Vyāsa (traditional attribution) · Complete work
Chapter 14 — The Yoga of the Three Qualities
Chapter 14 — The Yoga of the Three Qualities of 18. Read it here for reference, or continue through the entire work without leaving the reader.
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ॐश्रीपरमात्मने नमः
श्रीभगवानुवाचपरं भूयः प्रवक्ष्यामि ज्ञानानां ज्ञानमुत्तमम् ।यज्ज्ञात्वा मुनयः सर्वे परां सिद्धिमितो गताः ॥१४- १॥
इदं ज्ञानमुपाश्रित्य मम साधर्म्यमागताः ।सर्गेऽपि नोपजायन्ते प्रलये न व्यथन्ति च ॥१४- २॥
मम योनिर्महद्ब्रह्म तस्मिन्गर्भं दधाम्यहम् ।संभवः सर्वभूतानां ततो भवति भारत ॥१४- ३॥
सर्वयोनिषु कौन्तेय मूर्तयः संभवन्ति याः ।तासां ब्रह्म महद्योनिरहं बीजप्रदः पिता ॥१४- ४॥
सत्त्वं रजस्तम इति गुणाः प्रकृतिसंभवाः ।निबध्नन्ति महाबाहो देहे देहिनमव्ययम् ॥१४- ५॥
तत्र सत्त्वं निर्मलत्वात्प्रकाशकमनामयम् ।सुखसङ्गेन बध्नाति ज्ञानसङ्गेन चानघ ॥१४- ६॥
रजो रागात्मकं विद्धि तृष्णासङ्गसमुद्भवम् ।तन्निबध्नाति कौन्तेय कर्मसङ्गेन देहिनम् ॥१४- ७॥
तमस्त्वज्ञानजं विद्धि मोहनं सर्वदेहिनाम् ।प्रमादालस्यनिद्राभिस्तन्निबध्नाति भारत ॥१४- ८॥
सत्त्वं सुखे संजयति रजः कर्मणि भारत ।ज्ञानमावृत्य तु तमः प्रमादे संजयत्युत ॥१४- ९॥
रजस्तमश्चाभिभूय सत्त्वं भवति भारत ।रजः सत्त्वं तमश्चैव तमः सत्त्वं रजस्तथा ॥१४- १०॥
सर्वद्वारेषु देहेऽस्मिन्प्रकाश उपजायते ।ज्ञानं यदा तदा विद्याद्विवृद्धं सत्त्वमित्युत ॥१४- ११॥
लोभः प्रवृत्तिरारम्भः कर्मणामशमः स्पृहा ।रजस्येतानि जायन्ते विवृद्धे भरतर्षभ ॥१४- १२॥
अप्रकाशोऽप्रवृत्तिश्च प्रमादो मोह एव च ।तमस्येतानि जायन्ते विवृद्धे कुरुनन्दन ॥१४- १३॥
यदा सत्त्वे प्रवृद्धे तु प्रलयं याति देहभृत् ।तदोत्तमविदां लोकानमलान्प्रतिपद्यते ॥१४- १४॥
रजसि प्रलयं गत्वा कर्मसङ्गिषु जायते ।तथा प्रलीनस्तमसि मूढयोनिषु जायते ॥१४- १५॥
कर्मणः सुकृतस्याहुः सात्त्विकं निर्मलं फलम् ।रजसस्तु फलं दुःखमज्ञानं तमसः फलम् ॥१४- १६॥
सत्त्वात्संजायते ज्ञानं रजसो लोभ एव च ।प्रमादमोहौ तमसो भवतोऽज्ञानमेव च ॥१४- १७॥
ऊर्ध्वं गच्छन्ति सत्त्वस्था मध्ये तिष्ठन्ति राजसाः ।जघन्यगुणवृत्तिस्था अधो गच्छन्ति तामसाः ॥१४- १८॥
नान्यं गुणेभ्यः कर्तारं यदा द्रष्टानुपश्यति ।गुणेभ्यश्च परं वेत्ति मद्भावं सोऽधिगच्छति ॥१४- १९॥
गुणानेतानतीत्य त्रीन्देही देहसमुद्भवान् ।जन्ममृत्युजरादुःखैर्विमुक्तोऽमृतमश्नुते ॥१४- २०॥
अर्जुन उवाचकैर्लिङ्गैस्त्रीन्गुणानेतानतीतो भवति प्रभो ।किमाचारः कथं चैतांस्त्रीन्गुणानतिवर्तते ॥१४- २१॥
श्रीभगवानुवाचप्रकाशं च प्रवृत्तिं च मोहमेव च पाण्डव ।न द्वेष्टि संप्रवृत्तानि न निवृत्तानि काङ्क्षति ॥१४- २२॥
उदासीनवदासीनो गुणैर्यो न विचाल्यते ।गुणा वर्तन्त इत्येव योऽवतिष्ठति नेङ्गते ॥१४- २३॥
समदुःखसुखः स्वस्थः समलोष्टाश्मकाञ्चनः ।तुल्यप्रियाप्रियो धीरस्तुल्यनिन्दात्मसंस्तुतिः ॥१४- २४॥
मानापमानयोस्तुल्यस्तुल्यो मित्रारिपक्षयोः ।सर्वारम्भपरित्यागी गुणातीतः स उच्यते ॥१४- २५॥
मां च योऽव्यभिचारेण भक्तियोगेन सेवते ।स गुणान्समतीत्यैतान्ब्रह्मभूयाय कल्पते ॥१४- २६॥
ब्रह्मणो हि प्रतिष्ठाहममृतस्याव्ययस्य च ।शाश्वतस्य च धर्मस्य सुखस्यैकान्तिकस्य च ॥१४- २७॥
ॐ तत्सदिति श्रीमद्भगवद्गीतासूपनिषत्सु ब्रह्मविद्यायां योगशास्त्रेश्रीकृष्णार्जुनसंवादे गुणत्रयविभागयोगो नाम चतुर्दशोऽध्यायः ॥१४॥
Mouseia
Mouseia’s complete machine-assisted Musean translation, made directly from all 18 Sanskrit chapters and 700 verses for fidelity, modern clarity, philosophical precision, symbolism, structure, and cadence.
