मानो मदस्तथा गर्वो रजसा किल जायते । प्रत्येतव्यं रजस्त्वेतैर्लक्षणैश्च विचक्षणैः
Pride, intoxication, and conceit are born from rajas; the wise should recognize rajas by these characteristics.
कृष्णवर्णं तमः प्रोक्तं मोहनं च विषादकृत् । आलस्यं च तथाऽज्ञानं निद्रा दैन्यं भयं तथा
Black color is declared to be tamas, which causes delusion and despair, as well as laziness, ignorance, sleep, misery, and fear.
विवादश्चैव कार्पण्यं कौटिल्यं रोष एव च । वैषम्यं वातिनास्तिक्यं परदोषानुदर्शनम्
Quarreling, miserliness, deceit, anger, inequality, extreme atheism, and finding fault in others—
प्रत्येतव्यं तमस्त्वेतैर्लक्षणैः सर्वथा बुधैः । तामस्या श्रद्धया युक्तं परतापोपपादकम्
The wise should always recognize tamas by these signs; tamasic faith is associated with causing harm to others.
सत्त्वं प्रकाशयितव्यं नियन्तव्यं रजः सदा । संहर्तव्यं तमः कामं जनेन शुभमिच्छता
Sattva should be made manifest, rajas should always be restrained, and tamas should be destroyed by those who desire auspiciousness.
अन्योन्याभिभवाच्चैते विरुध्यन्ति परस्परम् । तथोऽन्योन्याश्रयाः सर्वे न तिष्ठन्ति निराश्रयाः
These qualities overpower each other and oppose one another; all depend on each other and do not exist independently.
सत्त्वं न केवलं क्वापि न रजो न तमस्तथा । मिलिताश्च सदा सर्वे तेनान्योन्याश्रयाः स्मृताः
Sattva, rajas, and tamas never exist alone anywhere; they are always mixed together, and thus are considered mutually dependent.
अन्योन्यमिथुनाच्चैव विस्तारं कथयाम्यहम् । शृणु नारद यज्ज्ञात्वा मुच्यते भवबन्धनात्
I will explain their mutual combination and expansion; listen, Narada, for knowing this one is freed from the bondage of existence.
सन्देहोऽत्र न कर्तव्यो ज्ञात्वेत्युक्तं मया वचः । ज्ञातं तदनुभूतं यत्परिज्ञातं फले सति
No doubt should be made here, for I have spoken this word: what is known, experienced, and understood yields its result.
श्रवणाद्दर्शनाच्चैव सपद्येव महामते । संस्कारानुभवाच्चैव परिज्ञातं न जायते
Through hearing and seeing, O wise one, and through experiencing impressions, true understanding does not arise.
श्रुतं तीर्थं पवित्रञ्च श्रद्धोत्पन्ना च राजसी । निर्गतस्तत्र तीर्थे वै दृष्टं चैव यथाश्रुतम्
A sacred place is heard of, purified, and rajasic faith arises; one goes to that place and sees it as heard.
स्नातस्तत्र कृतं कृत्यं दत्तं दानं च राजसम् । स्थितस्तत्र कियत्कालं रजोगुणसमावृतः
One bathes there, performs rites, gives gifts in a rajasic manner, and stays there for some time, enveloped by the quality of rajas.
रागद्वेषान्न निर्मुक्तः कामक्रोधसमावृतः । पुनरेव गृहं प्राप्तो यथापूर्वं तथा स्थितः
Not freed from attachment and aversion, enveloped by desire and anger, one returns home and remains as before.
श्रुतं च नानुभूतं वै तेन तीर्थं मुनीश्वर । न प्राप्तं च फलं यस्मादश्रुतं विद्धि नारद
What is heard but not experienced, O sage, does not yield the result of visiting the sacred place; know, Narada, that what is not heard is fruitless.
निष्पापत्वं बलं विद्धि तीर्थस्य मुनिसत्तम । कृषेः फलं यथा लोके निष्पन्नान्नस्य भक्षणम्
O best of sages, know that the power of a sacred place lies in its freedom from sin, just as in the world, the fruit of cultivation is the enjoyment of the food produced.
