Srimad Bhagavatam — Ekadasha Skandha, Shloka 12
Sāṅkhya Enumeration of Tattvas, Distinction of Puruṣa–Prakṛti, and the Mechanics of Birth and Death
प्रकृतिर्गुणसाम्यं वै प्रकृतेर्नात्मनो गुणा: । सत्त्वं रजस्तम इति स्थित्युत्पत्त्यन्तहेतव: ॥ १२ ॥
prakṛtir guṇa-sāmyaṁ vai prakṛter nātmano guṇāḥ sattvaṁ rajas tama iti sthity-utpatty-anta-hetavaḥ
Nature exists originally as the equilibrium of the three material modes, which pertain only to nature, not to the transcendental spirit soul. These modes — goodness, passion and ignorance — are the effective causes of the creation, maintenance and destruction of this universe.
In Bhagavad-gītā (3.27) it is stated:
FAQs
This verse explains that sattva, rajas, and tamas belong to prakṛti (material nature) and function as the causes behind creation, maintenance, and dissolution; they do not belong to the ātmā.
To establish clear discrimination between the self and matter: the soul is conscious and transcendental, while the gunas are material forces that act within prakṛti and drive worldly change.
Identify moods and impulses as effects of sattva/rajas/tamas rather than as your true self, and cultivate devotion and clarity so choices are guided by spiritual identity instead of material conditioning.