ऊर्ध्वं गच्छन्ति सत्त्वस्था मध्ये तिष्ठन्ति राजसा: |
जघन्यगुणवृत्तिस्था अधो गच्छन्ति तामसा: ||18||
जघन्यगुणवृत्तिस्था अधो गच्छन्ति तामसा: ||18||
Those established in sattva go upwards; the rajas-dominated remain in the middle; and the tamas-dominated, steeped in qualities of ignorance, go downwards.
- Urdhvam: Upwards or ascending.
- Rajasa: The state dominated by rajas guna.
- Tamasah: The state dominated by tamas guna.
Sattva leads the soul upwards toward higher realms, rajas keeps it bound to material pursuits, and tamas drags it downward into ignorance. Krishna emphasizes striving for transcendence over these fluctuating states.
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