The Yoga of the Division of the Three Gunas

परं भूयः प्रवक्ष्यामि ज्ञानानां ज्ञानमुत्तमम् ।यज्ज्ञात्वा मुनयः सर्वे परां सिद्धिमितो गताः ॥

paraṃ bhūyaḥ pravakṣyāmi jñānānāṃ jñānamuttamam |yajjñātvā munayaḥ sarve parāṃ siddhimito gatāḥ ||

Shri Krishna says: I will tell you once more the highest knowledge, the best of all knowledge. Knowing it, all the sages passed from this world to the highest perfection.

इदं ज्ञानमुपाश्रित्य मम साधर्म्यमागताः ।सर्गेऽपि नोपजायन्ते प्रलये न व्यथन्ति च ॥

idaṃ jñānamupāśritya mama sādharmyamāgatāḥ |sarge'pi nopajāyante pralaye na vyathanti ca ||

Those who take refuge in this knowledge and come to share my nature are not born even when the world is created, and are not troubled when it dissolves.

मम योनिर्महद्ब्रह्म तस्मिन्गर्भं दधाम्यहम् ।संभवः सर्वभूतानां ततो भवति भारत ॥

mama yonirmahadbrahma tasmingarbhaṃ dadhāmyaham |saṃbhavaḥ sarvabhūtānāṃ tato bhavati bhārata ||

The great Brahman, that is, great nature, is my womb. In it I place the seed, and from it all beings are born, O Bharata.

सर्वयोनिषु कौन्तेय मूर्तयः संभवन्ति याः ।तासां ब्रह्म महद्योनिरहं बीजप्रदः पिता ॥

sarvayoniṣu kaunteya mūrtayaḥ saṃbhavanti yāḥ |tāsāṃ brahma mahadyonirahaṃ bījapradaḥ pitā ||

Whatever forms are born from any womb, Arjuna, great nature is their womb, and I am the father who gives the seed.

तत्र सत्त्वं निर्मलत्वात्प्रकाशकमनामयम् ।सुखसङ्गेन बध्नाति ज्ञानसङ्गेन चानघ ॥

tatra sattvaṃ nirmalatvātprakāśakamanāmayam |sukhasaṅgena badhnāti jñānasaṅgena cānagha ||

Of these, sattva is pure, so it gives light and is free from trouble. Yet it too binds, through attachment to happiness and attachment to knowledge, sinless one.

रजो रागात्मकं विद्धि तृष्णासङ्गसमुद्भवम् ।तन्निबध्नाति कौन्तेय कर्मसङ्गेन देहिनम् ॥

rajo rāgātmakaṃ viddhi tṛṣṇāsaṅgasamudbhavam |tannibadhnāti kaunteya karmasaṅgena dehinam ||

Know that rajas is full of passion and springs from craving and attachment. It binds the embodied one through attachment to action, Arjuna.

तमस्त्वज्ञानजं विद्धि मोहनं सर्वदेहिनाम् ।प्रमादालस्यनिद्राभिस्तन्निबध्नाति भारत ॥

tamastvajñānajaṃ viddhi mohanaṃ sarvadehinām |pramādālasyanidrābhistannibadhnāti bhārata ||

Know that tamas is born of ignorance and confuses all embodied beings. It binds them through carelessness, laziness and sleep, O Bharata.

सत्त्वं सुखे संजयति रजः कर्मणि भारत ।ज्ञानमावृत्य तु तमः प्रमादे संजयत्युत ॥

sattvaṃ sukhe saṃjayati rajaḥ karmaṇi bhārata |jñānamāvṛtya tu tamaḥ pramāde saṃjayatyuta ||

Sattva attaches one to happiness, and rajas to action; but tamas, covering up knowledge, attaches one to carelessness.

रजस्तमश्चाभिभूय सत्त्वं भवति भारत ।रजः सत्त्वं तमश्चैव तमः सत्त्वं रजस्तथा ॥

rajastamaścābhibhūya sattvaṃ bhavati bhārata |rajaḥ sattvaṃ tamaścaiva tamaḥ sattvaṃ rajastathā ||

Sattva rises by overpowering rajas and tamas; rajas rises by overpowering sattva and tamas; and tamas rises in the same way by overpowering sattva and rajas.

सर्वद्वारेषु देहेऽस्मिन्प्रकाश उपजायते ।ज्ञानं यदा तदा विद्याद्विवृद्धं सत्त्वमित्युत ॥

sarvadvāreṣu dehe'sminprakāśa upajāyate |jñānaṃ yadā tadā vidyādvivṛddhaṃ sattvamityuta ||

When the light of knowledge shines through all the gates of this body, know that sattva has grown strong.

लोभः प्रवृत्तिरारम्भः कर्मणामशमः स्पृहा ।रजस्येतानि जायन्ते विवृद्धे भरतर्षभ ॥

lobhaḥ pravṛttirārambhaḥ karmaṇāmaśamaḥ spṛhā |rajasyetāni jāyante vivṛddhe bharatarṣabha ||

Greed, busy activity, starting new undertakings, restlessness and longing: these arise when rajas grows strong, best of the Bharatas.

अप्रकाशोऽप्रवृत्तिश्च प्रमादो मोह एव च ।तमस्येतानि जायन्ते विवृद्धे कुरुनन्दन ॥

aprakāśo'pravṛttiśca pramādo moha eva ca |tamasyetāni jāyante vivṛddhe kurunandana ||

Darkness of mind, inactivity, carelessness and confusion: these arise when tamas grows strong, joy of the Kurus.

