Bhagavad Gita Chapter 14: The Three Guṇas

Bhagavad Gita chapter 14 in English

Every verse below comes from Diya's Bhagavad Gita library, in verse order.

Sanskrit and transliteration	English
14.1 परं भूयः प्रवक्ष्यामि ज्ञानानां ज्ञानमुत्तमम्। यज्ज्ञात्वा मुनयः सर्वे परां सिद्धिमितो गताः॥ paraṃ bhūyaḥ pravakṣyāmi jñānānāṃ jñānamuttamam \| yajjñātvā munayaḥ sarve parāṃ siddhimito gatāḥ \|\|	Again shall I tell you that supreme knowledge which is above all knowledge, having known which all the Munis have attained to high perfection after this life.
14.2 इदं ज्ञानमुपाश्रित्य मम साधर्म्यमागताः। सर्गेऽपि नोपजायन्ते प्रलये न व्यथन्ति च॥ idaṃ jñānamupāśritya mama sādharmyamāgatāḥ \| sarge’pi nopajāyante pralaye na vyathanti ca \|\|	They who having devoted themselves to this knowledge, have attained to My Being, are truly neither born at the time of creation, nor are they troubled at the time of dissolution.
14.3 मम योनिर्महद्ब्रह्म तस्मिन् गर्भं दधाम्यहम्। सम्भवः सर्वभूतानां ततो भवति भारत॥ mama yonirmahadbrahma tasmin garbhaṃ dadhāmyaham \| sambhavaḥ sarvabhūtānāṃ tato bhavati bhārata \|\|	My womb is the great prakriti; in that I place the germ; from thence, O descendant of Bharata, is the birth of all beings.
14.4 सर्वयोनिषु कौन्तेय मूर्तयः सम्भवन्ति याः। तासां ब्रह्म महद्योनिरहं बीजप्रदः पिता॥ sarvayoniṣu kaunteya mūrtayaḥ sambhavanti yāḥ \| tāsāṃ brahma mahadyonirahaṃ bījapradaḥ pitā \|\|	Whatever forms are produced, O son of Kunti, in all the wombs, the great prakriti is their womb, and I the seed-giving Father.
14.5 सत्त्वं रजस्तम इति गुणाः प्रकृतिसम्भवाः। निबध्नन्ति महाबाहो देहे देहिनमव्ययम्॥ sattvaṃ rajastama iti guṇāḥ prakṛtisambhavāḥ \| nibadhnanti mahābāho dehe dehinamavyayam \|\|	Sattva, rajas, and tamas,—these guṇas, O mighty-armed, born of prakriti, bind fast in the body the indestructible embodied one.
14.6 तत्र सत्त्वं निर्मलत्वात्प्रकाशकमनामयम्। सुखसङ्गेन बध्नाति ज्ञानसङ्गेन चानघ॥ tatra sattvaṃ nirmalatvātprakāśakamanāmayam \| sukhasaṅgena badhnāti jñānasaṅgena cānagha \|\|	Of these sattva, from its stainlessness luminous and free from evil, binds, O sinless one, by attachment to happiness, and by attachment to knowledge.
14.7 रजो रागात्मकं विद्धि तृष्णासङ्गसमुद्भवम्। तन्निबध्नाति कौन्तेय कर्मसङ्गेन देहिनम्॥ rajo rāgātmakaṃ viddhi tṛṣṇāsaṅgasamudbhavam \| tannibadhnāti kaunteya karmasaṅgena dehinam \|\|	Know rajas to be of the nature of passion, giving rise to thirst and attachment; it binds fast, O son of Kunti, the embodied one, by attachment to action.
14.8 तमस्त्वज्ञानजं विद्धि मोहनं सर्वदेहिनाम्। प्रमादालस्यनिद्राभिस्तन्निबध्नाति भारत॥ tamastvajñānajaṃ viddhi mohanaṃ sarvadehinām \| pramādālasyanidrābhistannibadhnāti bhārata \|\|	Know tamas, born of ignorance, to delude all embodied beings. it binds through heedlessness, indolence, and sleep, O Bharata.
14.9 सत्त्वं सुखे सञ्जयति रजः कर्मणि भारत। ज्ञानमावृत्य तु तमः प्रमादे सञ्जयत्युत॥ sattvaṃ sukhe sañjayati rajaḥ karmaṇi bhārata \| jñānamāvṛtya tu tamaḥ pramāde sañjayatyuta \|\|	Sattva attaches one to happiness and rajas to action, O Bharata. tamas, covering knowledge, attaches one to heedlessness.
