Chapter 14

Gunatraya Vibhaga Yoga

गुणत्रयविभागयोग

Guṇa Traya Vibhāg Yog•“Yoga through Understanding the Three Modes of Material Nature”•27 Verses

A Reading - Rantideb

Chapter 13 established the distinction between the field and its knower. Chapter 14 explains the actual mechanism operating inside the field, three qualities, goodness, passion, and ignorance, that mix in different proportions and bind the self to the body, each producing a recognizable flavor of experience, clarity and calm from goodness, restlessness and craving from passion, dullness and confusion from ignorance. Why this matters: it gives you a working vocabulary for something you already notice but usually describe only vaguely, why the exact same day can feel clear and productive, or agitated and grasping, or foggy and stuck, depending on which quality is currently dominant. In life, this is the chapter for anyone who has noticed their own mood or behavior shifting in patterns and wondered whether there's more structure to it than pure randomness. The teaching is that these qualities are not permanent character traits, they're conditions that rise and fall, which means noticing which one currently has the upper hand is itself useful information you can act on, rather than a verdict on who you are.

Chapter Summary

The fourteenth chapter of the Bhagavad Gita is "Gunatraya Vibhaga Yoga". In this chapter, Krishna reveals the three gunas (modes) of the material nature - goodness, passion and ignorance which everything in the material existence is influenced by. He further explains the essential characteristics of each of these modes, their cause and how they influence a living entity affected by them. He then reveals the various characteristics of the persons who have gone beyond these gunas. The chapter ends with Krishna reminding us of the power of pure devotion to God and how attachment to God can help us transcend these gunas.

Verses in this Chapter (27)

Verse 1

श्री भगवानुवाचपरं भूयः प्रवक्ष्यामि ज्ञानानां ज्ञानमुत्तमम्।यज्ज्ञात्वा मुनयः सर्वे परां सिद्धिमितो गताः।।14.1।।

The Lord said, "I shall declare again another kind of knowledge: It is the best of all forms of knowledge, by knowing which all the sages have attained the state of perfection beyond this world."

Verse 2

इदं ज्ञानमुपाश्रित्य मम साधर्म्यमागताः।सर्गेऽपि नोपजायन्ते प्रलये न व्यथन्ति च।।14.2।।

Resorting to this knowledge, partaking in My Nature, they are not born at the time of creation nor do they suffer at the time of dissolution.

Verse 3

मम योनिर्महद्ब्रह्म तस्मिन् गर्भं दधाम्यहम्।संभवः सर्वभूतानां ततो भवति भारत।।14.3।।

My womb is the great Brahman (i.e. Prakṛti). In it, I lay the germ. From that, O Arjuna, comes the birth of all beings.

Verse 4

सर्वयोनिषु कौन्तेय मूर्तयः सम्भवन्ति याः।तासां ब्रह्म महद्योनिरहं बीजप्रदः पिता।।14.4।।

Whatever forms are produced in any womb, O Arjuna, the Prakṛti is their great womb, and I am the sowing father.

Verse 5

सत्त्वं रजस्तम इति गुणाः प्रकृतिसंभवाः।निबध्नन्ति महाबाहो देहे देहिनमव्ययम्।।14.5।।

The Gunas of Sattva, Rajas, and Tamas arise from Prakrti and bind the immutable Self in the body, O Arjuna.

Verse 6

तत्र सत्त्वं निर्मलत्वात्प्रकाशकमनामयम्।सुखसङ्गेन बध्नाति ज्ञानसङ्गेन चानघ।।14.6।।

Of these, sattva, being without impurity, is luminous and free from morbidity. It binds, O Arjuna, through attachment to pleasure and knowledge.

Verse 7

रजो रागात्मकं विद्धि तृष्णासङ्गसमुद्भवम्।तन्निबध्नाति कौन्तेय कर्मसङ्गेन देहिनम्।।14.7।।

Know, O Arjuna, that Rajas is of the nature of passion springing from thirst and attachment. It binds the embodied self with attachment to action.

Verse 8

तमस्त्वज्ञानजं विद्धि मोहनं सर्वदेहिनाम्।प्रमादालस्यनिद्राभिस्तन्निबध्नाति भारत।।14.8।।

Know that Tamas is born of false knowledge and deludes all embodied beings. It binds, O Arjuna, with negligence, indolence, and sleep.

Verse 9

सत्त्वं सुखे सञ्जयति रजः कर्मणि भारत।ज्ञानमावृत्य तु तमः प्रमादे सञ्जयत्युत।।14.9।।

Sattva generates attachment to pleasure, Rajas to action, O Arjuna. But Tamas, obscuring knowledge, generates attachment to negligence.

Verse 10

रजस्तमश्चाभिभूय सत्त्वं भवति भारत।रजः सत्त्वं तमश्चैव तमः सत्त्वं रजस्तथा।।14.10।।

Prevailing over Rajas and Tamas, Sattva predominates, O Arjuna. Prevailing over Tamas and Sattva, Rajas predominates. Prevailing over Rajas and Sattva, Tamas predominates.

Verse 11

सर्वद्वारेषु देहेऽस्मिन्प्रकाश उपजायते।ज्ञानं यदा तदा विद्याद्विवृद्धं सत्त्वमित्युत।।14.11।।

When knowledge, like light, illuminates from all gateways (i.e., the senses), then one should know that Sattva prevails.

