Bhagvad Gita - Chapter: 14 Guna Traya Vibhaga Yogah

Guna Traya Vibhaga Yogah - O Bharata, sometimes sattva prevails, overcoming rajas and tamas; sometimes rajas overcomes sattva and tamas; and sometimes tamas overcomes sattva and rajas.

रजस्तमश्चाभिभूय सत्त्वं भवति भारत |
रज: सत्त्वं तमश्चैव तम: सत्त्वं रजस्तथा ||10||

O Bharata, sometimes sattva prevails, overcoming rajas and tamas; sometimes rajas overcomes sattva and tamas; and sometimes tamas overcomes sattva and rajas.

Gunah: The three qualities of nature.
Sattvam: Purity prevailing.
Tamash: Darkness and ignorance.

The interplay of gunas is dynamic; each quality predominates at different times. Krishna shows that understanding their fluctuations is essential for self-awareness and controlling their effects on the mind and actions.

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Guna Traya Vibhaga Yogah - When the light of knowledge shines through all the gates of the body, then it should be known that sattva has increased greatly.

सर्वद्वारेषु देहेऽस्मिन्प्रकाश उपजायते |
ज्ञानं यदा तदा विद्याद्विवृद्धं सत्त्वमित्युत ||11||

When the light of knowledge shines through all the gates of the body, then it should be known that sattva has increased greatly.

Prakasha: Light or illumination.
Sarva Dvareshu: Through all the doors of the body.
Jnana: Knowledge or awareness.

Krishna explains that when sattva prevails, knowledge flows effortlessly. This marks a state of inner clarity and divine connection, urging Arjuna to recognize the signs of sattva’s dominance and cultivate it consciously.

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Guna Traya Vibhaga Yogah - Greed, activity, the undertaking of actions, unrest, and craving—these arise when rajas is predominant, O best of the Bharatas.

लोभ: प्रवृत्तिरारम्भ: कर्मणामशम: स्पृहा |
रजस्येतानि जायन्ते विवृद्धे भरतर्षभ ||12||

Greed, activity, the undertaking of actions, unrest, and craving—these arise when rajas is predominant, O best of the Bharatas.

Lobha: Greed or covetousness.
Ashama: Restlessness or lack of control.
Sprha: Craving or yearning.

Rajas reveals itself through greed, restlessness, and ambition. Krishna warns that while action is necessary, being driven by uncontrolled desires leads to suffering, illustrating the need to balance effort with detachment.

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अप्रकाशोऽप्रवृत्तिश्च प्रमादो मोह एव च |
तमस्येतानि जायन्ते विवृद्धे कुरुनन्दन ||13||

Darkness, inactivity, heedlessness, and delusion—these arise when tamas is predominant, O descendant of the Kurus.

Aprakasha: Absence of light or knowledge.
Mohah: Delusion or confusion.
Kuru Nandana: Descendant of the Kuru dynasty, referring to Arjuna.

Tamas is further elaborated as a state of darkness, leading to confusion and stagnation. Krishna contrasts this with the clarity of sattva and dynamism of rajas, urging vigilance against tamas’s deluding influence.

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Guna Traya Vibhaga Yogah - If the embodied one meets death when sattva is predominant, then he attains to the spotless worlds of the knowers of the Highest.

यदा सत्त्वे प्रवृद्धे तु प्रलयं याति देहभृत् |
तदोत्तमविदां लोकानमलान्प्रतिपद्यते ||14||

If the embodied one meets death when sattva is predominant, then he attains to the spotless worlds of the knowers of the Highest.

Sattve: In the state of purity.
Amalan: Spotless or pure.
Pratipadyate: Attains or reaches.

Krishna describes the consequences of death under the influence of sattva, offering Arjuna a vision of the pure and enlightened realms that await those who cultivate sattva’s qualities during their lifetime.

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रजसि प्रलयं गत्वा कर्मसङ्गिषु जायते |
तथा प्रलीनस्तमसि मूढयोनिषु जायते ||15||

Meeting death in rajas, he is born among those attached to action; dying in tamas, he is born in the wombs of the deluded.

Rajas: State of activity and passion.
Tamas: State of ignorance and inertia.
Mudhayonisu: Born in deluded wombs.

Krishna outlines the contrasting outcomes of death in rajas and tamas. The former ties souls to action-driven births, while the latter leads to ignorance-filled existences, emphasizing the importance of transcending these gunas.

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कर्मण: सुकृतस्याहु: सात्त्विकं निर्मलं फलम् |
रजसस्तु फलं दु:खमज्ञानं तमस: फलम् ||16||

The result of virtuous action is said to be pure and sattvic; that of rajas is pain, and ignorance is the result of tamas.

Sukritasya: Of virtuous deeds.
Nirmalam: Pure or stainless.
Phalam: The result or fruit of actions.

The fruits of actions are tied to the prevailing guna—sattva yields purity, rajas results in pain, and tamas fosters ignorance. Krishna encourages Arjuna to strive for sattvic actions to achieve clarity and liberation.

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