तमस्त्वज्ञानजं विद्धि मोहनं सर्वदेहिनाम् । प्रमादालस्यनिद्राभिस्तन्निबध्नाति भारत
But know tamas to be born of ignorance, deluding all embodied beings; it binds, O Bharata, through negligence, indolence, and sleep.
सत्वं सुखे संजयति रजः कर्मणि भारत । ज्ञानमावृत्य तु तमः प्रमादे संजयत्युत
Sattva leads to happiness, rajas to action, O Bharata; but tamas, covering knowledge, leads to negligence.
रजस्तमश्चाभिभूय सत्वं भवति भारत। रजः सत्वं तमश्चैव तमः सत्वं रजस्तथा
When sattva prevails, having overcome rajas and tamas, O Bharata, then rajas overcomes sattva and tamas, and tamas overcomes sattva and rajas likewise.
सर्वद्वारेषु देहेऽस्मिन्प्राकाश उपजायते। ज्ञानं यदा तदा विद्याद्विवृद्धं सत्वमित्युत
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
Greed, activity, undertaking of actions, restlessness, and longing—these arise when rajas increases, O best of the Bharatas.
अप्रकाशोऽप्रवृत्तिश्च प्रमादो मोह एव च । तमस्येतानि जायन्ते विवृद्धे कुरुनन्दन
Darkness, inactivity, negligence, and delusion—these arise when tamas increases, O joy of the Kurus.
यदा सत्वे प्रवृद्धे तु प्रलयं याति देहभृत् । तदोत्तमविदां लोकानमलान्प्रतिपद्यते
When, at the time of death, sattva is predominant in the embodied one, then he attains the pure worlds of those who know the highest.
रजसि प्रलयं गत्वा कर्मसङ्गिषु जायते । तथा प्रलीनस्तमसि मूढयोनिषु जायते
Having died in rajas, one is born among those attached to action; likewise, dying in tamas, one is born in the wombs of the deluded.
कर्मणः सुकृतस्याहुः सात्विकं निर्मलं फलम्। रजसस्तु फलं दुःखमज्ञानं तमसः फलम्
They say the fruit of good action is pure and sattvic; the fruit of rajas is pain, and ignorance is the fruit of tamas.
सत्वात्संजायते ज्ञानं रजसो लोभ एव च। प्रमादमोहौ तमसो भवतोऽज्ञानमेव च
From sattva arises knowledge, from rajas only greed; from tamas arise negligence, delusion, and indeed ignorance.
ऊर्ध्वं गच्छन्ति सत्वस्था मध्ये तिष्ठन्ति राजसाः । जघन्यगुणवृत्तस्था अघो गच्छन्ति तामसाः
Those established in sattva go upward; those in rajas remain in the middle; those abiding in the lowest quality, tamas, go downward.
नान्यं गुणेभ्यः कर्तारं यदा द्रष्टाऽनुपश्यति । गुणेभ्यश्च परं वेत्ति मद्भावं सोऽधिगच्छति
When the seer perceives no other agent than the qualities, and knows that which is beyond the qualities, he attains my state.
गुणानेतानतीत्य त्रीन्देही देहसमुद्भवान् । जन्ममृत्युजरादुःखैर्विमुक्तोऽमृतमश्रुते
Transcending these three qualities, which arise from the body, the embodied one is freed from birth, death, old age, and sorrow, and attains immortality.
कैर्लिङ्गैस्त्रीन्गुणानेतानीतो भवति प्रभो । किमाचारः कथं चैतांस्त्रीन्गुणानतिवर्तते
By what marks, O Lord, is one known who has transcended these three qualities? What is his conduct, and how does he go beyond these three qualities?
प्रकाशं च प्रवृत्तिं च मोहमेव च पाण्डव। न द्वेष्टि संप्रवृत्तानि न निवृत्तानि काङ्क्षति
He neither hates the presence of light, activity, or delusion, O Pandava, nor longs for them when they have ceased.
उदासीनवदासीनो गुणैर्यो न विचाल्यते । गुणा वर्तन्त इत्येव योऽवतिष्ठति नेङ्गते
He who sits indifferent, unmoved by the qualities, who knows that the qualities act and does not waver—such a one abides.
