Sattva binds with light and joy, rajas with action and craving, tamas with darkness and sloth. Cultivate sattva. Then transcend even sattva to reach the eternal.
श्रीभगवानुवाच । परं भूयः प्रवक्ष्यामि ज्ञानानां ज्ञानमुत्तमम् । यज्ज्ञात्वा मुनयः सर्वे परां सिद्धिमितो गताः ॥
śrī-bhagavān uvāca | paraṃ bhūyaḥ pravakṣyāmi jñānānāṃ jñānam-uttamam | yaj-jñātvā munayaḥ sarve parāṃ siddhim-ito gatāḥ ||
The Blessed Lord said: I shall declare once more the supreme knowledge, the best of all knowledges, knowing which all the sages have gone hence to supreme perfection.
इदं ज्ञानमुपाश्रित्य मम साधर्म्यमागताः । सर्गेऽपि नोपजायन्ते प्रलये न व्यथन्ति च ॥
idaṃ jñānam-upāśritya mama sādharmyam-āgatāḥ | sarge’pi nopajāyante pralaye na vyathanti ca ||
Taking refuge in this knowledge, attaining likeness with me, they are not born again at creation nor distressed at dissolution.
मम योनिर्महद्ब्रह्म तस्मिन्गर्भं दधाम्यहम् । सम्भवः सर्वभूतानां ततो भवति भारत ॥
mama yonir-mahad-brahma tasmin garbhaṃ dadhāmy-aham | sambhavaḥ sarva-bhūtānāṃ tato bhavati bhārata ||
My womb is the great Brahman; in it I place the seed. From this comes the birth of all beings, O Bharata.
सर्वयोनिषु कौन्तेय मूर्तयः सम्भवन्ति याः । तासां ब्रह्म महद्योनिरहं बीजप्रदः पिता ॥
sarva-yoniṣu kaunteya mūrtayaḥ sambhavanti yāḥ | tāsāṃ brahma mahad-yonir-ahaṃ bīja-pradaḥ pitā ||
Whatever forms are produced in all wombs, O son of Kunti — the great Brahman is their womb; I am the seed-giving father.
सत्त्वं रजस्तम इति गुणाः प्रकृतिसम्भवाः । निबध्नन्ति महाबाहो देहे देहिनमव्ययम् ॥
sattvaṃ rajas-tama iti guṇāḥ prakṛti-sambhavāḥ | nibadhnanti mahā-bāho dehe dehinam-avyayam ||
Sattva, rajas, tamas — these modes born of prakriti bind the imperishable embodied one in the body, O mighty-armed.
तत्र सत्त्वं निर्मलत्वात्प्रकाशकमनामयम् । सुखसङ्गेन बध्नाति ज्ञानसङ्गेन चानघ ॥
tatra sattvaṃ nirmalatvāt prakāśakam-anāmayam | sukha-saṅgena badhnāti jñāna-saṅgena cānagha ||
Of these, sattva — being pure, luminous, free from disease — binds by attachment to happiness and to knowledge, O sinless one.
रजो रागात्मकं विद्धि तृष्णासङ्गसमुद्भवम् । तन्निबध्नाति कौन्तेय कर्मसङ्गेन देहिनम् ॥
rajo rāgātmakaṃ viddhi tṛṣṇā-saṅga-samudbhavam | tan-nibadhnāti kaunteya karma-saṅgena dehinam ||
Know rajas to be of the nature of passion, springing from craving and attachment. It binds the embodied one by attachment to action, O son of Kunti.
तमस्त्वज्ञानजं विद्धि मोहनं सर्वदेहिनाम् । प्रमादालस्यनिद्राभिस्तन्निबध्नाति भारत ॥
tamas-tv-ajñāna-jaṃ viddhi mohanaṃ sarva-dehinām | pramādālasya-nidrābhis-tan-nibadhnāti bhārata ||
Know tamas to be born of ignorance, deluding all embodied beings. It binds by carelessness, indolence, and sleep, O Bharata.
