25 verses
The Lord said: Again I will speak the highest knowledge among all types of knowledge, by knowing which all the sages attained the highest perfection.
Those who, taking shelter of this knowledge, have attained a form like Mine, do not attain rebirth in this world, and do not experience pain at the time of death.
He who has taken shelter of this knowledge and attained liberation in the form of sārūpya, similarity of form with Mine (sādharmyam), does not experience pain at the time of death. The form vyathayanti is used instead of vyathayante (ātmanepada).
The great expanse called prakṛti is My womb. In that womb I place the seed in the form of all jīvas. The birth of all beings comes from that, O descendent of Bharata.
In order to explain how the contact of the jīva with the guṇas through beginningless ignorance creates bondage, the Lord speaks about the method of appearance of the field and knower of the field. My (Supreme Lord’s) place of impregnation is prakṛti, called mahat, because it extends through all place and time continuously. It is called brahma because it is the cause of increase (root is bṛh). In some śruti texts, prakṛti is referred to as brahma.
I place the seed (garbha) within that prakṛti. The Lord said itas tv anyāṁ prakṛtiṁ viddhi me parāṁ jīva-bhūtām: know this other prakṛti of Mine, which is superior and which gives rise to the jīvas. (BG 7.5) From this it is understood that there is a mass of consciousness, the jīva-prakṛti, which is called the tataṣṭha-śakti. This is called the seed (garbha), because it is gives life to all beings.
Then (tataḥ) from My action of placing the seed (jīva-śakti) in the prakṛti, the appearance of all the entities such as Brahmā and others takes place.
O son of Kuntī, prakṛti is the mother and I am the father of all forms that arise in all wombs in this world.
Not only at the time of creation of the universe is prakṛti the mother and I the father, but at all times. Prakṛti, mahad brahma, is the place of birth (yoniḥ), the mother, of all those forms of moving and non-moving creatures which appear in all wombs from devas to grass, and I am the giver of the seed. I am the father, the giver of the seed, the giver of the jīvas.
The guṇas of sattva, rajas and tamas arising from prakṛti bind the unchanging jīva in this body, O Mighty-armed one.
After the Lord has described the appearance of all the living entities through prakṛti (mother) and puruṣa (father), how are the guṇas to be described? What type of bondage arises for the jīva from association with these guṇas? This verse answers these questions.
In the body, the product of prakṛti, the guṇas bind up the jīva (dehinam) situated there by his identification with it, due to the association with the guṇas arising from beginningless ignorance, even though the jīva actually is without change (avyayam) and not attached.
The mode of sattva, which is peaceful and gives knowledge, binds the jīva with false conceptions of happiness and knowledge, O sinless one.
This verse describes how sattva-guṇa binds the jīva. It is without distress (anāmayam); it is peaceful. The association of the jīva with happiness, which is the product of peacefulness, and the association of the jīva with knowledge, which is the product of illumination (prakāśakam), produce the mistaken identity of “I am happy, I am learned.” Thus, from happiness and knowledge whose quality is to produce these designations, from this ignorance, the jīva develops his misconception of himself. These bind him.
O pure one (anagha), do not accept impurity in the form of such misconception of “I am happy” or “I am learned.”
O son of Kuntī, know that rajas, consisting of attraction, arising from longing for the unattained and attachment to the attained, binds the jīva with attachment to action.
Know that rajo-guṇa consists of attraction (rāgātmakam). When one does not obtain ones desired objects, one develops desire (tṛṣṇa), and when one obtains ones objects, one develops attachment (saḍga). Rajo-guṇa gives rise to these two. Rajo-guṇa binds up the soul (dehinam) by attachment (saḍgena) to actions, in quest of present and future goals. Attachment to action arises by desire and attachment (tṛṣṇa and saḍga).
Know that tamas, which produces ignorance, which causes confusion for all living beings, binds the jīva with inattention, laziness, and sleep.
