Srimad Bhagavatam — Ekadasha Skandha, Shloka 33
Sāṅkhya Enumeration of Tattvas, Distinction of Puruṣa–Prakṛti, and the Mechanics of Birth and Death
योऽसौ गुणक्षोभकृतो विकार: प्रधानमूलान्महत: प्रसूत: । अहं त्रिवृन्मोहविकल्पहेतु- र्वैकारिकस्तामस ऐन्द्रियश्च ॥ ३३ ॥
yo ’sau guṇa-kṣobha-kṛto vikāraḥ pradhāna-mūlān mahataḥ prasūtaḥ ahaṁ tri-vṛn moha-vikalpa-hetur vaikārikas tāmasa aindriyaś ca
Lorsque les trois guṇas de la nature sont agités, la transformation qui en résulte apparaît comme le faux ego en trois phases : bonté (vaikārika), passion (aindriya/rajas) et ignorance (tāmasa). Né du mahat-tattva, lui-même issu du pradhāna non manifesté, ce faux ego devient la cause de toute illusion matérielle et de la dualité.
By giving up one’s false ego of identification with the three modes of nature, one can achieve Kṛṣṇa consciousness, the pure, original state of existence. The word moha-vikalpa-hetuḥ indicates that because of false ego one considers himself to be the enjoyer of nature and thus develops a false sense of material duality in terms of material happiness and distress. False ego is removed by identifying oneself as the Lord’s eternal servitor in full Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
FAQs
This verse explains that false ego arises as a transformation caused by the agitation of the material modes, manifesting from the mahat-tattva whose root is pradhāna (unmanifest nature).
In the Uddhava Gita (Canto 11), Krishna teaches Uddhava how bondage forms through material analysis; understanding the three divisions of false ego helps one identify the mechanism of illusion and detach from it.
Notice how identity clings to body, mind, and roles; then practice devotion and self-inquiry—offering actions to Krishna and remembering the true self beyond the modes—so the ego’s grip and confusion gradually weaken.