Bhagavad Gita chapter 14, Gunatraya Vibhaga Yoga. 27 verses.
गुणत्रयविभागयोग
In chapter 14 of the Bhagavad Gita, Krishna teaches about the three gunas that arise from nature: sattva, rajas and tamas. He calls this the highest knowledge (14.1). The gunas, he says, bind the embodied self: sattva by attachment to happiness and knowledge, rajas by attachment to action, and tamas by carelessness, laziness and sleep (14.5–14.8). Each, he says, grows by overpowering the other two (14.10). Arjuna asks how to know one who has gone beyond the gunas, how such a person behaves, and how one goes beyond them (14.21). Krishna answers that such a person is not shaken by the gunas and treats pleasure and pain, blame and praise, honour and dishonour alike (14.22–14.25). One who serves him with unwavering devotion, he says, goes beyond the gunas (14.26). He ends by calling himself the foundation of Brahman and of eternal dharma (14.27). Commentators read some verses differently.
A summary written for this site from this chapter’s verses and our explanations of them. It is not a translation.
These choices stay in this browser.
परं भूयः प्रवक्ष्यामि ज्ञानानां ज्ञानमुत्तमम् ।यज्ज्ञात्वा मुनयः सर्वे परां सिद्धिमितो गताः ॥
Param bhuyah pravakshyami jnananam jnanamuttamamYajjnatva munayah sarve param siddhimito gatah
Krishna speaks. He says he will again declare the highest knowledge, the best of all knowledge. Knowing it, he says, all the sages (munis) passed from here to the highest perfection.
Explanation written for this site and checked against the cited edition. Free to quote with credit.
इदं ज्ञानमुपाश्रित्य मम साधर्म्यमागताः ।सर्गेऽपि नोपजायन्ते प्रलये न व्यथन्ति च ॥
Idam jnanamupashritya mama sadharmyamagatahSargepi nopajayante pralaye na vyathanti cha
Krishna says that those who take refuge in this knowledge and come to share his nature (sādharmya) are not born at the creation of the world and are not troubled at its dissolution. The schools read sādharmya differently (see the views).
मम योनिर्महद्ब्रह्म तस्मिन् गर्भं दधाम्यहम् ।सम्भवः सर्वभूतानां ततो भवति भारत ॥
Mama yonirmahadbrahma tasmin garbham dadhamyahamSambhavah sarvabhutanam tato bhavati bharata
Krishna says that the great brahma is his womb, and in it he places the seed; from that comes the birth of all beings, Bharata. Both translators keep the word 'Brahman', and Telang's note explains it as the 'nature' (prakṛti) spoken of in chapter 13. The commentators explain 'womb' and 'seed' (see the views).
सर्वयोनिषु कौन्तेय मूर्तयः संभवन्ति याः ।तासां ब्रह्म महद्योनिरहं बीजप्रदः पिता ॥
Sarvayonishu kaunteya murtayah sambhavanti yahTasam brahma mahadyoniraham bijapradah pita
Whatever forms come to be in any womb, Krishna tells Arjuna, son of Kunti, the great brahma is their womb, and he is the father who gives the seed.
सत्त्वं रजस्तम इति गुणाः प्रकृतिसंभवाः ।निबध्नन्ति महाबाहो देहे देहिनमव्ययम् ॥
Sattvam rajastama iti gunah prakritisambhavahNibadhnanti mahabaho dehe dehinamavyayam
Krishna names the three guṇas that arise from nature: sattva (clarity, goodness), rajas (passion, restless activity) and tamas (darkness, inertia). He says they bind the unchanging embodied self in the body. Besant keeps the Sanskrit names; Telang translates them as goodness, passion and darkness. The schools explain how the guṇas bind (see the views).
तत्र सत्त्वं निर्मलत्वात्प्रकाशकमनामयम् ।सुखसङ्गेन बध्नाति ज्ञानसङ्गेन चानघ ॥
Tatra sattvam nirmalatvatprakashakamanamayamSukhasangena badhnati jnanasangena chanagha
Of these, Krishna says, sattva, being pure, is bright and free from affliction; it binds by attachment to happiness and attachment to knowledge. He calls Arjuna sinless (anagha). Telang's note gives Shankara's and Ramanuja's explanations of this bond.
रजो रागात्मकं विद्धि तृष्णासङ्गसमुद्भवम् ।तन्निबध्नाति कौन्तेय कर्मसङ्गेन देहिनम् ॥
Rajo ragatmakam viddhi trishnasangasamudbhavamTannibadhnati kaunteya karmasangena dehinam
Rajas, Krishna says, is of the nature of passion (rāga) and springs from craving (tṛṣṇā) and attachment; it binds the embodied self by attachment to action.
