Chapter 14: Gunatraya Vibhaga Yoga

Verse 1

श्रीभगवानुवाच । परं भूयः प्रवक्ष्यामि ज्ञानानां ज्ञानमुत्तमम् यज्ज्ञात्वा मुनयः सर्वे परां सिद्धिम...

The Blessed Lord said: Again I shall declare the supreme knowledge—the highest of all knowledges—knowing which all sages have attained the supreme perfection.

Verse 2

इदं ज्ञानमुपाश्रित्य मम साधर्म्यमागताः । सर्गेऽपि नोपजायन्ते प्रलये न व्यथन्ति च ॥ १४.२ ॥

Taking refuge in this knowledge, they attain likeness to Me; they are not born even at creation, nor do they tremble at dissolution.

Verse 3

मम योनिर्महद्ब्रह्म तस्मिन्गर्भं दधाम्यहम् । संभवः सर्वभूतानां ततो भवति भारत ॥ १४.३ ॥

My womb is the great Brahman; in that I place the seed. From that, O Bhārata, arises the origin of all beings.

Verse 4

सर्वयोनिषु कौन्तेय मूर्तयः संभवन्ति याः । तासां ब्रह्म महद्योनिरहं बीजप्रदः पिता ॥ १४.४ ॥

In all wombs, O son of Kuntī, whatever forms are born—of them the great Brahman is the womb, and I am the seed-giving Father.

Verse 5

सत्त्वं रजस्तम इति गुणाः प्रकृतिसंभवाः । निबध्नन्ति महाबाहो देहे देहिनमव्ययम् ॥ १४.५ ॥

Sattva, rajas, and tamas—these guṇas born of prakṛti—bind the imperishable embodied Self within the body, O mighty-armed.

Verse 6

तत्र सत्त्वं निर्मलत्वात्प्रकाशकमनामयम् । सुखसङ्गेन बध्नाति ज्ञानसङ्गेन चानघ ॥ १४.६ ॥

Among them, sattva—by reason of its purity—is illuminating and free from affliction; it binds, O sinless one, through attachment to happiness and through attachment to knowledge.

Verse 7

रजो रागात्मकं विद्धि तृष्णासङ्गसमुद्भवम् । तन्निबध्नाति कौन्तेय कर्मसङ्गेन देहिनम् ॥ १४.७ ॥

Know rajas to be of the nature of passion, born of craving and attachment; it binds the embodied being, O son of Kuntī, through attachment to action.

Verse 8

तमस्त्वज्ञानजं विद्धि मोहनं सर्वदेहिनाम् । प्रमादालस्यनिद्राभिस्तन्निबध्नाति भारत ॥ १४.८ ॥

Know tamas to be born of ignorance, deluding all embodied beings; it binds, O Bhārata, through negligence, indolence, and sleep.

Verse 9

सत्त्वं सुखे संजयति रजः कर्मणि भारत । ज्ञानमावृत्य तु तमः प्रमादे संजयत्युत ॥ १४.९ ॥

Sattva binds one to happiness, rajas to action, O Bhārata; but tamas, veiling knowledge, binds indeed to negligence.

Verse 10

रजस्तमश्चाभिभूय सत्त्वं भवति भारत । रजः सत्त्वं तमश्चैव तमः सत्त्वं रजस्तथा ॥ १४.१० ॥

Overcoming rajas and tamas, sattva prevails, O Bhārata; rajas prevails over sattva and tamas; and tamas likewise prevails over sattva and rajas.

Verse 11

सर्वद्वारेषु देहेऽस्मिन्प्रकाश उपजायते । ज्ञानं यदा तदा विद्याद्विवृद्धं सत्त्वमित्युत ॥ १४.११ ॥

When, in this body, light arises through all the gates, then one should know that sattva has increased—so it is said.

Verse 12

लोभः प्रवृत्तिरारम्भः कर्मणामशमः स्पृहा । रजस्येतानि जायन्ते विवृद्धे भरतर्षभ ॥ १४.१२ ॥

Greed, outward activity, the undertaking of actions, restlessness, and craving—these arise when rajas increases, O best of the Bharatas.

Verse 13

अप्रकाशोऽप्रवृत्तिश्च प्रमादो मोह एव च । तमस्येतानि जायन्ते विवृद्धे कुरुनन्दन ॥ १४.१३ ॥

Darkness (absence of illumination), inactivity, heedlessness, and delusion—these arise when tamas grows, O joy of the Kurus.

Verse 14

यदा सत्त्वे प्रवृद्धे तु प्रलयं याति देहभृत् । तदोत्तमविदां लोकानमलान्प्रतिपद्यते ॥ १४.१४ ॥

When the embodied one meets dissolution (death) while sattva is predominant, then he attains the stainless worlds of the knowers of the Supreme.

