Srimad Bhagavatam — Ekadasha Skandha, Shloka 30
Guṇa-vibhāga: The Three Modes and the Path Beyond Them
द्रव्यं देश: फलं कालो ज्ञानं कर्म च कारक: । श्रद्धावस्थाकृतिर्निष्ठा त्रैगुण्य: सर्व एव हि ॥ ३० ॥
dravyaṁ deśaḥ phalaṁ kālo jñānaṁ karma ca kārakaḥ śraddhāvasthākṛtir niṣṭhā trai-guṇyaḥ sarva eva hi
La substance, le lieu, le fruit de l’action, le temps, la connaissance, l’œuvre, l’agent, la foi (śraddhā), l’état de conscience, l’espèce de vie et la destination après la mort—tout cela repose sur les trois guṇa de la nature matérielle.
FAQs
This verse states that everything—from our environment (place, time) to inner factors (knowledge, faith, determination) and even actions and results—is conditioned by sattva, rajas, and tamas.
Kṛṣṇa teaches Uddhava how material conditioning works so that Uddhava can recognize the modes operating within and around him, and thereby progress toward transcendence through devotion and right understanding.
Observe which mode is shaping your choices—clarity and balance (sattva), restlessness and ambition (rajas), or inertia and confusion (tamas)—and deliberately cultivate sattvic habits while practicing bhakti to rise beyond all three.