If tamas tv ajñāna jam means “tamo-guṇa arising from ignorance,” then tamo-guṇa would appear to arise from its own result, since tamo-guṇa produces ignorance. Therefore the meaning of ajñāna-jam must be that tamo-guṇa produces ignorance. Mohanam means confusion or error. Pramāda means inattention. Alasya means lack of effort. Nidrā means sleep, arising from lack of energy in the consciousness.
Sattva produces attachment to happiness; rajas produces attachment to action; and tamas, covering knowledge, produces attachment to inattention, O descendent of Bharata.
The Lord summarizes what He has just said in this verse. Sattva subjugates or binds the jīva who is attached to the happiness he has achieved from his actions. Rajas binds the jīva who is attached to the actions he performs. Tamas binds the jīva who is inattentive to his works, and produces ignorance in him (jñānam āvṛtya).
When rajas and tamas disappear, sattva becomes prominent, O descendent of Bharata. When rajas and sattva vanish, tamas becomes prominent. When tamas and sattva disappear, rajas becomes prominent.
With regards to their respective effects, how do the guṇas arise? When rajas and tamas are eclipsed, sattva appears. It appears because these two become invisible. Thus, rajo guṇa appears from the eclipse of sattva and tamas. Tamas appears from the eclipse of sattva and rajas.
When illumination in the form of knowledge arises in all gates of the body, know that sattva has increased.
It has been stated that the prominent guṇa appears when the other two guṇas become weak of their own accord. Now the Lord speaks of the qualities of increased guṇas in three verses. When illumination or knowledge, real awareness of things through the sound of the Vedas, appears in all the doors such as the ears, one should understand there is an increase in sattva through such symptoms of knowledge. The word uta (also) indicates there will also be an appearance of happiness arising from the soul. When knowledge and happiness appear, one should understand there is an increase in sattva.
Greed, absorption, intense efforts in actions and incessant enjoyment of objects arise with an increase of rajas, O best of the Bharata lineage.
Greed, absorption in various endeavors (pravṛttiḥ), effort in actions such as building a house, and the non-cessation of enjoyment of objects (aśamaḥ) and desire appear with the increase of rajas.
Absence of discernment, absence of effort, inattention and absorption in the false appear with the increase of tamas, O son of the Kurus.
Absence of discrimination, accepting sound and other sense objects not approved by the scriptures (aprakāśaḥ); absence of all effort (apravṛttiḥ); inattention, for example, conviction that one does not have anything when holding it in ones hands (pramādaḥ); and absorption in the wrong or false (mohaḥ) appear with the increase of tamas.
When a person with predominance of sattva dies, he attains the pure planets of the worshippers of Brahmā.
When a person with a predominance of sattva dies (pralayaṁ yati), he attains the pure worlds of the worshipers of Hiraṇyagarbha (uttamā-vidām) and others, worlds which give happiness.
The word uttama vidam means “of those who attain (vindanti) the supreme (uttama).”
He who dies in the mode of rajas attains a position among persons attached to work. He who dies in the mode of tamas is born in the wombs of the foolish.
Those who die in the mode of rajas are born among men attached to work (karma-saḍgiṣu).
The result of sattvic work is purity and absence of distress. The result of rajas is sorrow. The result of tamas is ignorance.
The result of sattvic (sukrtṛsya) work is purity without distress (nirmalam). The result of rajas work is sorrow. The result of tamasic work is senselessness or unconsciousness (ajñānam).
Knowledge arises from sattva. Greed arises from rajas. Inattention, confusion and ignorance arise from tamas.
Those situated in sattva go to higher planets. Those in rajas remain in the world of humans. Those of the lowest guṇa, tamas, go downwards to hell.
According to the amount of sattva one can go upwards to Brahmaloka.
Those in rajo guṇa dwell on the human plane (madhye). Those of the lowest (jaghanya) guṇa, with tamasic behavior like inattention and laziness, go to hell (adhaḥ).
When the jīva sees that action is being performed by the guṇas, in the form of the doer, the action and the objects of the actions, and understands that the soul is separate from this, he attains a state of merging with Me. Surpassing the three guṇas which give rise to the body, free from the suffering of birth, death and old age, one attains eternal life.