यदा सत्त्वे प्रवृद्धे तु प्रलयं याति देहभृत् ।तदोत्तमविदां लोकानमलान्प्रतिपद्यते ॥

yadā sattve pravṛddhe tu pralayaṃ yāti dehabhṛt |tadottamavidāṃ lokānamalānpratipadyate ||

If the embodied one dies when sattva is strong, he reaches the pure worlds of those who know the highest.

रजसि प्रलयं गत्वा कर्मसङ्गिषु जायते ।तथा प्रलीनस्तमसि मूढयोनिषु जायते ॥

rajasi pralayaṃ gatvā karmasaṅgiṣu jāyate |tathā pralīnastamasi mūḍhayoniṣu jāyate ||

Dying when rajas is strong, one is born among those attached to action; dying when tamas is strong, one is born into dull and unaware life forms.

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 is said to be sattvic and pure; the fruit of rajas is pain; and the fruit of tamas is ignorance.

सत्त्वात्संजायते ज्ञानं रजसो लोभ एव च ।प्रमादमोहौ तमसो भवतोऽज्ञानमेव च ॥

sattvātsaṃjāyate jñānaṃ rajaso lobha eva ca |pramādamohau tamaso bhavato'jñānameva ca ||

From sattva comes knowledge, and from rajas comes greed; from tamas come carelessness, confusion and ignorance.

ऊर्ध्वं गच्छन्ति सत्त्वस्था मध्ये तिष्ठन्ति राजसाः ।जघन्यगुणवृत्तिस्था अधो गच्छन्ति तामसाः ॥

ūrdhvaṃ gacchanti sattvasthā madhye tiṣṭhanti rājasāḥ |jaghanyaguṇavṛttisthā adho gacchanti tāmasāḥ ||

Those rooted in sattva rise upward; those of rajas stay in the middle; those of tamas, held by the lowest guna, go downward.

नान्यं गुणेभ्यः कर्तारं यदा द्रष्टानुपश्यति ।गुणेभ्यश्च परं वेत्ति मद्भावं सोऽधिगच्छति ॥

nānyaṃ guṇebhyaḥ kartāraṃ yadā draṣṭānupaśyati |guṇebhyaśca paraṃ vetti madbhāvaṃ so'dhigacchati ||

When the seer sees no doer other than the gunas, and knows that which is beyond the gunas, he reaches my being.

गुणानेतानतीत्य त्रीन्देही देहसमुद्भवान् ।जन्ममृत्युजरादुःखैर्विमुक्तोऽमृतमश्नुते ॥

guṇānetānatītya trīndehī dehasamudbhavān |janmamṛtyujarāduḥkhairvimukto'mṛtamaśnute ||

Going beyond these three gunas from which the body arises, the embodied one is freed from birth, death, old age and sorrow, and attains immortality.

कैर्लिङ्गैस्त्रीन्गुणानेतानतीतो भवति प्रभो ।किमाचारः कथं चैतांस्त्रीन्गुणानतिवर्तते ॥

kairliṅgaistrīnguṇānetānatīto bhavati prabho |kimācāraḥ kathaṃ caitāṃstrīnguṇānativartate ||

Arjuna asks: Lord, by what signs is a person known who has gone beyond these three gunas? How does he behave, and how does he go beyond them?

प्रकाशं च प्रवृत्तिं च मोहमेव च पाण्डव ।न द्वेष्टि संप्रवृत्तानि न निवृत्तानि काङ्क्षति ॥

prakāśaṃ ca pravṛttiṃ ca mohameva ca pāṇḍava |na dveṣṭi saṃpravṛttāni na nivṛttāni kāṅkṣati ||

Shri Krishna says: He does not resent light, activity or confusion when they arise, Arjuna, nor long for them when they fade away.

उदासीनवदासीनो गुणैर्यो न विचाल्यते ।गुणा वर्तन्त इत्येव योऽवतिष्ठति नेङ्गते ॥

udāsīnavadāsīno guṇairyo na vicālyate |guṇā vartanta ityeva yo'vatiṣṭhati neṅgate ||

He sits like one unconcerned and is not shaken by the gunas. Knowing that it is only the gunas at work, he stays firm and does not waver.

समदुःखसुखः स्वस्थः समलोष्टाश्मकाञ्चनः ।तुल्यप्रियाप्रियो धीरस्तुल्यनिन्दात्मसंस्तुतिः ॥

samaduḥkhasukhaḥ svasthaḥ samaloṣṭāśmakāñcanaḥ |tulyapriyāpriyo dhīrastulyanindātmasaṃstutiḥ ||

He is the same in pain and pleasure and rests in himself; to him a lump of earth, a stone and gold are equal. He is the same toward the pleasant and the unpleasant, steady, and the same under blame or praise.

मानापमानयोस्तुल्यस्तुल्यो मित्रारिपक्षयोः ।सर्वारम्भपरित्यागी गुणातीतः स उच्यते ॥

mānāpamānayostulyastulyo mitrāripakṣayoḥ |sarvārambhaparityāgī guṇātītaḥ sa ucyate ||

He is the same in honour and insult, the same to friend and enemy, and has let go of all self-driven undertakings. Such a person is said to have gone beyond the gunas.

ब्रह्मणो हि प्रतिष्ठाहममृतस्याव्ययस्य च ।शाश्वतस्य च धर्मस्य सुखस्यैकान्तिकस्य च ॥

brahmaṇo hi pratiṣṭhāhamamṛtasyāvyayasya ca |śāśvatasya ca dharmasya sukhasyaikāntikasya ca ||

For I am the foundation of Brahman, of the immortal and imperishable, of eternal dharma, and of complete happiness.