रजो रागात्मकं विद्धि तृष्णासङ्गसमुद्भवम्।तन्निबध्नाति कौन्तेय कर्मसङ्गेन देहिनम्।।14.7।।
Know rajas to be of the nature of passion, arising from craving and attachment; it binds the embodied one, O son of Kunti, by attachment to action.
तमस्त्वज्ञानजं विद्धि मोहनं सर्वदेहिनाम्।प्रमादालस्यनिद्राभिस्तन्निबध्नाति भारत।।14.8।।
But know tamas to be born of ignorance, deluding all embodied beings; it binds, O Bharata, by heedlessness, indolence, and sleep.
सत्त्वं सुखे सञ्जयति रजः कर्मणि भारत।ज्ञानमावृत्य तु तमः प्रमादे सञ्जयत्युत।।14.9।।
Sattva attaches to happiness, rajas to action, O Bharata; but tamas, covering knowledge, attaches to heedlessness.
रजस्तमश्चाभिभूय सत्त्वं भवति भारत।रजः सत्त्वं तमश्चैव तमः सत्त्वं रजस्तथा।।14.10।।
When rajas and tamas are overcome, sattva prevails, O Bharata; when sattva and tamas are subdued, rajas arises; likewise, when sattva and rajas are subdued, tamas prevails.
सर्वद्वारेषु देहेऽस्मिन्प्रकाश उपजायते।ज्ञानं यदा तदा विद्याद्विवृद्धं सत्त्वमित्युत।।14.11।।
When, in this body, light arises in all the gates, then one should know that sattva has increased.
लोभः प्रवृत्तिरारम्भः कर्मणामशमः स्पृहा।रजस्येतानि जायन्ते विवृद्धे भरतर्षभ।।14.12।।
Greed, activity, undertaking of actions, restlessness, and craving—these arise when rajas increases, O best of the Bharatas.
अप्रकाशोऽप्रवृत्तिश्च प्रमादो मोह एव च।तमस्येतानि जायन्ते विवृद्धे कुरुनन्दन।।14.13।।
Darkness, inactivity, heedlessness, and delusion—these arise when tamas increases, O joy of the Kurus.
यदा सत्त्वे प्रवृद्धे तु प्रलयं याति देहभृत्।तदोत्तमविदां लोकानमलान्प्रतिपद्यते।।14.14।।
When the embodied one meets death while sattva is predominant, he attains the pure worlds of those who know the highest.
रजसि प्रलयं गत्वा कर्मसङ्गिषु जायते।तथा प्रलीनस्तमसि मूढयोनिषु जायते।।14.15।।
Having died in rajas, one is born among those attached to action; likewise, dying in tamas, one is born among the deluded.
कर्मणः सुकृतस्याहुः सात्त्विकं निर्मलं फलम्।रजसस्तु फलं दुःखमज्ञानं तमसः फलम्।।14.16।।
It is said that the fruit of good action is pure and sattvic; the fruit of rajas is suffering, and ignorance is the fruit of tamas.
सत्त्वात्सञ्जायते ज्ञानं रजसो लोभ एव च।प्रमादमोहौ तमसो भवतोऽज्ञानमेव च।।14.17।।
From sattva arises knowledge; from rajas, only greed; from tamas are born negligence and delusion, and indeed ignorance as well.
ऊर्ध्वं गच्छन्ति सत्त्वस्था मध्ये तिष्ठन्ति राजसाः।जघन्यगुणवृत्तिस्था अधो गच्छन्ति तामसाः।।14.18।।
Those established in sattva rise upward; those in rajas remain in the middle; those abiding in the lowest quality, tamas, go downward.
नान्यं गुणेभ्यः कर्तारं यदा द्रष्टानुपश्यति।गुणेभ्यश्च परं वेत्ति मद्भावं सोऽधिगच्छति।।14.19।।
When the seer perceives no agent apart from the gunas, and knows what is beyond the gunas, he attains my state.
गुणानेतानतीत्य त्रीन्देही देहसमुद्भवान्।जन्ममृत्युजरादुःखैर्विमुक्तोऽमृतमश्नुते।।14.20।।
Transcending these three gunas, which arise from the body, the embodied one is freed from birth, death, old age, and suffering, and attains immortality.
अर्जुन उवाचकैर्लिंगैस्त्रीन्गुणानेतानतीतो भवति प्रभो।किमाचारः कथं चैतांस्त्रीन्गुणानतिवर्तते।।14.21।।
Arjuna said: By what marks is one known who has transcended these three gunas, Lord? What is his conduct, and how does he go beyond these three gunas?
श्री भगवानुवाचप्रकाशं च प्रवृत्तिं च मोहमेव च पाण्डव।न द्वेष्टि सम्प्रवृत्तानि न निवृत्तानि काङ्क्षति।।14.22।।
The Blessed Lord said: Light, activity, and delusion, O Pandava—he neither hates when they arise, nor longs for them when they cease.
