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
Material nature exists originally as the equilibrium of the three modes, which belong only to nature and 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.