Srimad Bhagavatam — Ekadasha Skandha, Shloka 13
Sāṅkhya Enumeration of Tattvas, Distinction of Puruṣa–Prakṛti, and the Mechanics of Birth and Death
सत्त्वं ज्ञानं रज: कर्म तमोऽज्ञानमिहोच्यते । गुणव्यतिकर: काल: स्वभाव: सूत्रमेव च ॥ १३ ॥
sattvaṁ jñānaṁ rajaḥ karma tamo ’jñānam ihocyate guṇa-vyatikaraḥ kālaḥ svabhāvaḥ sūtram eva ca
Trong thế gian này, sattva được gọi là tri thức, rajas là nghiệp hành cầu quả, và tamas là vô minh. Thời gian được nhận biết như sự khuấy động tương tác của các guṇa, còn tổng thể khuynh hướng hoạt dụng được kết tinh trong ‘sūtra’ nguyên sơ, tức mahat-tattva.
The impetus for the interaction of the material elements is the forward movement of time. Because time is passing, the embryo grows within the womb, gradually comes out, grows up, produces by-products, dwindles and dies. All of this is due to the pushing of time. In the absence of the time factor, the material elements do not interact but remain inert in the form of pradhāna. Lord Kṛṣṇa is establishing the basic categories of the material world so that human beings can conceive of the Lord’s creation. Were the categories not condensed, analysis and conceptualization would be impossible, since the Lord’s potencies are infinite. Although there are numerous divisions of material elements within the basic divisions, the spirit soul is always to be understood as a distinct transcendental element, meant for residence in the kingdom of God.
FAQs
This verse explains their practical expressions: sattva gives rise to knowledge, rajas drives action and effort, and tamas produces ignorance and delusion.
In the Uddhava Gītā, Kṛṣṇa instructs Uddhava in clear discrimination between spirit and matter; understanding how the gunas operate helps a devotee detach from material conditioning and progress toward transcendence.
Notice whether a choice increases clarity (sattva), restlessness (rajas), or confusion (tamas); then deliberately cultivate sattva through clean habits and devotional remembrance, using that clarity to rise beyond all three modes through bhakti.