Shloka 40

Devanagari script

तमो रजस्तथा सत्त्वं मण्डलत्रितयं क्रमात् / कृष्णरक्तसितं तस्मिन्पुरुषं जीवसंज्ञितम्

Transliteration

tamo rajastathā sattvaṃ maṇḍalatritayaṃ kramāt / kṛṣṇaraktasitaṃ tasminpuruṣaṃ jīvasaṃjñitam

Translation

Tamas, rajas, and sattva—these are, in order, the three spheres: dark, red, and white. Within them is the person called the jīva, the individual living soul.

Word by Word

• तमः: tamas (darkness)
• तमः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तमस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• रजः: rajas (activity)
• रजः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रजस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• तथा: and likewise
• तथा: Sambandha/Connector (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: क्रियाविशेषण/समुच्चयार्थ-अव्यय

• सत्त्वम्: sattva (purity)
• सत्त्वम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सत्त्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• मण्डलत्रितयम्: a triad of circles
• मण्डलत्रितयम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मण्डल-त्रितय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; अत्र प्रथमा (सम्बोधन-रहित वाक्ये विधेय); समासः तत्पुरुषः (मण्डलानां त्रितयम्)

• क्रमात्: in order/gradually
• क्रमात्: Sambandha/Modifier (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: क्रम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तसिल्-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (ablatival adverb)

• कृष्णरक्तसितम्: black, red, and white
• कृष्णरक्तसितम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कृष्ण-रक्त-सित (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (मण्डलत्रितयम्); समासः द्वन्द्वः (कृष्णं च रक्तं च सितं च)

• तस्मिन्: in that
• तस्मिन्: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (अधिकरण), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• पुरुषम्: the person (Puruṣa)
• पुरुषम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुरुष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• जीवसंज्ञितम्: called ‘jīva’
• जीवसंज्ञितम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: जीव-संज्ञित (प्रातिपदिक; संज्ञित = सम्+ज्ञा धातोः क्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (पुरुषम्); समासः तत्पुरुषः (जीव इति संज्ञितम्)

Speaker

Lord Vishnu (speaking to Garuda/Vinata-putra)

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: The jīva is found within the three guṇic spheres—tamas (black), rajas (red), sattva (white)—implying bondage through guṇas and the need to know oneself beyond them.

Vedantic Theme: Guṇa-traya as prakṛti; the self’s entanglement and the implied transcendence of guṇas (guṇātīta) through knowledge/meditation.

Application: In meditation, notice tamasic/rajasic/sattvic states as ‘circles’ around awareness; practice witnessing to loosen identification with any guṇa.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: adbhuta

Secondary Rasa: shanta

Geographic Context

Type: subtle cosmological map / inner mandala

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana 1.235.41-42 (lotus structure above the guṇas)

Characters & Entities

• Jiva
• Purusha
• Tamas
• Rajas
• Sattva

FAQs

What is the importance of the three guṇas in the Garuda Purana?

This verse frames embodied life as operating within the three guṇas—tamas, rajas, and sattva—showing how the jīva is conditioned by these modes of nature.

How does this verse explain the path of the soul?

By identifying the jīva as situated amid the three guṇas, it implies that the soul’s experiences and post-death momentum are shaped by the dominance of tamas, rajas, or sattva cultivated in life.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

Cultivate sattva (clarity, restraint, truthfulness, purity) to reduce tamasic and rajasic impulses, supporting ethical living and steadier spiritual practice.