14.10 रजस्तमश्चाभिभूय सत्त्वं भवति भारत। रजः सत्त्वं तमश्चैव तमः सत्त्वं रजस्तथा॥ rajastamaścābhibhūya sattvaṃ bhavati bhārata \| rajaḥ sattvaṃ tamaścaiva tamaḥ sattvaṃ rajastathā \|\|	Sattva arises, O descendant of Bharata, predominating over rajas and tamas; and rajas over sattva and tamas; so, tamas over sattva and rajas.
14.11 सर्वद्वारेषु देहेऽस्मिन्प्रकाश उपजायते। ज्ञानं यदा तदा विद्याद्विवृद्धं सत्त्वमित्युत॥ sarvadvāreṣu dehe’sminprakāśa upajāyate \| jñānaṃ yadā tadā vidyādvivṛddhaṃ sattvamityuta \|\|	When through every sense in this body, the light of intelligence shines, then it should be known that sattva is predominant.
14.12 लोभः प्रवृत्तिरारम्भः कर्मणामशमः स्पृहा। रजस्येतानि जायन्ते विवृद्धे भरतर्षभ॥ lobhaḥ pravṛttirārambhaḥ karmaṇāmaśamaḥ spṛhā \| rajasyetāni jāyante vivṛddhe bharatarṣabha \|\|	Greed, activity, the undertaking of actions, unrest, longing—these arise when rajas is predominant, O bull of the Bharatas.
14.13 अप्रकाशोऽप्रवृत्तिश्च प्रमादो मोह एव च। तमस्येतानि जायन्ते विवृद्धे कुरुनन्दन॥ aprakāśo’pravṛttiśca pramādo moha eva ca \| tamasyetāni jāyante vivṛddhe kurunandana \|\|	When tamas predominates, darkness, inertia, heedlessness, and delusion arise, O descendant of Kuru.
14.14 यदा सत्त्वे प्रवृद्धे तु प्रलयं याति देहभृत्। तदोत्तमविदां लोकानमलान्प्रतिपद्यते॥ yadā sattve pravṛddhe tu pralayaṃ yāti dehabhṛt \| tadottamavidāṃ lokānamalānpratipadyate \|\|	When the embodied one dies while sattva prevails, one reaches the pure worlds of those who know the Highest.
14.15 रजसि प्रलयं गत्वा कर्मसङ्गिषु जायते। तथा प्रलीनस्तमसि मूढयोनिषु जायते॥ rajasi pralayaṃ gatvā karmasaṅgiṣu jāyate \| tathā pralīnastamasi mūḍhayoniṣu jāyate \|\|	Dying in rajas, one is born among those attached to action. dying in tamas, one is born in deluded forms of life.
14.16 कर्मणः सुकृतस्याहुः सात्त्विकं निर्मलं फलम्। रजसस्तु फलं दुःखमज्ञानं तमसः फलम्॥ karmaṇaḥ sukṛtasyāhuḥ sāttvikaṃ nirmalaṃ phalam \| rajasastu phalaṃ duḥkhamajñānaṃ tamasaḥ phalam \|\|	The fruit of good action, they say, is Sattvika and pure; the fruit of rajas is pain, and ignorance is the fruit of tamas.
14.17 सत्त्वात्सञ्जायते ज्ञानं रजसो लोभ एव च। प्रमादमोहौ तमसो भवतोऽज्ञानमेव च॥ sattvātsañjāyate jñānaṃ rajaso lobha eva ca \| pramādamohau tamaso bhavato’jñānameva ca \|\|	From sattva arises knowledge, and from rajas greed. from tamas arise heedlessness, delusion, and ignorance.
14.18 ऊर्ध्वं गच्छन्ति सत्त्वस्था मध्ये तिष्ठन्ति राजसाः। जघन्यगुणवृत्तिस्था अधो गच्छन्ति तामसाः॥ ūrdhvaṃ gacchanti sattvasthā madhye tiṣṭhanti rājasāḥ \| jaghanyaguṇavṛttisthā adho gacchanti tāmasāḥ \|\|	The sattva-abiding go upwards; the Rajasika dwell in the middle; and the Tamasika, abiding in the function of the lowest guṇa, go downwards.
14.19 नान्यं गुणेभ्यः कर्तारं यदा द्रष्टानुपश्यति। गुणेभ्यश्च परं वेत्ति मद्भावं सोऽधिगच्छति॥ nānyaṃ guṇebhyaḥ kartāraṃ yadā draṣṭānupaśyati \| guṇebhyaśca paraṃ vetti madbhāvaṃ so’dhigacchati \|\|	When the seer beholds no agent other than the guṇas and knows That which is higher than the guṇas, he attains to My being.