Having shown the repeated births caused by association with the guṇas, the Lord now shows liberation, which is beyond the guṇas, in two verses. When the jīva (draṣṭā) does not observe any other doer than the guṇas, which change into the form of agent, the action and the object--when he realizes that only the guṇas are always the doers, and knows the soul is separate from the guṇas--the jīva attains (adhigacchati) merging with Me (mad-bhāvam). It should be understood from the second to last verse in this chapter that one must still perform bhakti even after practicing such jñāna, in order to get this result.
guṇān etān atītya trīn dehī deha-samudbhavān | janma-mṛtyu-jarā-duḥkhair vimukto ’mṛtam aśnute ||20.||
That person is beyond the guṇas. That is explained in this verse.
O Lord, by what symptoms is a person known to be beyond the guṇas. What is his conduct? How does he surpass the guṇas?
This is the same question asked in chapter two: sthita-prajñasya kā bhāsā (please describe the sthita-prajña). However, out of extreme desire to know, Arjuna asks again. One question is “By what symptoms should one understand a person is beyond the guṇas?” (kair liḍgaiḥ) The second question is “What is his behavior?” (kim ācāraḥ) The third question is “What is the means of attaining transcendence of the guṇas?” (katham ca etān)
When Arjuna asked his question in chapter two, he did not ask how a person could transcend the guṇas. But now he asks this question also. That is the difference.
One who is beyond the guṇas does not lament at the appearance of illumination, activity or confusion, nor rejoice at their disappearance.
Kṛṣṇa answers the question “What are the symptoms of one who is beyond the guṇas?” Illumination (prakāśaḥ) is the effect of sattva guṇa, as mentioned previously in the verse sarva dvāreṣu dehe’ smin prakāśa upajayate. Absorption in various projects (pravṛtti) is the effect of rajo guṇa. Absorption in the false (moha) is the effect of tamo guṇa. These three words are representative of all the other qualities (mentioned previously) of the respective guṇas.
He who does not lament when all these effects of the guṇas, illumination, absorption in activities and absorption in falsity appears suddenly, nor rejoice when the effects of the guṇas disappear, is said to beyond the guṇas.
The last phrase of verse 25, sa guṇātīta ucyate is understood to apply to all the verses preceding. Using the neuter gender in the word sampravṛttāni is poetic license.
One who remains unmoved by the guṇas, who is situated indifferently, who remains without action, understanding that only the guṇas are acting, is said to have surpassed the guṇas.
Kṛṣṇa answers the second question, about the conduct of the person beyond the guṇas, in verses 23-25. He who is not disturbed by the effects of the guṇas (guṇaiḥ), in the form of happiness and distress, who does not move from his svarūpa as ātmā (guṇaiḥ na vicālyate), who remains silent (avatiṣṭhati), knowing “The guṇas alone are giving these effects; I have no relationship with this happiness and distress,” (guṇa vartante iti evam), who does not strive for bodily needs (na iḍgate), is said to be beyond the guṇas. Avatiṣṭhati is used for avatiṣṭhate as poetic license.
He who is firmly situated, who is equal in sorrow and joy, who sees a lump of earth, a stone and gold as the same, who regards dear and not dear as the same, who regards criticism and praise as the same, who remains equal in respect or disrespect, who is equal to friend and foe, who has given up all undertakings, is said to be beyond the guṇas.
On seeing such symptoms and conduct of the person beyond the guṇas, one should describe that person as being beyond the guṇas. One who merely talks about the possibility of being beyond the guṇas is not said to be beyond the guṇas.
He who serves Me in pure devotional service surpasses the guṇas, and is qualified for Brahman.