Om
Homage to the Supreme Self
The Blessed Lord said
Again I will proclaim the supreme—the highest of all knowledge;knowing it, all the sages have passed from here to supreme perfection. ॥१४- १॥
Taking refuge in this knowledge, they have come to share my nature;they are not born even at creation, nor do they suffer at dissolution. ॥१४- २॥
The great Brahman is my womb; in it I place the seed of life.From that comes the birth of all beings, O Bharata. ॥१४- ३॥
Whatever forms come into being in all the wombs, O son of Kunti,the great Brahman is their womb, and I am the Father who gives the seed. ॥१४- ४॥
Sattva, rajas, and tamas are the qualities born of Nature;they bind the imperishable embodied one within the body, mighty-armed Arjuna. ॥१४- ५॥
Of these, sattva, because it is pure, is luminous and free from affliction;it binds through attachment to happiness and attachment to knowledge, sinless one. ॥१४- ६॥
Know rajas to be passion in essence, arising from craving and attachment;it binds the embodied one through attachment to action, O son of Kunti. ॥१४- ७॥
Know tamas, born of ignorance, to be the deluder of all embodied beings;it binds through negligence, laziness, and sleep, O Bharata. ॥१४- ८॥
Sattva holds one fast in happiness, and rajas in action, O Bharata;but tamas, veiling knowledge, holds one fast in negligence. ॥१४- ९॥
Sattva prevails by overpowering rajas and tamas, O Bharata;rajas prevails over sattva and tamas, and tamas over sattva and rajas. ॥१४- १०॥
When the light of knowledge arises through every gate of this body,then one should know that sattva has increased. ॥१४- ११॥
Greed, activity, the undertaking of actions, restlessness, and craving—these arise when rajas has increased, best of the Bharatas. ॥१४- १२॥
Darkness, inactivity, negligence, and delusion—these arise when tamas has increased, delight of the Kurus. ॥१४- १३॥
When the bearer of the body meets death while sattva prevails,he reaches the stainless worlds of those who know the highest. ॥१४- १४॥
Meeting death in rajas, he is born among those attached to action;and dying in tamas, he is born in the wombs of the deluded. ॥१४- १५॥
The fruit of well-done action is said to be sattvic and stainless;the fruit of rajas is suffering, and the fruit of tamas is ignorance. ॥१४- १६॥
From sattva arises knowledge, and from rajas, greed;from tamas arise negligence and delusion, and ignorance itself. ॥१४- १७॥
Those established in sattva rise upward; the rajasic remain in the middle;the tamasic, abiding in the workings of the lowest quality, go downward. ॥१४- १८॥
When the seer perceives no agent other than the qualitiesand knows what lies beyond the qualities, he attains my being. ॥१४- १९॥
Transcending these three qualities from which the body arises,the embodied one, freed from birth, death, old age, and suffering, partakes of immortality. ॥१४- २०॥
Arjuna said
By what marks is one known who has transcended these three qualities, Lord?How does such a person conduct himself, and how does he pass beyond these three qualities? ॥१४- २१॥
The Blessed Lord said
He neither hates illumination, activity, or delusion when they arise, O son of Pandu,nor longs for them when they cease. ॥१४- २२॥
Seated as one impartial, unshaken by the qualities,he remains steady, knowing, “The qualities are at work,” and does not waver. ॥१४- २३॥
The same in suffering and happiness, established in the Self,regarding a clod of earth, a stone, and gold alike,the same toward the pleasant and unpleasant, steadfast,the same in blame and praise— ॥१४- २४॥
The same in honor and dishonor, the same toward friend and foe,renouncing every undertaking—he is said to have transcended the qualities. ॥१४- २५॥
And whoever serves me through the yoga of unwavering devotion,transcending these qualities, becomes fit for the state of Brahman. ॥१४- २६॥
For I am the foundation of Brahman, of the immortal and imperishable,of eternal dharma, and of absolute happiness. ॥१४- २७॥
Om Tat Sat. Thus, in the Upanishads of the glorious Bhagavad Gita, in the knowledge of Brahman, in the scripture of Yoga, in the dialogue between Sri Krishna and Arjuna, ends the fourteenth chapter, entitled “The Yoga of the Division of the Three Qualities.” ॥१४॥
Mouseia
Mouseia’s complete Plain English edition, made independently and directly from all 18 Sanskrit chapters and 700 verses.
