya trīndehī dehasamudbhavān|janmamṛtyujarāduḥkhairvimukto'mṛtamaśnute ||
Having transcended these three alities which are the origin of the body, the embodied one, becoming free from birth, death, old age and sorrows, experiences Immortality.
अर्जुन उवाचकैर्लिंगैस्त्रीन्गुणानेतानतीतो भवति प्रभो।किमाचारः कथं चैतांस्त्रीन्गुणानतिवर्तते॥
arjuna uvācakairliṁgaistrīnguṇānetānatīto bhavati prabho|kimācāraḥ kathaṁ caitāṁstrīnguṇānativartate ||
Arjuna said O Lord, by what signs is one (known) who has gone beyond these three alities? What is his behaviour, and how does he transcend these three alities?
श्री भगवानुवाचप्रकाशं च प्रवृत्तिं च मोहमेव च पाण्डव।न द्वेष्टि सम्प्रवृत्तानि न निवृत्तानि काङ्क्षति॥
śrī bhagavānuvācaprakāśaṁ ca pravṛttiṁ ca mohameva ca pāṇḍava|na dveṣṭi sampravṛttāni na nivṛttāni kāṅkṣati ||
The Blessed Lord said O son of Pandu, he neither dislikes illumination (knowledge), activity and delusion when they appear, nor does he long for them when they disappear.
उदासीनवदासीनो गुणैर्यो न विचाल्यते।गुणा वर्तन्त इत्येव योऽवतिष्ठति नेङ्गते॥
udāsīnavadāsīno guṇairyo na vicālyate|guṇā vartanta ityeva yo'vatiṣṭhati neṅgate ||
He who, sitting like one indifferent, is not distracted by the three alities; he who, thinking that the alities alone act, remains firm and surely does not move;
समदुःखसुखः स्वस्थः समलोष्टाश्मकाञ्चनः।तुल्यप्रियाप्रियो धीरस्तुल्यनिन्दात्मसंस्तुतिः॥
samaduḥkhasukhaḥ svasthaḥ samaloṣṭāśmakāñcanaḥ|tulyapriyāpriyo dhīrastulyanindātmasaṁstutiḥ ||
He to whom sorrow and happiness are alike, who is established in his own Self, to whom a lump of earth, iron and gold are the same, to whom the agreeable and the disagreeable are the same, who is wise, to whom censure and his own praise are the same;
मानापमानयोस्तुल्यस्तुल्यो मित्रारिपक्षयोः।सर्वारम्भपरित्यागी गुणातीतः स उच्यते॥
mānāpamānayostulyastulyo mitrāripakṣayoḥ|sarvārambhaparityāgī guṇātītaḥ sa ucyate ||
He who is the same under honour and dishonour, who is eally disposed both towards the side of the friend and of the foe, who has renounced all enterprise,-he is said to have gone beyond the alities.
मां च योऽव्यभिचारेण भक्ितयोगेन सेवते।स गुणान्समतीत्यैतान् ब्रह्मभूयाय कल्पते॥
māṁ ca yo'vyabhicāreṇa bhakitayogena sevate|sa guṇānsamatītyaitān brahmabhūyāya kalpate ||
And he who serves Me through the unswerving Yoga of Devotion, he, having gone beyond these alities, alifies for becoming Brahman.
ब्रह्मणो हि प्रतिष्ठाऽहममृतस्याव्ययस्य च।शाश्वतस्य च धर्मस्य सुखस्यैकान्तिकस्य च॥
brahmaṇo hi pratiṣṭhā'hamamṛtasyāvyayasya ca|śāśvatasya ca dharmasya sukhasyaikāntikasya ca ||
For I am the Abode of Brahman-the indestructible and immutable, the eternal, the Dharma and absolute Bliss.
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