तमस्त्वज्ञानजं विद्धि मोहनं सर्वदेहिनाम् ।प्रमादालस्यनिद्राभिस्तन्निबध्नाति भारत ॥
Tamastvajnanajam viddhi mohanam sarvadehinamPramadalasyanidrabhistannibadhnati bharata
Tamas, Krishna says, is born of ignorance and deludes all embodied beings; it binds by carelessness (pramāda), laziness and sleep.
सत्त्वं सुखे सञ्जयति रजः कर्मणि भारत ।ज्ञानमावृत्य तु तमः प्रमादे सञ्जयत्युत ॥
Sattvam sukhe sanjayati rajah karmani bharataJnanamavritya tu tamah pramade sanjayatyuta
Sattva attaches to happiness, Krishna says, and rajas to action, while tamas covers knowledge and attaches to carelessness.
रजस्तमश्चाभिभूय सत्त्वं भवति भारत ।रजः सत्त्वं तमश्चैव तमः सत्त्वं रजस्तथा ॥
Rajastamashchabhibhuya sattvam bhavati bharataRajah sattvam tamashchaiva tamah sattvam rajastatha
Sattva rises by overpowering rajas and tamas, Krishna says; rajas by overpowering sattva and tamas; and tamas by overpowering sattva and rajas. In his account the three are always present, and one comes to the fore by overpowering the other two.
सर्वद्वारेषु देहेऽस्मिन्प्रकाश उपजायते ।ज्ञानं यदा तदा विद्याद्विवृद्धं सत्त्वमित्युत ॥
Sarvadvareshu dehesminprakasha upajayateJnanam yada tada vidyadvivriddham sattvamityuta
When the light of knowledge shines through all the gates of the body (the senses), Krishna says, one may know that sattva has grown.
लोभः प्रवृत्तिरारंभः कर्मणामशमः स्पृहा ।रजस्येतानि जायन्ते विवृद्धे भरतर्षभ ॥
Lobhah pravrittirarambhah karmanamashamah sprihaRajasyetani jayante vivriddhe bharatarshabha
Greed, busy activity, the starting of undertakings, restlessness and longing arise, Krishna says, when rajas has grown.
अप्रकाशोऽप्रवृत्तिश्च प्रमादो मोह एव च ।तमस्येतानि जायन्ते विवृद्धे कुरुनन्दन ॥
Aprakashopravrittishcha pramado moha eva chaTamasyetani jayante vivriddhe kurunandana
Darkness of mind, inertia, carelessness and confusion arise, Krishna says, when tamas has grown. He calls Arjuna joy of the Kurus.
यदा सत्त्वे प्रवृद्धे तु प्रलयं याति देहभृत् ।तदोत्तमविदां लोकानमलान्प्रतिपद्यते ॥
Yada sattve pravriddhe tu pralayam yati dehabhritTadottamavidam lokanamalanpratipadyate
Krishna says that if the embodied one meets death while sattva prevails, he goes to the pure worlds of those who know the highest. Verses 14–18 are Krishna's words on how the guṇa that prevails shapes what follows death, as the Gita teaches it.
रजसि प्रलयं गत्वा कर्मसङ्गिषु जायते ।तथा प्रलीनस्तमसि मूढयोनिषु जायते ॥
Rajasi pralayam gatva karmasangishu jayateTatha pralinastamasi mudhayonishu jayate
If he dies while rajas prevails, Krishna says, he is born among those attached to action; if he dies while tamas prevails, he is born in the wombs of the unknowing.
कर्मणः सुकृतस्याहुः सात्त्विकं निर्मलं फलम् ।रजसस्तु फलं दुःखमज्ञानं तमसः फलम् ॥
Karmanah sukritasyahuh sattvikam nirmalam phalamRajasastu phalam duhkhamajnanam tamasah phalam
Krishna says that good action is said to bear a clean fruit, of the nature of sattva. Rajas bears the fruit of pain, and tamas the fruit of ignorance.
सत्त्वात्सञ्जायते ज्ञानं रजसो लोभ एव च ।प्रमादमोहौ तमसो भवतोऽज्ञानमेव च ॥
Sattvatsanjayate jnanam rajaso lobha eva chaPramadamohau tamaso bhavatojnanameva cha
From sattva, Krishna says, knowledge arises; from rajas, greed; and from tamas come carelessness, confusion and ignorance.
ऊर्ध्वं गच्छन्ति सत्त्वस्था मध्ये तिष्ठन्ति राजसाः ।जघन्यगुणवृत्तिस्था अधो गच्छन्ति तामसाः ॥
Urdhvam gachchhanti sattvastha madhye tishthanti rajasahJaghanyagunavrittistha adho gachchhanti tamasah
Those settled in sattva go upward, Krishna says; those of rajas stay in the middle; and those of tamas, following the lowest guṇa, go downward. Telang's note, following the commentators, reads upward, middle and downward as birth among gods, humans and animals.