Verse 15

रजसि प्रलयं गत्वा कर्मसङ्गिषु जायते । तथा प्रलीनस्तमसि मूढयोनिषु जायते ॥ १४.१५ ॥

Meeting dissolution in rajas, one is born among those attached to action; likewise, dying in tamas, one is born in deluded wombs.

Verse 16

कर्मणः सुकृतस्याहुः सात्त्विकं निर्मलं फलम् । रजसस्तु फलं दुःखमज्ञानं तमसः फलम् ॥ १४.१६ ॥

They say the fruit of good action is sāttvic and pure; the fruit of rajas is suffering; the fruit of tamas is ignorance.

Verse 17

सत्त्वात्संजायते ज्ञानं रजसो लोभ एव च । प्रमादमोहौ तमसो भवतोऽज्ञानमेव च ॥ १४.१७ ॥

From sattva arises knowledge; from rajas, greed; from tamas arise heedlessness and delusion, and indeed ignorance as well.

Verse 18

ऊर्ध्वं गच्छन्ति सत्त्वस्था मध्ये तिष्ठन्ति राजसाः । जघन्यगुणवृत्तिस्था अधो गच्छन्ति तामसाः ॥ १४.१८ ॥

Those established in sattva ascend upward; the rajasic abide in the middle; but those abiding in the activity of the lowest quality—tamas—go downward.

Verse 19

नान्यं गुणेभ्यः कर्तारं यदा द्रष्टानुपश्यति । गुणेभ्यश्च परं वेत्ति मद्भावं सोऽधिगच्छति ॥ १४.१९ ॥

When the seer beholds no doer other than the guṇas, and knows That which is beyond the guṇas, he attains My state of being.

Verse 20

गुणानेतानतीत्य त्रीन्देही देहसमुद्भवान् । जन्ममृत्युजरादुःखैर्विमुक्तोऽमृतमश्नुते ॥ १४.२० ॥

Having transcended these three guṇas, born of the body, the embodied one is freed from the sorrows of birth, death, and old age, and attains immortality.

Verse 21

अर्जुन उवाच । कैर्लिङ्गैस्त्रीन्गुणानेतानतीतो भवति प्रभो किमाचारः कथं चैतांस्त्रीन्गुणानतिवर्तते ॥ १४.२१ ॥

Arjuna said: By what marks is one known to have transcended these three guṇas, O Lord? What is his conduct, and how does he pass beyond these three guṇas?

Verse 22

श्रीभगवानुवाच । प्रकाशं च प्रवृत्तिं च मोहमेव च पाण्डव न द्वेष्टि संप्रवृत्तानि न निवृत्तानि काङ्क्षति ॥ १४.२२ ॥

The Blessed Lord said: O Pāṇḍava, he neither hates illumination, activity, and delusion when they arise, nor longs for them when they cease.

Verse 23

उदासीनवदासीनो गुणैर्यो न विचाल्यते । गुणा वर्तन्त इत्येव योऽवतिष्ठति नेङ्गते ॥ १४.२३ ॥

Seated as though indifferent, he is not shaken by the guṇas; knowing, “the guṇas alone act,” he remains established and does not waver.

Verse 24

समदुःखसुखः स्वस्थः समलोष्टाश्मकाञ्चनः । तुल्यप्रियाप्रियो धीरस्तुल्यनिन्दात्मसंस्तुतिः ॥ १४.२४ ॥

Equal in sorrow and joy, self-abiding; viewing a clod, a stone, and gold alike; to whom the dear and the undesired are the same; equal in blame and in praise—such is the steadfast one.

Verse 25

मानापमानयोस्तुल्यस्तुल्यो मित्रारिपक्षयोः । सर्वारम्भपरित्यागी गुणातीतः स उच्यते ॥ १४.२५ ॥

Equal in honor and dishonor, equal toward the side of friend and the side of foe; renouncing all self-initiated undertakings—he is said to have gone beyond the guṇas.

Verse 26

मां च योऽव्यभिचारेण भक्तियोगेन सेवते । स गुणान्समतीत्यैतान्ब्रह्मभूयाय कल्पते ॥ १४.२६ ॥

And he who serves Me with unwavering devotion through bhakti-yoga—he, having transcended these guṇas, becomes fit for Brahmanhood (brahma-bhūya).

Verse 27

ब्रह्मणो हि प्रतिष्ठाहममृतस्याव्ययस्य च । शाश्वतस्य च धर्मस्य सुखस्यैकान्तिकस्य च ॥ १४.२७ ॥

For I am the foundation of Brahman, and of immortality and imperishability, and of the eternal dharma, and of absolute (unmixed) bliss.