Verse 12

लोभः प्रवृत्तिरारम्भः कर्मणामशमः स्पृहा।रजस्येतानि जायन्ते विवृद्धे भरतर्षभ।।14.12।।

Greed, activity, undertaking of work, restlessness, and longing - these arise, O Arjuna, when Rajas predominates.

Verse 13

अप्रकाशोऽप्रवृत्तिश्च प्रमादो मोह एव च।तमस्येतानि जायन्ते विवृद्धे कुरुनन्दन।।14.13।।

Non-illumination, inactivity, negligence, and even delusion - these arise, O Arjuna, when Tamas prevails.

Verse 14

यदा सत्त्वे प्रवृद्धे तु प्रलयं याति देहभृत्।तदोत्तमविदां लोकानमलान्प्रतिपद्यते।।14.14।।

If the embodied self dissolves when Sattva prevails, then it proceeds to the pure worlds of those who know the highest.

Verse 15

रजसि प्रलयं गत्वा कर्मसङ्गिषु जायते।तथा प्रलीनस्तमसि मूढयोनिषु जायते।।14.15।।

(a) When Rajas is prevalent, one meets with dissolution and is born among those attached to work. (b) Similarly, when Tamas prevails, one who has met with dissolution is born in the womb of beings lacking intelligence.

Verse 16

कर्मणः सुकृतस्याहुः सात्त्विकं निर्मलं फलम्।रजसस्तु फलं दुःखमज्ञानं तमसः फलम्।।14.16।।

It is said that the fruit of a good deed is pure and of the nature of Sattva; the fruit of Rajas is pain; and the fruit of Tamas is ignorance.

Verse 17

सत्त्वात्सञ्जायते ज्ञानं रजसो लोभ एव च।प्रमादमोहौ तमसो भवतोऽज्ञानमेव च।।14.17।।

From Sattva arises knowledge, from Rajas arises greed, from Tamas arises negligence and delusion, and from it arises ignorance.

Verse 18

ऊर्ध्वं गच्छन्ति सत्त्वस्था मध्ये तिष्ठन्ति राजसाः।जघन्यगुणवृत्तिस्था अधो गच्छन्ति तामसाः।।14.18।।

Those who rest in Sattva ascend upwards; those who abide in Rajas stay in the middle; and those, abiding in the tendencies of Tamas descend downwards.

Verse 19

नान्यं गुणेभ्यः कर्तारं यदा द्रष्टानुपश्यति।गुणेभ्यश्च परं वेत्ति मद्भावं सोऽधिगच्छति।।14.19।।

When the seer beholds no agent of action other than the Gunas, and knows what is beyond the Gunas, he attains to My state.

Verse 20

गुणानेतानतीत्य त्रीन्देही देहसमुद्भवान्।जन्ममृत्युजरादुःखैर्विमुक्तोऽमृतमश्नुते।।14.20।।

The embodied Self, crossing beyond these three Gunas that arise in the body, and being freed from birth, death, aging, and pain, attains immortality.

Verse 21

अर्जुन उवाचकैर्लिंगैस्त्रीन्गुणानेतानतीतो भवति प्रभो।किमाचारः कथं चैतांस्त्रीन्गुणानतिवर्तते।।14.21।।

Arjuna said, "What are the marks of a person who has transcended the three Gunas? What is their behavior? And how do they transcend the three Gunas?"

Verse 22

श्री भगवानुवाचप्रकाशं च प्रवृत्तिं च मोहमेव च पाण्डव।न द्वेष्टि सम्प्रवृत्तानि न निवृत्तानि काङ्क्षति।।14.22।।

The Lord said, "He does not hate illumination, nor activity, nor even delusion, O Arjuna, while these prevail, nor does He long for them when they cease."

Verse 23

उदासीनवदासीनो गुणैर्यो न विचाल्यते।गुणा वर्तन्त इत्येव योऽवतिष्ठति नेङ्गते।।14.23।।

He who sits like one unconcerned, undisturbed by the Gunas; who knows, 'It is the Gunas that are in motion,' and so remains unshaken;

Verse 24

समदुःखसुखः स्वस्थः समलोष्टाश्मकाञ्चनः।तुल्यप्रियाप्रियो धीरस्तुल्यनिन्दात्मसंस्तुतिः।।14.24।।

He who is alike in pleasure and pain, who dwells in his Self, who looks upon a clod, a stone, and a piece of gold as of equal value, who remains the same towards things dear and hateful, and who is intelligent, who regards both blame and praise of himself as equal.

Verse 25

मानापमानयोस्तुल्यस्तुल्यो मित्रारिपक्षयोः।सर्वारम्भपरित्यागी गुणातीतः स उच्यते।।14.25।।

He who is the same in honor and dishonor, and the same to friend and foe, and who has abandoned all enterprises - he is said to have risen above the Gunas.

Verse 26

मां च योऽव्यभिचारेण भक्ितयोगेन सेवते।स गुणान्समतीत्यैतान् ब्रह्मभूयाय कल्पते।।14.26।।

And he who, with unwavering devotion through Yoga, serves Me, he, transcending the Gunas, becomes fit for the state of Brahman.

Verse 27

ब्रह्मणो हि प्रतिष्ठाऽहममृतस्याव्ययस्य च।शाश्वतस्य च धर्मस्य सुखस्यैकान्तिकस्य च।।14.27।।

For I am the ground of Brahman, the immortal, immutable, and eternal Dharma, and perfect bliss.

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