Srimad Bhagavatam — Ekadasha Skandha, Shloka 21
Guṇa-vibhāga: The Three Modes and the Path Beyond Them
उपर्युपरि गच्छन्ति सत्त्वेन ब्राह्मणा जना: । तमसाधोऽध आमुख्याद् रजसान्तरचारिण: ॥ २१ ॥
upary upari gacchanti sattvena brāhmaṇā janāḥ tamasādho ’dha ā-mukhyād rajasāntara-cāriṇaḥ
ಸತ್ತ್ವಗುಣದಿಂದ ವೈದಿಕ ಸಂಸ್ಕೃತಿಯಲ್ಲಿ ನಿರತರಾದವರು ಊರ್ಧ್ವಲೋಕಗಳಿಗೆ ಹೋಗುತ್ತಾರೆ. ತಮೋಗುಣದಿಂದ ಜೀವಿಯು ಅಧೋಗತಿಗೆ ಇಳಿಯುತ್ತಾನೆ. ರಜೋಗುಣದಿಂದ ಮನುಷ್ಯಲೋಕದಲ್ಲಿಯೇ ಸುತ್ತುತ್ತಿರುತ್ತಾನೆ.
Śūdras, persons in the mode of ignorance, are generally in deep illusion about the purpose of life, accepting the gross material body as the self. Those in passion and ignorance are called vaiśyas and hanker intensely for wealth, whereas kṣatriyas, who are in the mode of passion, are eager for prestige and power. Those in the mode of goodness, however, hanker after perfect knowledge; they are therefore called brāhmaṇas. Such a person is promoted up to the supreme material position of Brahmaloka, the planet of Lord Brahmā. One who is in the mode of ignorance gradually falls to the level of unmoving species, such as trees and stones, while one in the mode of passion, filled with material desire but satisfying it within Vedic culture, is allowed to remain in human society.
FAQs
This verse explains their results: sattva elevates one toward higher, brahminical qualities; tamas drags one down into degradation; and rajas keeps one restless in the middle, neither clearly rising nor fully falling.
In the Uddhava-gītā, Kṛṣṇa teaches Uddhava how material conditioning works so a seeker can recognize the gunas within oneself and pursue purification and transcendence.
Cultivate sattva through clean habits, truthfulness, learning, and devotion; reduce rajas by moderating ambition and sensory overdrive; avoid tamas by rejecting intoxication, laziness, and harmful company—so life steadily moves upward.