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ज्ञानं कर्म च कर्ता च त्रिधैव गुणभेदतः।प्रोच्यते गुणसंख्याने यथावच्छृणु तान्यपि।।18.19।।

jñānaṁ karma cha kartā cha tridhaiva guṇa-bhedataḥ prochyate guṇa-saṅkhyāne yathāvach chhṛiṇu tāny api

Sanskrit Chant Recitation
Chapter 18, Verse 19
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Scripture Translation Room

Sanskrit to English Translation

Translator:
Knowledge, action, and actor are declared in the science of the Gunas (Sankhya philosophy) to be of three kinds only, according to the distinction of the Gunas. Of these, hear duly.

A Reading - Rantideb

Why: knowledge, action, and the agent are declared to be of three kinds, differentiated by the qualities, hear these too as they are stated, previewing the detailed threefold breakdown of knowledge, action, and agent that follows across the next several verses.

In life: applying the same three-quality lens, clarity, restlessness, confusion, to how you understand things, how you act, and who you're currently being as an agent gives you three separate, useful checkpoints rather than one vague overall assessment.

Teaching: use these three separate checkpoints, your current knowledge, your current action, and your current sense of agency, as distinct areas to individually assess against the three-quality framework, rather than collapsing them into one vague overall self-assessment.

jñānamknowledge
karmaaction
chaand
kartādoer
chaalso
tridhāof three kinds
evacertainly
guṇa-bhedataḥdistinguished according to the three modes of material nature
prochyateare declared
guṇa-saṅkhyāneSānkhya philosophy, which describes the modes of material nature
yathā-vatas they are
śhṛiṇulisten
tānithem
apialso

Deep Classical Commentary (Bhashya)

Author:
18.19 ज्ञानम् knowledge? कर्म action? च and? कर्ता actor? च and? त्रिधा of three kinds? एव only? गुणभेदतः according to the distinction of Gunas? प्रोच्यते are declared? गुणसंख्याने in the science of Gunas (Sankhya philosophy)? यथावत् duly? श्रृणु hear? तानि them? अपि also.Commentary The three alities overpower the whole of creation with their special nature and bring it entirely under their control. The nature of action? the actor and his knowledge are threefold according to the Gunas that is predominant. If all the three are Sattvic? then the action will not bind the man.Karta The doer of the actions.The science of the Gunas here referred to is Kapilas system of philosophy. Though the Sankhya system is opposed to Vedanta with reference to the Supreme Truth? viz.? the oneness or nonduality of Brahman? yet it is an authority on the science of the Gunas.I shall describe knowledge? action and actor? as also their various distinctions caused by different Gunas? scientifically and rationally. Hear My teachings? O Arjuna? with rapt attention. You will be immensely benefited.