14.20 गुणानेतानतीत्य त्रीन्देही देहसमुद्भवान्। जन्ममृत्युजरादुःखैर्विमुक्तोऽमृतमश्नुते॥ guṇānetānatītya trīndehī dehasamudbhavān \| janmamṛtyujarāduḥkhairvimukto’mṛtamaśnute \|\|	The embodied one having gone beyond these three guṇas out of which the body is evolved, is freed from birth, death, decay and pain, and attains to immortality.
14.21 कैर्लिङ्गैस्त्रीन्गुणानेतानतीतो भवति प्रभो। किमाचारः कथं चैतांस्त्रीन्गुणानतिवर्तते॥ kairliṅgaistrīnguṇānetānatīto bhavati prabho \| kimācāraḥ kathaṃ caitāṃstrīnguṇānativartate \|\|	By what marks, O Lord, is he (known) who has gone beyond these three guṇas? What is his conduct, and how does he pass beyond these three guṇas?
14.22 प्रकाशं च प्रवृत्तिं च मोहमेव च पाण्डव। न द्वेष्टि सम्प्रवृत्तानि न निवृत्तानि काङ्क्षति॥ prakāśaṃ ca pravṛttiṃ ca mohameva ca pāṇḍava \| na dveṣṭi sampravṛttāni na nivṛttāni kāṅkṣati \|\|	One who has gone beyond the guṇas neither hates illumination, activity, or delusion when they arise, nor longs for them when they cease.
14.23 उदासीनवदासीनो गुणैर्यो न विचाल्यते। गुणा वर्तन्त इत्येवं योऽवतिष्ठति नेङ्गते॥ udāsīnavadāsīno guṇairyo na vicālyate \| guṇā vartanta ityevaṃ yo’vatiṣṭhati neṅgate \|\|	Such a person sits as one unconcerned, is not disturbed by the guṇas, and remains centered, knowing that the guṇas alone are acting.
14.24 समदुःखसुखः स्वस्थः समलोष्टाश्मकाञ्चनः। तुल्यप्रियाप्रियो धीरस्तुल्यनिन्दात्मसंस्तुतिः॥ samaduḥkhasukhaḥ svasthaḥ samaloṣṭāśmakāñcanaḥ \| tulyapriyāpriyo dhīrastulyanindātmasaṃstutiḥ \|\|	Such a person is truly alike in pleasure and pain, established in the Self, regarding earth, stone, and gold equally, steady toward the pleasant and unpleasant, and the same in blame and praise.
14.25 मानापमानयोस्तुल्यस्तुल्यो मित्रारिपक्षयोः। सर्वारम्भपरित्यागी गुणातीतः स उच्यते॥ mānāpamānayostulyastulyo mitrāripakṣayoḥ \| sarvārambhaparityāgī guṇātītaḥ sa ucyate \|\|	Equal in honor and dishonor, equal toward friend and foe, relinquishing all self-centered undertakings—such a person is truly said to have gone beyond the guṇas.
14.26 मां च योऽव्यभिचारेण भक्तियोगेन सेवते। स गुणान्समतीत्यैतान् ब्रह्मभूयाय कल्पते॥ māṃ ca yo’vyabhicāreṇa bhaktiyogena sevate \| sa guṇānsamatītyaitān brahmabhūyāya kalpate \|\|	One who serves Me through unwavering bhakti-yoga transcends these qualities and becomes fit for the state of Brahman.
14.27 ब्रह्मणो हि प्रतिष्ठाहममृतस्याव्ययस्य च। शाश्वतस्य च धर्मस्य सुखस्यैकान्तिकस्य च॥ brahmaṇo hi pratiṣṭhāhamamṛtasyāvyayasya ca \| śāśvatasya ca dharmasya sukhasyaikāntikasya ca \|\|	For I am the abode of Brahman, the Immortal and Immutable, of everlasting dharma and of Absolute Bliss.

You can read all 18 chapters in Diya. To see where chapter 14 sits in the whole text, start with the 18 chapters of the Bhagavad Gita, or read how to start the Bhagavad Gita as a beginner.

Previous chapter: Chapter 13: Field and Knower. Next chapter: Chapter 15: The Supreme Person.

Bhagavad Gita Chapter 14: The Three Guṇas

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Bhagavad Gita chapter 14 in English

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