Shrimad Bhagavad Gita - Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Shree Bhagavan said: Again, I shall explain best of all the knowledges, the Supreme Wisdom; knowing which, all saints attained highest perfection. (1)

Those who take refuge in this wisdom, they having attained similar nature as MINE; are not born at the time of creation and they will not experience misery even at the time of cosmic dissolution. (2)

MY Prakriti (the total material substance), the great Brahma, is the womb of all beings; in that womb I place the seed of all life. The birth-origin of all beings follows from the union of Matter and Spirit, O Arjuna, the son of Bharata. (3)

All the species of life, which appear in all the forms that are produced; Arjuna, the son of Kunti; Prakriti or Nature is the womb, the Mother and I am the seed giving Father. (4)

Sattva, Rajas and Tamas are the modes that Prakriti (the material nature) has. These bind the eternal soul of the embodied to the body; O Arjuna (O Mahabaho, the mighty-armed one). (5)

Amongst these, Sattva being the purest; is illuminating, healthy and full of well-being; it binds with the attachment to happiness and knowledge; O Arjuna, the sinless one. (6)

Know Rajas as the source of passion and attachment to desire. That, O Arjuna, the son of Kunti; binds the embodied soul by attachment to action and its fruit. (7)

Know Tamas as born of ignorance; it causes illusion for all the embodied souls; deludes and binds them with negligence, laziness, sleep; O Arjuna, the son of Bharata. (8)

Sattva binds to happiness; Rajas to actions; O Arjuna, the son of Bharata; but Tamas clouds the wisdom and indeed binds to delusion. (9)

Overpowering Rajas and Tamas, Sattva prevails; O Arjuna, the son of Bharata; overpowering Sattva and Tamas, Rajas prevails; and also overpowering Sattva and Rajas, Tamas prevails. (10)

When all the gates in this body, manifest illumination; then know certainly, that knowledge excels and Sattva predominates. (11)

When Rajas predominates; the symptoms of greed, restlessness and craving develop with uncontrolled actions directed towards material gains; O Arjuna, the best of the Bharatas. (12)

Ignorance and lack of effort, negligence and delusion prevail when Tamas dominates; O Arjuna, the son of the Kurus. (13)

When Sattva predominates the embodied at death; then indeed he attains the pure abodes of the learned. (14)

Those attaining death in Rajas, are born among the people driven by work. Likewise dying in Tamas; one takes birth in the animal kingdom. (15)

Sattva is said to be of pure action with pure result; Rajas indeed, results in pain; the result of Tamas is ignorance. (16)

Knowledge arises from Sattva; indeed, greed from Rajas and negligence, delusion and ignorance arise from Tamas. (17)

Those situated in Sattva rise upwards; those in Rajas stay in the middle; those situated in Tamas; engaged in bad activities & with bad qualities, go downwards. (18)

When one sees nothing but the Gunas as the agents of action, the doer. And who know the transcendental, beyond these Gunas; they attain MY Divine Nature. (19)

Transcending these three Gunas, the three modes of material nature associated with the body; the embodied attain freedom from the misery produced by birth, death, old age. (20)

Arjuna said: What are the signs of having transcended these three Gunas, O Lord? What is the conduct and how does one transcend these three Gunas? (21)

Shree Bhagavan said: O Arjuna (O Pandava, the son of Pandu); illumination (arising from Sattva) and activity (from Rajas) and even delusion (because of Tamas), they do not hate when these are present and nor long for it when absent. (22)

Situated neutral in the presence of all the Gunas (to the modes of material nature); those who not are disturbed by the Gunas (the modes of material nature) and who act knowing it to be the Gunas, in this way who are established in the self, without wavering. (23)

Established in the self, who is alike in distress and happiness; who considers clay, stone and gold as equals (as being of equal value); equipoised when it is pleasant or unpleasant; the same with blame or praise. (24)

Who treats honor and dishonor equally; behaves the same with everyone, whether a friend or a foe; who renounces the sense of doer ship for all the actions; they are said to have risen above the Gunas (the three modes of material nature). (25)

And he who serves ME without distraction by the Yoga of devotion; he transcends the Gunas (the three modes of material nature) and attains Brahma. (26)

For I am the abode of the Brahma, the immortal and the imperishable; and of the eternal Dharma (righteousness) and of the unending bliss. (27)