In this verse, the Lord answers the third question about the method of surpassing the guṇas. Ca in this verse means eva: “only”. He who serves only Me (mama ca)--in My form as Śyāmasundara, the Supreme Lord--by bhakti-yoga, he alone is qualified for becoming Brahman, or realizing Brahman (brahma-bhūyāya kalpate). This statement is supported by the use of the adjective ekayā in the statement bhaktyāham ekayā grahyaḥ: I can be attained by bhakti alone. And in the statement mām eva ye prapadyante māyām etām taranti te: those who surrender to Me surpass the material world, from use of the word eva (only), it is confirmed that without bhakti (to the Lord only), realization of Brahman cannot be attained. It cannot be attained by any other method.
What type of bhakti-yoga is this? It should be without deviation (avyabhicāreṇa). That means it is without mixture of karma, jñāna or other elements, because there are statements rejecting niṣkāma-karma, and statements rejecting even jñāna by the jñānī in his final stage. jñānaṁ ca mayi sannyaset: One should surrender that jñāna to Me. (SB 11.19.1) But there are no statements about the rejection of bhakti-yoga anywhere. Thus, by bhakti-yoga, after giving up even jñāna-yoga, just as he has previously given up karma-yoga, the jñānī surpasses the guṇas. There is no other means. However, the ananyā bhakta is already beyond the guṇas, as understood from the statement in the Eleventh Canto nirguṇo mad apāśrayaḥ: one who surrenders to Me is beyond the guṇas. (SB 11.25.26)
Here is the principle.
sattvicḥ kārako ’saḍgī rāgāndho rājasaḥ smṛtaḥ
tāmasaḥ smṛti-vibhraṣṭo nirguṇo mad-apāśrayaḥ
A worker free of attachment is in the mode of goodness; a worker blinded by personal desire is in the mode of passion, and a worker who has completely forgotten how to tell right from wrong is in the mode of ignorance. But a worker who has taken shelter of Me is understood to be transcendental to the modes of nature. SB 11.25.26
It is understood that those who are free from attachment are practicing either karma-yoga or jñāna-yoga on the level of sattva. And the person who is beyond the guṇas, having taken shelter of the Lord, is practicing sādhana-bhakti. The jñānī, having reached the perfection of jñāna, becomes transcendental to the guṇas by then giving up the level of sattva. But the devotee, even at the beginning stage as a sādhaka, is beyond the guṇas. This is the meaning of the Bhāgavatam verse.
Śrīdhara Svāmī also says that ca gives the meaning of limitation, “only”. Madhusūdana Sarasvatī says the meaning is “He who serves only Me, the Lord, Nārāyaṇa, by undeviating bhakti-yoga as described in the twelfth chapter, qualifies for liberation.”
I am the basis of impersonal Brahman, the basis of indestructible liberation, the basis of the eternal method bhakti and the basis of the bliss of the unalloyed devotee.
“But why would Your devotees attain the impersonal Brahman, which happens only for those who realize oneness with God?”
“That is because I am also the basis of that famous Brahman, since I am the supreme basis of everything. The meaning of pratiṣṭha is shelter, that upon which something is standing firmly, as this also is the meaning used everywhere in the śrutis , such as in the description of the annamaya-puruṣa in the Taittirīya Upaniṣad. And I am the basis or shelter of nectar (amṛtasya).”
“Does this mean the nectar of Svarga?”
“No, it is indestructible (avyayasya): therefore amṛta means liberation. I am the basis of liberation. Also I am the basis of the eternal method (śāśvatasya dharmasya), which is eternally present, both in the stage of sādhana and perfection, the supreme method called bhakti. And also I am the basis of happiness--of prema (sukhasya) in relation to the ekāntika devotee (aikantikasya), who is qualified to receive it. And because everything is dependent on Me, he who worships Me with a desire to be one with God merges into the Brahman and attains the status of Brahman.”
Śrīdhara Svāmī gives the following meaning of the verse: “I am the basis of Brahman” means “I am the condensed Brahman,” just as the sun globe is condensed light. Just as the sun, though being the form of light, is also acts as the basis of light, so I, Kṛṣṇa, am the form of Brahman, but I am also the basis of Brahman.