सत्त्वं सुखे सञ्जयति रजः कर्मणि भारत । ज्ञानमावृत्य तु तमः प्रमादे सञ्जयत्युत ॥
sattvaṃ sukhe sañjayati rajaḥ karmaṇi bhārata | jñānam-āvṛtya tu tamaḥ pramāde sañjayaty-uta ||
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 ॥
rajas-tamaś-cābhibhūya sattvaṃ bhavati bhārata | rajaḥ sattvaṃ tamaś-caiva tamaḥ sattvaṃ rajas-tathā ||
Sattva prevails by overcoming rajas and tamas, O Bharata; rajas by overcoming sattva and tamas; and tamas by overcoming sattva and rajas.
सर्वद्वारेषु देहेऽस्मिन्प्रकाश उपजायते । ज्ञानं यदा तदा विद्याद्विवृद्धं सत्त्वमित्युत ॥
sarva-dvāreṣu dehe’smin prakāśa upajāyate | jñānaṃ yadā tadā vidyād-vivṛddhaṃ sattvam-ity-uta ||
When at every gate of this body the light of knowledge shines — then know that sattva has increased.
लोभः प्रवृत्तिरारम्भः कर्मणामशमः स्पृहा । रजस्येतानि जायन्ते विवृद्धे भरतर्षभ ॥
lobhaḥ pravṛttir-ārambhaḥ karmaṇām-aśamaḥ spṛhā | rajasy-etāni jāyante vivṛddhe bharatarṣabha ||
Greed, restlessness, undertaking many actions, unrest, longing — these arise when rajas has increased, O bull of the Bharatas.
अप्रकाशोऽप्रवृत्तिश्च प्रमादो मोह एव च । तमस्येतानि जायन्ते विवृद्धे कुरुनन्दन ॥
aprakāśo’pravṛttiś-ca pramādo moha eva ca | tamasy-etāni jāyante vivṛddhe kuru-nandana ||
Darkness, inactivity, heedlessness, and delusion — these arise when tamas has increased, O joy of the Kurus.
यदा सत्त्वे प्रवृद्धे तु प्रलयं याति देहभृत् । तदोत्तमविदां लोकानमलान्प्रतिपद्यते ॥
yadā sattve pravṛddhe tu pralayaṃ yāti deha-bhṛt | tadottama-vidāṃ lokān-amalān pratipadyate ||
When sattva is prevalent and the embodied one meets death, then one attains the pure worlds of the highest knowers.
रजसि प्रलयं गत्वा कर्मसङ्गिषु जायते । तथा प्रलीनस्तमसि मूढयोनिषु जायते ॥
rajasi pralayaṃ gatvā karma-saṅgiṣu jāyate | tathā pralīnas-tamasi mūḍha-yoniṣu jāyate ||
Dying in rajas, one is born among those attached to action. Dissolving in tamas, one is born in the wombs of the deluded.
कर्मणः सुकृतस्याहुः सात्त्विकं निर्मलं फलम् । रजसस्तु फलं दुःखमज्ञानं तमसः फलम् ॥
karmaṇaḥ sukṛtasyāhuḥ sāttvikaṃ nirmalaṃ phalam | rajasas-tu phalaṃ duḥkham-ajñānaṃ tamasaḥ phalam ||
The fruit of a virtuous action is said to be sattvic and pure; the fruit of rajas is pain; the fruit of tamas is ignorance.
सत्त्वात्सञ्जायते ज्ञानं रजसो लोभ एव च । प्रमादमोहौ तमसो भवतोऽज्ञानमेव च ॥
sattvāt sañjāyate jñānaṃ rajaso lobha eva ca | pramāda-mohau tamaso bhavato’jñānam-eva ca ||
From sattva, knowledge arises; from rajas, greed; from tamas, heedlessness, delusion, and ignorance.
ऊर्ध्वं गच्छन्ति सत्त्वस्था मध्ये तिष्ठन्ति राजसाः । जघन्यगुणवृत्तिस्था अधो गच्छन्ति तामसाः ॥
ūrdhvaṃ gacchanti sattva-sthā madhye tiṣṭhanti rājasāḥ | jaghanya-guṇa-vṛtti-sthā adho gacchanti tāmasāḥ ||
Those established in sattva go upward; the rajasic remain in the middle; the tamasic, abiding in the lowest mode, go downward.
