हरि सर्वोत्तम । वायु जीवोत्तम । श्री गुरुभ्यो नमः ।
अथ चतुर्दशोऽध्यायः
गुणत्रयविभागयोगः
श्रीभगवानुवाच
परं भूयः प्रवक्ष्यामि ज्ञानानां ज्ञानमुत्तमम् ।
यज्ज्ञात्वा मुनयः सर्वे परां सिद्धिमितो गताः ॥ १४।१ ॥
Śrī Bhagavān said –
I shall tell you once more the Supreme knowledge that is quite different from what has been hitherto described, having known which all sages have attained the perfect stage after this life.
इदं ज्ञानमुपाश्रित्य मम साधर्म्यमागताः ।
सर्गेऽपि नोपजायन्ते प्रलये न व्यथन्ति च ॥ १४।२ ॥
Having resorted to this knowledge and secured a form like Mine, they are not born even at the time of creation nor suffer pain at the time of dissolution of the world – i.e., having obtained Mokṣa or final liberation.
मम योनिर्महद् ब्रह्म तस्मिन्गर्भं दधाम्यहम् ।
सम्भवः सर्वभूतानां ततो भवति भारत ॥ १४।३ ॥
O Bhārata, the intelligent Prakṛti is My wife and in that Prakṛti I deposit the Germ and from it comes the birth of all beings.
सर्वयोनिषु कौन्तेय मूर्तयः सम्भवन्ति याः ।
तासां ब्रह्म महद्योनिरहं बीजप्रदः पिता ॥ १४।४ ॥
O Kunti’s son, in whatever wombs these beings are born, Mahālakṣmī is their womb and I, the Father, the Giver of the Germ.
सत्त्वं रजस्तम इति गुणाः प्रकृतिसम्भवाः ।
निबध्नन्ति महाबाहो देहे देहिनमव्ययम् ॥ १४।५ ॥
O mighty-armed Arjuna, the Guṇas produced out of non-intelligent Prakṛti (Sattva, Rajas and Tamas) presided over by Śrī, Bhū, and Durgā – bind down the imperishable dweller, i.e. the Jīva in the body.
तत्र सत्त्वं निर्मलत्वात्प्रकाशकमनामयम् ।
सुखसङ्गेन बध्नाति ज्ञानसङ्गेन चानघ ॥ १४।६ ॥
O sinless one, of these Sattva (i.e., Śrī) being pure, illuminating and healthy, binds the souls of the devas with attachment to happiness and knowledge.
रजो रागात्मकं विद्धि तृष्णासङ्गसमुद्भवम् ।
तन्निबध्नाति कौन्तेय कर्मसङ्गेन देहिनम् ॥ १४।७ ॥
O Kunti’s son, know that Rajas (the matter presided over by Bhū) is in the form of passion and is the source of craving and attachment. It binds the dweller of the body (human soul) with attachment to action.
तमस्त्वज्ञानजं विद्धि मोहनं सर्वदेहिनाम् ।
प्रमादालस्यनिद्राभिस्तन्निबध्नाति भारत ॥ १४।८ ॥
O Bhārata, know that Tamas (matter presided over by Durgā) is the source of ignorance and deludes all embodied beings (demons) and binds them with tendency to negligence, indolence and sleep.
सत्त्वं सुखे सञ्जयति रजः कर्मणि भारत ।
ज्ञानमावृत्य तु तमः प्रमादे सञ्जयत्युत ॥ १४।९ ॥
O Bhārata, Sattva (Śrī) tends one to happiness, Rajas (Bhū) to action. While Tamas (Durgā) obstructing the power of mind to obtain true knowledge attaches one to unrighteous action.
रजस्तमश्चाभिभूय सत्त्वं भवति भारत ।
रजः सत्त्वं तमश्चैव तमः सत्त्वं रजस्तथा ॥ १४।१० ॥
O Bhārata, Sattva prevails when it overpowers Rajas and Tamas; Rajas prevails when it overpowers Sattva and Tamas; and likewise, Tamas prevails when it overpowers Sattva and Rajas.
सर्वद्वारेषु देहेऽस्मिन्प्रकाश उपजायते ।
ज्ञानं यदा तदा विद्याद्विवृद्धं सत्त्वमित्युत ॥ १४।११ ॥
When the light (knowledge) streams forth through all the gates of the body then it may be known that Sattva has become dominant (increased).
लोभः प्रवृत्तिरारम्भः कर्मणामशमः स्पृहा ।
रजस्येतानि जायन्ते विवृद्धे भरतर्षभ ॥ १४।१२ ॥
O best of Bharatas, greed, useless activity, performance of action with desire, restlessness, craving for more, are born when Rajas predominates.
अप्रकाशोऽप्रवृत्तिश्च प्रमादो मोह एव च ।
तमस्येतानि जायन्ते विवृद्धे कुरुनन्दन ॥ १४।१३ ॥
O son of the Kurus, absence of knowledge, absence of activity, carelessness and also delusion result when Tamas preponderates.
यदा सत्त्वे प्रवृद्धे तु प्रलयं याति देहभृत् ।
तदोत्तमविदां लोकानमलान्प्रतिपद्यते ॥ १४।१४ ॥
If when Sattva prevails, the embodied soul leaves the body, then he is re-born in the families (worlds) of pure spirited seers that know the Lord.
रजसि प्रलयं गत्वा कर्मसङ्गिषु जायते ।
तथा प्रलीनस्तमसि मूढयोनिषु जायते ॥ १४।१५ ॥
By dying when Rajas prevails he is born again among those attached to action; and by dying when Tamas prevails, among the races of Daityas (demons).