In this regard, Viṣṇu Purāṇa 6.7.76 provides the authority: subhāśrayaḥ sa cittasya sarvagasya tathātmanaḥ. This statement is explained by Śrīdhara Svāmī. “He is the shelter (āśrayaḥ), or the pratiṣṭha, of the supreme Brahman (sarvagasya ātmanaḥ). Thus it is stated by the Lord: I am the shelter of Brahman (brahmaṇo hi pratiṣṭhāham).”
Also in the Viṣṇu Dharmottara, concerning the subject of Naraka Dvādaśī, it is said:
prakṛtau puruṣe caiva brahmaṇyāpi ca sa prabhuḥ
yathaika eva puruṣo vāsudevo vyavasthitaḥ
The Lord, one person, Vāsudeva is situated in prakṛti, the jīva and the Brahman.
In relation to māsarkṣa worship it is also said:
yathācyutas tvam parataḥ parasmāt sa brahmabhūtāt parataḥ parātmā
Just as Acyuta, Paramātmā is superior to all others, he is superior to Brahman. Viṣṇu Dharma 26.13
The Lord speaks to Arjuna in relation to bringing back the children of the brāhmaṇa in Hari Vaṁśa, Viṣṇu Parvā 114:
tat param paramam brahma sarvam vibhajate jagat
mamaiva tad ghanam tejo jnātum arhasi bhārata
That supreme Brahman illuminates the whole universe. You should know that the condensed light belongs to Me.
Brahma Saṁhitā says:
yasya prabhā prabhavato jagad-aṇòa-koṭi-
koṭīṣv aśeṣa-vasudhādi-vibhūti-bhinnam
tad brahma niṣkalam anantam aśeṣa-bhūtaṁ
govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi
I serve the Supreme Personality of Godhead Govinda, the primeval Lord, whose transcendental bodily effulgence, known as the brahmajyoti, which is unlimited, unfathomed and all-pervasive, is the cause of the creation of unlimited numbers of planets, etc., with varieties of climates and specific conditions of life. Brahma Saṁhitā 5.40
In the Eighth Canto, the Lord says:
madīyaṁ mahimānaṁc ca para-brahmeti śabditam
vetsyasy anugṛhītaṁ me sampraśnair vivṛtaṁ hṛdi
You will be thoroughly advised and favored by Me, and because of your inquiries, everything about My glories, which are known as param brahma, will be manifest within your heart. Thus you will know everything about Me. SB 8.24.38
Madhusūdana Sarasvatī explains as follows: “But Your devotee should attain You. How is he qualified merely for the state of Brahman (brahma-bhūyāya kalpate), when You are different from Brahman? This verse answers that. I alone am the end, the conclusion or paryāptiḥ of Brahman.” According to the Amara Kośa, the word paryāptiḥ means complete fullness. With the following verse Madhusūdana Sarasvatī offers his praise to Kṛṣṇa:
parākṛta-mano-dvandvaṁ paraṁ brahma narākṛti
saundarya-sāra-sarvasvaṁ vande nandātmajaṁ mahaḥ
I offer my respects to the son of Nanda, joy personified, the very essence of all beauty in human form, the supreme Brahman, devoid of dualities of the mind.
This chapter explains the misfortune in being bound by the guṇas and the satisfaction in being free of the guṇas, which is produced by bhakti alone.
Thus end the commentaries on the fourteenth chapter of the Gītā for the pleasure of the devotees’ minds, by the mercy of the ācāryas.
In the fourteenth chapter, the bondage caused by the guṇas and the symptoms are described. The many symptoms of the disappearance of the guṇas, and the cause of disappearance, bhakti, are also described.
In the previous chapter, it was described that the contact of the jīva with the body made of guṇas is the cause of his taking repeated births: kāraṇaṁ guṇa-saḍgo ’sya sad-asad-yoni-janmasu. What types of results come from contact with the guṇas? What are the symptoms of those associated with the guṇas? How is one liberated from the guṇas? In anticipation of these questions, the Lord promises to speak about the above topics while praising them. “Knowledge” here means teachings by which one gains knowledge.