समदुःखसुखः स्वस्थः समलोष्टाश्मकाञ्चनः । तुल्यप्रियाप्रियो धीरस्तुल्यनिन्दात्मसंस्तुतिः
He who is the same in pain and pleasure, self-composed, who regards a lump of earth, a stone, and gold alike, who is steady in mind toward both the pleasant and the unpleasant, and who is unmoved by praise or blame—
मानापमानयोस्तुल्यस्तुल्यो मित्रारिपक्षयोः । सर्वारम्भपरित्यागी गुणातीतः स उच्यते
Who is equal in honor and dishonor, the same toward friend and foe, who has renounced all undertakings—he is said to have transcended the qualities.
मां च योऽव्यभिचारेण भक्तियोगेन सेवते । स गुणान्समतीत्यैतान्ब्रह्म भूयाय कल्पते
And he who serves Me with unwavering devotion, surpassing these qualities, is fit to become one with Brahman.
ब्रह्मणो हि प्रतिष्ठाहममृतस्याव्ययस्य च। शाश्वतस्य च धर्मस्य सुखस्यैकान्तिकस्य च
For I am the foundation of Brahman, of the immortal and the unchanging, of the eternal law and of absolute bliss.
ऊर्ध्वमूलमधःशाखमश्वत्थं प्राहुरव्ययम्। छन्दांसि यस्य पर्णानि यस्तं वेद स वेदवित्
They speak of the imperishable aśvattha tree, with 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 मूलान्यनुसंततानि कर्मानुबन्धीनि मनुष्यलोके
Its branches extend downward and upward, nourished by the qualities, with sense-objects as its tender shoots; and its roots, spreading downward, bind living beings in the world through actions.
न रूपमस्येह तथोपलभ्यते नान्तो न चादिर्न च संप्रतिष्ठा । अश्वत्थमेनं सुविरूढमूल- मसङ्गशस्त्रेण दृढेन छित्वा
Its form is not perceived here as it is—its end, its beginning, nor its foundation; having cut down this firmly rooted aśvattha tree with the strong axe of detachment—
ततः पदं तत्परिमार्गितव्यं यस्मिन्गता न निवर्तन्ति भूयः । तमेव चाद्यं पुरुषं प्रपद्ये यतः प्रवृत्तिः प्रसृता पुराणी
Then that goal should be sought, having gone where none return again; I take refuge in that original Person from whom the ancient activity has flowed forth.
निर्मानमोहा जितसङ्गदोषा अध्यात्मनित्या विनिवृत्तकामाः । द्वद्वैर्विमुक्ताः सुखदुःखसंज्ञै- र्गच्छन्त्यमूढाः पदमव्ययं तत्
Those who are free from pride and delusion, who have conquered the fault of attachment, who dwell constantly in the Self, whose desires have departed, who are liberated from the pairs of opposites called pleasure and pain, undeluded, reach that imperishable state.
न तद्भासयते सूर्यो न शशाङ्को न पावकः । यद्गत्वा न निवर्तन्ते तद्धाम परमं मम
That realm is not illumined by the sun, nor by the moon, nor by fire; having gone there, they do not return—that is My supreme abode.
ममैवांशो जीवलोके जीवभूतः सनातनः । मनःषष्ठानीन्द्रियाणि प्रकृतिस्थानि कर्षति
A portion of Myself, having become the eternal living soul in the world of living beings, draws the senses, which are six with the mind, abiding in nature.
शरीरं यदवाप्नोति यच्चाप्युत्क्रामतीश्वरः । गृहीत्वैतानि संयाति वायुर्गन्धानिवाशयात्
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 places.
श्रोत्रं चक्षुः स्पर्शनं च रसनं घ्राणमेव च। अधिष्ठाय मनश्चायं विषयानुपसेवते
Presiding over the ear, the eye, the sense of touch, the tongue, and the nose, as well as the mind, He enjoys the objects of the senses.
उत्क्रामन्तं स्थितं वाऽपि भुञ्जानं वा गुणान्वितम् । विमूढा नानुपश्यन्ति पश्यन्ति ज्ञानचक्षुषः
The deluded do not perceive Him as He departs, stays, or enjoys, endowed with the qualities; but those with the eye of knowledge see.