कर्मणः सुकृतस्याहुः सात्त्विकं निर्मलं फलम् ।
रजसस्तु फलं दुःखमज्ञानं तमसः फलम् ॥ १४।१६ ॥
It is said that the fruit of good action is of Sāttvic nature and spotless; whereas the fruit of Rājasic action is misery, and of Tāmasic action ignorance.
सत्त्वात्सञ्जायते ज्ञानं रजसो लोभ एव च ।
प्रमादमोहौ तमसो भवतोऽज्ञानमेव च ॥ १४।१७ ॥
From Sattvaguṇa, knowledge of the Supreme Being is born; from Rajas desire for Svarga, and from Tamas are born carelessness, delusion and ignorance.
ऊर्ध्वं गच्छन्ति सत्त्वस्था मध्ये तिष्ठन्ति राजसाः ।
जघन्यगुणवृत्तिस्था अधो गच्छन्ति तामसाः ॥ १४।१८ ॥
Those that are fixed in Sattva go upwards to the regions called Janaloka and those above it; those of Rajas performing actions with desire remain in the middle regions of Svarga, while those of Tamas go down to hell.
नान्यं गुणेभ्यः कर्तारं यदा द्रष्टानुपश्यति ।
गुणेभ्यश्च परं वेत्ति मद्भावं सोऽधिगच्छति ॥ १४।१९ ॥
When the seer (Jīva) perceives that no agent other than the Triguṇas (three qualities) is the modifying cause, and also that I (the Lord) am far higher than the Triguṇas and independent, he attains Mukti – the state of being in Me.
गुणानेतानतीत्य त्रीन्देही देहसमुद्भवान् ।
जन्ममृत्युजरादुःखैर्विमुक्तोऽमृतमश्नुते ॥ १४।२० ॥
When the embodied soul (Jīva) overpowers these three qualities that reveal themselves in the bodies sprung out of them, he becomes liberated from birth, death, old age and misery and attains Parabrahman.
अर्जुन उवाच ।
कैर्लिङ्गैस्त्रीन्गुणानेतानतीतो भवति प्रभो ।
किमाचारः कथं चैतांस्त्रीन्गुणानतिवर्तते ॥ १४।२१ ॥
Arjuna said –
What are characteristics of him who has overcome the three qualities, O Lord? What is his course of conduct? By what means does he overcome these three qualities?
श्रीभगवानुवाच ।
प्रकाशं च प्रवृत्तिं च मोहमेव च पाण्डव ।
न द्वेष्टि सम्प्रवृत्तानि न निवृत्तानि काङ्क्षति ॥ १४।२२ ॥
Śrī Bhagavān said –
O Pāṇḍava, he who has transcended the three Guṇas or qualities does not hate the worldly knowledge arising from the Sattva quality nor the activities due to the Rājasic quality nor the delusion born of Tāmasic quality, nor does he long for these when they have disappeared.
उदासीनवदासीनो गुणैर्यो न विचाल्यते ।
गुणा वर्तन्त इत्येवं योऽवतिष्ठति नेङ्गते ॥ १४।२३ ॥
He who is not agitated by these Guṇas remains indifferent to them firmly knowing that the Guṇas are acting under the direction of the Lord and will not do actions that do not please God.
समदुःखसुखः स्वस्थः समलोष्टाश्मकाञ्चनः ।
तुल्यप्रियाप्रियो धीरस्तुल्यनिन्दात्मसंस्तुतिः ॥ १४।२४ ॥
मानापमानयोस्तुल्यस्तुल्यो मित्रारिपक्षयोः ।
सर्वारम्भपरित्यागी गुणातीतः स उच्यते ॥ १४।२५ ॥
He who considers sensual pleasure as pain; who is unchanged; to whom a lump of earth, stone and gold are all alike; to whom the loved and the unloved, praise and censure, are always the same; who is firm minded in God; who feels the same when honoured or dishonoured, the same to friend and foe and who has given up undertakings except those intended for the Lord, is known as the one that has transcended the influence of the three Guṇas.
मां च योऽव्यभिचारेण भक्तियोगेन सेवते ।
स गुणान्समतीत्यैतान्ब्रह्मभूयाय कल्पते ॥ १४।२६ ॥
He who serves Me exclusively with unswerving devotion overcomes the bondage produced by the three Guṇas and becomes fit to obtain my love.
ब्रह्मणो हि प्रतिष्ठाहममृतस्याव्ययस्य च ।
शाश्वतस्य च धर्मस्य सुखस्यैकान्तिकस्य च ॥ १४।२७ ॥
I am the real supporter of Mahālakṣmī and of the imperishable and the immortalized released souls and also of the eternal dharma and of absolute bliss.
ॐ तत्सदिति श्रीमद्भगवद्गीतासूपनिषत्सु
ब्रह्मविद्यायां योगशास्त्रे श्रीकृष्णार्जुनसंवादे
गुणत्रयविभागयोगो नाम चतुर्दशोऽध्यायः ॥ १४॥
Thus ends the Fourteenth Chapter of the Upaniśads of the Bhagavad Gīta entitled “Guṇatraya Vibhāga Yoga”, the Yoga of Division of Three Primordial Qualities.
Reference: Srimad Bhagavad Gita pocket book published by Suguna Samsath with English translation by Shri Bannanje Govindacharya (Received with blessings from HH Shri Shri Sugunendra Tirtha Swamiji of Puttige Matha in Austin, TX, Nov 1997)
Transliterated by Krishna Rao Vijayanagar and Raghunath Rao
“Do your Best … and leave the Rest … “
॥ सर्वं श्री कृष्णार्पणं अस्तु ॥