नान्यं गुणेभ्यः कर्तारं यदा द्रष्टाऽनुपश्यति ।गुणेभ्यश्च परं वेत्ति मद्भावं सोऽधिगच्छति ॥
Nanyam gunebhyah kartaram yada drashtanupashyatiGunebhyashcha param vetti madbhavam sodhigachchhati
When the seer sees no doer other than the guṇas, and knows what is beyond the guṇas, Krishna says, he comes to his state (madbhāva). The schools explain what lies beyond the guṇas and what this state is (see the views).
गुणानेतानतीत्य त्रीन्देही देहसमुद्भवान् ।जन्ममृत्युजरादुःखैर्विमुक्तोऽमृतमश्नुते ॥
Gunanetanatitya trindehi dehasamudbhavanJanmamrityujaraduhkhairvimuktomritamashnute
Going beyond these three guṇas, from which the body arises, Krishna says, the embodied one is freed from birth, death, old age and sorrow and tastes the deathless (amṛta).
कैर्लिङ्गैस्त्रीन्गुणानेतानतीतो भवति प्रभो ।किमाचारः कथं चैतांस्त्रीन्गुणानतिवर्तते ॥
Kairlingaistringunanetanatito bhavati prabhoKimacharah katham chaitanstringunanativartate
Arjuna asks three questions: by what signs is the one who has gone beyond the three guṇas known, how does such a person behave, and how does one go beyond them? Telang's note compares the answer with the person of steady wisdom in chapter 2.
प्रकाशं च प्रवृत्तिं च मोहमेव च पाण्डव ।न द्वेष्टि संप्रवृत्तानि न निवृत्तानि काङ्क्षति ॥
Prakasham cha pravrittim cha mohameva cha pandavaNa dveshti sampravrittani na nivrittani kankshati
Krishna answers. Such a person, Pandava, does not hate light, activity or delusion (the marks of sattva, rajas and tamas) when they arise, nor long for them when they cease. The description continues to verse 25.
उदासीनवदासीनो गुणैर्यो न विचाल्यते ।गुणा वर्तन्त इत्येव योऽवतिष्ठति नेङ्गते ॥
Udasinavadasino gunairyo na vichalyateGuna vartanta ityeva yovatishthati nengate
Krishna goes on. Such a person, he says, sits like one unconcerned (udāsīna), is not shaken by the guṇas, and stays firm and unmoving, knowing that it is only the guṇas that are at work.
समदुःखसुखः स्वस्थः समलोष्टाश्मकाञ्चनः ।तुल्यप्रियाप्रियो धीरस्तुल्यनिन्दात्मसंस्तुतिः ॥
Samaduhkhasukhah svasthah samaloshtashmakanchanahTulyapriyapriyo dhirastulyanindatmasanstutih
Krishna says such a person is the same in pain and pleasure and rests in himself; a lump of earth, a stone and gold are alike to him; he is the same towards the pleasant and the unpleasant; he is steady, and the same in blame and praise of himself.
मानापमानयोस्तुल्यस्तुल्यो मित्रारिपक्षयोः ।सर्वारंभपरित्यागी गुणातीतः स उच्यते ॥
Manapamanayostulyastulyo mitraripakshayohSarvarambhaparityagi gunatitah sa uchyate
Such a person, Krishna says, is the same in honour and dishonour, the same towards the side of friends and the side of foes, and has given up every undertaking. Such a person is said to have gone beyond the guṇas (guṇātīta).
मां च योऽव्यभिचारेण भक्तियोगेन सेवते ।स गुणान्समतीत्यैतान् ब्रह्मभूयाय कल्पते ॥
Mam cha yovyabhicharena bhaktiyogena sevateSa gunansamatityaitan brahmabhuyaya kalpate
Krishna answers the last question, how one goes beyond the guṇas. Whoever serves him with unwavering devotion (bhakti-yoga), he says, crosses beyond these guṇas and becomes fit for brahma-bhūya, becoming Brahman. The schools read this in different ways (see the views).
ब्रह्मणो हि प्रतिष्ठाऽहममृतस्याव्ययस्य च ।शाश्वतस्य च धर्मस्य सुखस्यैकान्तिकस्य च ॥
Brahmano hi pratishthahamamritasyavyayasya chaShashvatasya cha dharmasya sukhasyaikantikasya cha
Krishna closes the chapter. He says he is the foundation (pratiṣṭhā) of Brahman, of the immortal and imperishable, of eternal dharma and of unending happiness. The schools read 'foundation of Brahman' differently (see the views).