नान्यं गुणेभ्यः कर्तारं यदा द्रष्टानुपश्यति । गुणेभ्यश्च परं वेत्ति मद्भावं सोऽधिगच्छति ॥
nānyaṃ guṇebhyaḥ kartāraṃ yadā draṣṭānupaśyati | guṇebhyaś-ca paraṃ vetti mad-bhāvaṃ so’dhigacchati ||
When the seer perceives no agent other than the modes, and knows that which is higher than the modes — he attains my state.
गुणानेतानतीत्य त्रीन्देही देहसमुद्भवान् । जन्ममृत्युजरादुःखैर्विमुक्तोऽमृतमश्नुते ॥
guṇān-etān-atītya trīn dehī deha-samudbhavān | janma-mṛtyu-jarā-duḥkhair-vimukto’mṛtam-aśnute ||
Transcending these three modes which are the source of the body, the embodied one — freed from the sorrows of birth, death, and old age — attains immortality.
अर्जुन उवाच । कैर्लिङ्गैस्त्रीन्गुणानेतानतीतो भवति प्रभो । किमाचारः कथं चैतांस्त्रीन्गुणानतिवर्तते ॥
arjuna uvāca | kair-liṅgais-trīn guṇān-etān-atīto bhavati prabho | kim-ācāraḥ kathaṃ caitāṃs-trīn guṇān-ativartate ||
Arjuna said: By what marks is one who has transcended these three modes known, O Lord? How does he behave? How does he go beyond these three modes?
श्रीभगवानुवाच । प्रकाशं च प्रवृत्तिं च मोहमेव च पाण्डव । न द्वेष्टि सम्प्रवृत्तानि न निवृत्तानि काङ्क्षति ॥
śrī-bhagavān uvāca | prakāśaṃ ca pravṛttiṃ ca moham-eva ca pāṇḍava | na dveṣṭi sampravṛttāni na nivṛttāni kāṅkṣati ||
The Blessed Lord said: He neither hates light, activity, or delusion when present, nor longs for them when absent, O Pandava.
उदासीनवदासीनो गुणैर्यो न विचाल्यते । गुणा वर्तन्त इत्येव योऽवतिष्ठति नेङ्गते ॥
udāsīna-vad-āsīno guṇair-yo na vicālyate | guṇā vartanta ity-eva yo’vatiṣṭhati neṅgate ||
Seated as if indifferent, unmoved by the modes; thinking only "the modes operate," he stands firm and does not waver.
समदुःखसुखः स्वस्थः समलोष्टाश्मकाञ्चनः । तुल्यप्रियाप्रियो धीरस्तुल्यनिन्दात्मसंस्तुतिः ॥
sama-duḥkha-sukhaḥ svasthaḥ sama-loṣṭāśma-kāñcanaḥ | tulya-priyāpriyo dhīras-tulya-nindātma-saṃstutiḥ ||
Equal in pleasure and pain, self-poised; regarding earth, stone, and gold as alike; equal toward the pleasant and unpleasant; firm; equal in blame and praise—
मानापमानयोस्तुल्यस्तुल्यो मित्रारिपक्षयोः । सर्वारम्भपरित्यागी गुणातीतः स उच्यते ॥
mānāpamānayos-tulyas-tulyo mitrāri-pakṣayoḥ | sarvārambha-parityāgī guṇātītaḥ sa ucyate ||
— equal in honour and dishonour, equal toward the parties of friend and foe, having renounced all undertakings — he is said to have transcended the modes.
मां च योऽव्यभिचारेण भक्तियोगेन सेवते । स गुणान्समतीत्यैतान्ब्रह्मभूयाय कल्पते ॥
māṃ ca yo’vyabhicāreṇa bhakti-yogena sevate | sa guṇān samatītyaitān brahma-bhūyāya kalpate ||
Whoever serves me with unwavering devotion goes beyond these modes and is fit for absorption in Brahman.
ब्रह्मणो हि प्रतिष्ठाहममृतस्याव्ययस्य च । शाश्वतस्य च धर्मस्य सुखस्यैकान्तिकस्य च ॥
brahmaṇo hi pratiṣṭhāham-amṛtasyāvyayasya ca | śāśvatasya ca dharmasya sukhasyaikāntikasya ca ||
For I am the foundation of Brahman, of the immortal and the imperishable, of eternal dharma, and of absolute happiness.