पापदेहविकारा ये कामक्रोधादयः परे । लोभो मोहस्तथा तृष्णा द्वेषो रागस्तथा मदः
The transformations of the sinful body are those such as desire, anger, greed, delusion, thirst, hatred, attachment, and pride.
असूयेर्ष्याक्षमाशान्तिः पापान्येतानि नारद । न निर्गतानि देहात्तु तावत्पापयुतो नरः
These are the sins, O Nārada: envy, jealousy, impatience, and lack of peace; as long as these have not departed from the body, a person remains bound by sin.
कृते तीर्थे यदैतानि देहान्न निर्गतानि चेत् । निष्फलः श्रम एवैकः कर्षकस्य यथा तथा
If, after visiting a sacred place, these have not left the body, then the effort is fruitless, just like the toil of a farmer that yields nothing.
श्रमेणापीडितं क्षेत्रं कृष्टा भूमिः सुदुर्घटा । उप्तं बीजं महार्घं च हिता वृत्तिरुदाहृता
A field afflicted by toil, land that is difficult to till, and precious seed sown—such is considered a beneficial livelihood.
अहोरात्रं परिक्लिष्टो रक्षणार्थं फलोत्सुकः । काले सुप्तस्तु हेमन्ते वने व्याघ्रादिभिर्भृशम्
Day and night, exhausted with effort, eager for the fruit, he guards it; but in winter, if he sleeps in the forest, he is greatly troubled by tigers and the like.
भक्षितं शलभैः सर्वं निराशश्च कृतः पुनः । तद्वत्तीर्थश्रमः पुत्र कष्टदो न फलप्रदः
If all is eaten by locusts and he is left hopeless again, in the same way, O son, the hardship of pilgrimage brings pain but not reward.
सत्त्वं समुत्कटं जातं प्रवृद्धं शास्त्रदर्शनात् । वैराग्यं तत्फलं जातं तामसार्थेषु नारद
When sattva becomes strong and grows through the study of scripture, then, O Nārada, its fruit is detachment from objects born of darkness.
प्रसह्याभिभवत्येव तद्रजस्तमसी उभे । रजः समुत्कटं जातं प्रवृत्तं लोभयोगतः
That sattva forcefully overcomes both rajas and tamas; when rajas becomes strong, it arises through association with greed.
तत्तथाभिभवत्येव तमःसत्त्वे तथा उभे । तमस्तथोत्कटं भूत्वा प्रवृद्धं मोहयोगतः
Then it likewise overcomes both tamas and sattva; and when tamas becomes intense and grows through delusion, it prevails.
तत्सत्त्वरजसी चोभे सङ्गम्याभिभवत्यपि । विस्तरं कथयाम्यद्य यथाभिभवतीति वै
That tamas, joining with both sattva and rajas, also overcomes them; today I will explain in detail how this overcoming takes place.
यदा सत्त्वं प्रवृद्धं वै मतिर्धर्मे स्थिता तदा । न चिन्तयति बाह्यार्थं रजस्तमःसमुद्भवम्
When sattva increases and the mind is established in dharma, then it does not consider external objects arising from rajas and tamas.
अर्थं सत्त्वसमुद्भूतं गृह्णाति च न चान्यथा । अनायासकृतं चार्थं धर्मं यज्ञं च वाञ्छति
It accepts only that which arises from sattva, and not otherwise; it desires actions, dharma, and sacrifice that are accomplished without strain.
सात्त्विकेष्वेव भोगेषु कामं वै कुरुते तदा । राजसेषु न मोक्षार्थं तामसेषु पुनः कुतः
At that time, it seeks enjoyment only in sattvic pleasures; not in rajasic ones for the sake of liberation, and certainly not in tamasic ones.
एवं जित्वा रजः पूर्वं ततश्च तमसो जयः । सत्त्वं च केवलं पुत्र तदा भवति निर्मलम्
Thus, having conquered rajas first and then tamas, only sattva remains, O son, and then it becomes pure.
यदा रजः प्रवृद्धं वै त्यक्त्वा धर्मान् सनातनान् । अन्यथाकुरुते धर्माच्छ्रद्धां प्राप्य तु राजसीम्
When rajas increases, abandoning the eternal dharmas, one acts otherwise, having attained rajasic faith instead of dharma.