GITA SUNG - CHAPTER XIV

Chapter 14:
The Yoga of the Three Modes of Nature:
On the inherent qualities of material nature.
Shlokas 5 to 10 & 16 to 20.

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shloka 5

sattvaṁ rajas tama iti
guṇāḥ prakṛti-sambhavāḥ
nibadhnanti mahā-bāho
dehe dehinam avyayam

The modes of goodness (sattva), passion (rajas) and ignorance (tamas) are the qualities produced by material nature which condition, o mighty armed one, this body of the imperishable living being.

shloka 6

tatra sattvaṁ nirmalatvāt
prakāśakam anāmayam
sukha-saṅgena badhnāti
jñāna-saṅgena cānagha

Of them, is the mode of goodness the purest, it illumines without reactions, and conditions with a sense of happiness the feeling for knowledge, o sinless one.

shloka 7

rajo rāgātmakaṁ viddhi
tṛṣṇā-saṅga-samudbhavam
tan nibadhnāti kaunteya
karma-saṅgena dehinam

Know that the mode of passion is characterized by desires, born from attachment and longing, that bind, o son of Kuntî, the one embodied to the outcome of the deeds in the past.

shloka 8

tamas tv ajñāna-jaṁ viddhi
mohanaṁ sarva-dehinām
pramādālasya-nidrābhis
tan nibadhnāti bhārata

The mode of ignorance is the result of lack of knowledge; know it as deluding all embodied beings, binding them to carelessness, indolence and [more than six hours of] sleep, o son of Bharata.

shloka 9

sattvaṁ sukhe sañjayati
rajaḥ karmaṇi bhārata
jñānam āvṛtya tu tamaḥ
pramāde sañjayaty uta

The mode of goodness conditions one to happiness, passion binds one to fruitive activities, o son of Bharata, but from the ignorance that covers the knowledge one is bound to errors.

shloka 10

rajas tamaś cābhibhūya
sattvaṁ bhavati bhārata
rajaḥ sattvaṁ tamaś caiva
tamaḥ sattvaṁ rajas tathā

Then goodness prevails defeating passion and ignorance, then o son of Bharata, ignorance does so with passion and goodness and then passion overrules goodness as well as the ignorance; this is how the modes of sattva, rajas and tamas are.

shloka 16

karmaṇaḥ sukṛtasyāhuḥ
sāttvikaṁ nirmalaṁ phalam
rajasas tu phalaṁ duḥkham
ajñānaṁ tamasaḥ phalam

Of pious activities in the mode of goodness is said that one is purified, the mode of passion results in misery and stupidity is the result of the mode of ignorance.

shloka 17

sattvāt sañjāyate jñānaṁ
rajaso lobha eva ca
pramāda-mohau tamaso
bhavato ’jñānam eva ca

The way from the mode of goodness knowledge develops and greed surely develops from the mode of passion, so do illusion and certainly perplexity develop from the mode of ignorance.

shloka 18

ūrdhvaṁ gacchanti sattva-sthā
madhye tiṣṭhanti rājasāḥ
jaghanya-guṇa-vṛtti-sthā
adho gacchanti tāmasāḥ

Those in the mode of goodness rise up, those in passion stay in between while the ones in ignorance whose occupation is of an abominable quality go down.

shloka 19

nānyaṁ guṇebhyaḥ kartāraṁ
yadā draṣṭānupaśyati
guṇebhyaś ca paraṁ vetti
mad-bhāvaṁ so ’dhigacchati

When a seer properly sees that the doer is no one other than these three qualities to the modes of nature and knows the beyond, he is promoted to My spiritual nature.

shloka 20

guṇān etān atītya trīn
dehī deha-samudbhavān
janma-mṛtyu-jarā-duḥkhair
vimukto ’mṛtam aśnute

Transcending all three qualities the embodied one will enjoy the nectar of being freed from the physical result of the distress of birth, death and old age.'

CONTENTS

Chapter 14:
The Yoga of the Three Modes of Nature:
On the inherent qualities of material nature.
Verses 5 to 10 & 16 to 20.
Text 5
The modes of goodness (sattva), passion (rajas) and ignorance (tamas) are the qualities produced by material nature which condition, o mighty armed one, this body of the imperishable living being.

Text 6

Of them, is the mode of goodness the purest, it illumines without reactions, and conditions with a sense of happiness the feeling for knowledge, o sinless one.

Text 7

Know that the mode of passion is characterized by desires, born from attachment and longing, that bind, o son of Kuntî, the one embodied to the outcome of the deeds in the past.

Text 8

The mode of ignorance is the result of lack of knowledge; know it as deluding all embodied beings, binding them to carelessness, indolence and [more than six hours of] sleep, o son of Bharata.

Text 9

The mode of goodness conditions one to happiness, passion binds one to fruitive activities, o son of Bharata, but from the ignorance that covers the knowledge one is bound to errors.

Text 10

Then goodness prevails defeating passion and ignorance, then o son of Bharata, ignorance does so with passion and goodness and then passion overrules goodness as well as the ignorance; this is how the modes of sattva, rajas and tamas are.

Text 16

Of pious activities in the mode of goodness is said that one is purified, the mode of passion results in misery and stupidity is the result of the mode of ignorance.

Text 17

The way from the mode of goodness knowledge develops and greed surely develops from the mode of passion, so do illusion and certainly perplexity develop from the mode of ignorance.

Text 18

Those in the mode of goodness rise up, those in passion stay in between while the ones in ignorance whose occupation is of an abominable quality go down.

Text 19

When a seer properly sees that the doer is no one other than these three qualities to the modes of nature and knows the beyond, he is promoted to My spiritual nature.

Text 20

Transcending all three qualities the embodied one will enjoy the nectar of being freed from the physical result of the distress of birth, death and old age.'

Complete version of this chapter (14) in Sanskrit, word-for-word and translation



CONTENTS