उदासीनवदासीनो गुणैर्यो न विचाल्यते।गुणा वर्तन्त इत्येव योऽवतिष्ठति नेङ्गते।।14.23।।
Seated as if indifferent, he is not disturbed by the gunas; knowing, 'The gunas act,' he remains unmoved.
समदुःखसुखः स्वस्थः समलोष्टाश्मकाञ्चनः।तुल्यप्रियाप्रियो धीरस्तुल्यनिन्दात्मसंस्तुतिः।।14.24।।
He is equal in pleasure and pain, established in himself, the same toward clod, stone, and gold; equal toward the pleasant and the unpleasant, steady, and equal in praise and blame of himself.
मानापमानयोस्तुल्यस्तुल्यो मित्रारिपक्षयोः।सर्वारम्भपरित्यागी गुणातीतः स उच्यते।।14.25।।
He is the same in honor and dishonor, the same toward friend and foe; abandoning all undertakings, he is said to have transcended the gunas.
मां च योऽव्यभिचारेण भक्ितयोगेन सेवते।स गुणान्समतीत्यैतान् ब्रह्मभूयाय कल्पते।।14.26।।
And he who serves me with unwavering devotion through the yoga of devotion, he, transcending these gunas, is fit to become Brahman.
ब्रह्मणो हि प्रतिष्ठाऽहममृतस्याव्ययस्य च।शाश्वतस्य च धर्मस्य सुखस्यैकान्तिकस्य च।।14.27।।
For I am the foundation of Brahman, of the immortal and imperishable, of the eternal dharma, and of absolute happiness.
श्री भगवानुवाचऊर्ध्वमूलमधःशाखमश्वत्थं प्राहुरव्ययम्।छन्दांसि यस्य पर्णानि यस्तं वेद स वेदवित्।।15.1।।
The Blessed Lord said: They speak of the imperishable ashvattha tree, with its roots above and branches below, whose leaves are the Vedic hymns; he who knows this tree is a knower of the Veda.
अधश्चोर्ध्वं प्रसृतास्तस्य शाखा गुणप्रवृद्धा विषयप्रवालाः।अधश्च मूलान्यनुसन्ततानि कर्मानुबन्धीनि मनुष्यलोके।।15.2।।
Its branches extend downward and upward, nourished by the gunas, with sense objects as its shoots; and its roots, spreading downward, bind the world of men through actions.
न रूपमस्येह तथोपलभ्यते नान्तो न चादिर्न च संप्रतिष्ठा।अश्वत्थमेनं सुविरूढमूल मसङ्गशस्त्रेण दृढेन छित्त्वा।।15.3।।
Its form here is not thus perceived, nor its end, nor its beginning, nor its foundation; having cut down this firmly rooted ashvattha with the strong axe of detachment—
ततः पदं तत्परिमार्गितव्य यस्मिन्गता न निवर्तन्ति भूयः।तमेव चाद्यं पुरुषं प्रपद्ये यतः प्रवृत्तिः प्रसृता पुराणी।।15.4।।
Then that path should be sought, by reaching which one does not return again. I take refuge in that original Person, from whom ancient activity has flowed forth.
निर्मानमोहा जितसङ्गदोषा अध्यात्मनित्या विनिवृत्तकामाः।द्वन्द्वैर्विमुक्ताः सुखदुःखसंज्ञै र्गच्छन्त्यमूढाः पदमव्ययं तत्।।15.5।।
Free from pride and delusion, having conquered the fault of attachment, ever dwelling in the Self, desires departed, liberated from the pairs called pleasure and pain, the undeluded reach that imperishable state.
न तद्भासयते सूर्यो न शशाङ्को न पावकः।यद्गत्वा न निवर्तन्ते तद्धाम परमं मम।।15.6।।
Neither the sun, nor the moon, nor fire illumines that; having gone there, they do not return—that is my supreme abode.
ममैवांशो जीवलोके जीवभूतः सनातनः।मनःषष्ठानीन्द्रियाणि प्रकृतिस्थानि कर्षति।।15.7।।
An eternal portion of myself, having become a living being in the world of life, draws to itself the senses and mind, which abide in nature.
शरीरं यदवाप्नोति यच्चाप्युत्क्रामतीश्वरः।गृहीत्वैतानि संयाति वायुर्गन्धानिवाशयात्।।15.8।।
When the Lord obtains a body and when He departs from it, He takes these senses and mind along, just as the wind carries scents from their source.
श्रोत्रं चक्षुः स्पर्शनं च रसनं घ्राणमेव च।अधिष्ठाय मनश्चायं विषयानुपसेवते।।15.9।।
Presiding over the ear, eye, touch, tongue, and nose, as well as the mind, He experiences the objects of the senses.