Om
Salutations to the Supreme Self.
The Blessed Lord said:
I will again declare the supreme knowledge, the highest of all forms of knowledge. Knowing it, all the sages have gone from here to the highest perfection. ॥१४- १॥
Taking refuge in this knowledge, they have attained the same nature as me. They are not born even when creation begins, nor do they suffer when dissolution comes. ॥१४- २॥
The great Brahman is my womb; in it I place the embryo. From that comes the birth of all beings, O Bharata. ॥१४- ३॥
Whatever forms arise in all wombs, O son of Kunti, the great Brahman is their womb, and I am the father who gives the seed. ॥१४- ४॥
Sattva, rajas, and tamas are the qualities that arise from nature. They bind the imperishable embodied one within the body, O mighty-armed one. ॥१४- ५॥
Of these, sattva, because it is pure, is illuminating and free from affliction. It binds through attachment to happiness and attachment to knowledge, O sinless one. ॥१४- ६॥
Know that rajas has the nature of passion and arises from craving and attachment. It binds the embodied one through attachment to action, O son of Kunti. ॥१४- ७॥
But know that tamas is born from ignorance and deludes all embodied beings. It binds through carelessness, laziness, and sleep, O Bharata. ॥१४- ८॥
Sattva binds one to happiness, and rajas to action, O Bharata. But tamas, covering knowledge, binds one to carelessness as well. ॥१४- ९॥
Sattva prevails by overpowering rajas and tamas, O Bharata. Rajas prevails by overpowering sattva and tamas, and tamas by overpowering sattva and rajas. ॥१४- १०॥
When light and knowledge arise at all the gates of this body, then one should know that sattva has increased. ॥१४- ११॥
Greed, activity, the undertaking of actions, restlessness, and longing— these arise when rajas has increased, O best of the Bharatas. ॥१४- १२॥
Darkness, inactivity, carelessness, and delusion— these arise when tamas has increased, O joy of the Kurus. ॥१४- १३॥
When the bearer of the body meets death while sattva is predominant, he reaches the pure worlds of those who know the highest. ॥१४- १४॥
Meeting death while rajas prevails, he is born among those attached to action. Likewise, dying while tamas prevails, he is born in the wombs of deluded beings. ॥१४- १५॥
They say that the fruit of good action is pure and characterized by sattva. But the fruit of rajas is suffering, and the fruit of tamas is ignorance. ॥१४- १६॥
From sattva knowledge arises, and from rajas, greed. From tamas arise carelessness and delusion, as well as ignorance. ॥१४- १७॥
Those established in sattva rise upward; those characterized by rajas remain in the middle. Those characterized by tamas, established in the workings of the lowest quality, go downward. ॥१४- १८॥
When the seer recognizes no agent other than the qualities, and knows what is beyond the qualities, he attains my state. ॥१४- १९॥
Passing beyond these three qualities from which the body arises, the embodied one is freed from the sufferings of birth, death, and old age, and attains immortality. ॥१४- २०॥
Arjuna said:
By what signs is one known who has passed beyond these three qualities, Lord? How does such a person behave, and how does he pass beyond these three qualities? ॥१४- २१॥
The Blessed Lord said:
He does not hate illumination, activity, or delusion when they arise, O son of Pandu, nor does he long for them when they cease. ॥१४- २२॥
Sitting like one who is indifferent, he is not disturbed by the qualities. Knowing, “The qualities alone are at work,” he remains steady and does not waver. ॥१४- २३॥
He is the same in suffering and happiness, established in himself, and regards a lump of earth, a stone, and gold alike. He is steady, the same toward what is pleasant and unpleasant, and the same in blame and praise of himself. ॥१४- २४॥
He is the same in honor and dishonor, and the same toward the sides of friend and enemy. He has abandoned every undertaking; such a person is said to have passed beyond the qualities. ॥१४- २५॥
And whoever serves me through unwavering devotional discipline passes completely beyond these qualities and becomes fit to be Brahman. ॥१४- २६॥
For I am the foundation of Brahman, of the immortal and imperishable, of the eternal Dharma, and of absolute happiness. ॥१४- २७॥
Om Tat Sat. Thus, in the Upanishads of the glorious Bhagavad Gita, in the knowledge of Brahman, in the scripture of Yoga, in the dialogue between Sri Krishna and Arjuna, ends the fourteenth chapter, entitled “The Yoga of the Division of the Three Qualities.” ॥१४॥