Chapter 14
Gunātīt-Yoga
Shlok 14.1
Shrī Bhagwān said
परं भूयः प्रवक्ष्यामि ज्ञानानां ज्ञानमुत्तमम्।
यज्ज्ञात्वा मुनयः सर्वे परां सिद्धिमितो गताः॥
param bhūyah pravakshyāmi jnānānām jnānamuttamam;
yajjnātvā munayah sarve parām siddhimito gatāhā.
I will repeatedly reveal the supreme knowledge and the greatest wisdom of all. Upon realizing it, all the sages have attained ultimate liberation from this world.
Shlok 14.2
इदं ज्ञानमुपाश्रित्य मम साधर्म्यमागताः।
सर्गेऽपि नोपजायन्ते प्रलये न व्यथन्ति च॥
idam jnānamupāshritya mama sādharmyamāgatāhā;
sarge’pi nopajāyante pralaye na vyathanti cha.
Devotees who possess this wisdom attain attributes like my own; they are not reborn even at the time of creation and remain untroubled during dissolution.
Shlok 14.3
मम योनिर्महद्ब्रह्म तस्मिन्गर्भं दधाम्यहम्।
सम्भवः सर्वभूतानां ततो भवति भारत॥
mama yonirmahadbrahma tasmingarbham dadhāmyaham;
sambhavah sarvabhūtānām tato bhavati bhārata.
O Arjun! My superior Aksharbrahma is the cause of creation. Within it, I plant the seed from which all beings are created.
Shlok 14.4
सर्वयोनिषु कौन्तेय मूर्तयः सम्भवन्ति याः।
तासां ब्रह्म महद्योनिरहं बीजप्रदः पिता॥
sarvayonishu kaunteya mūrtayah sambhavanti yāhā;
tāsām brahma mahadyoniraham bījapradah pitā.
O Arjun! Whatever bodies are created within all wombs, their cause is the superior Aksharbrahma (the womb), while I am the seed-giving father.
Shlok 14.5
सत्त्वं रजस्तम इति गुणाः प्रकृतिसम्भवाः।
निबध्नन्ति महाबाहो देहे देहिनमव्ययम्॥
sattvam rajastama iti guṇāh prakrutisambhavāhā;
nibadhnanti mahābāho dehe dehinamavyayam.
O Arjun! Sattvaguna, rajoguna, and tamoguna are the three gunas of māyā. They bind the eternal ātmā, which resides within the body.
Shlok 14.6
तत्र सत्त्वं निर्मलत्वात्प्रकाशकमनामयम्।
सुखसङ्गेन बध्नाति ज्ञानसङ्गेन चाऽनघ॥
tatra sattvam nirmalatvātprakāshakamanāmayam;
sukhasangena badhnāti jnānasangena chā’nagha.
O Arjun! Among them, sattvaguna illuminates and is less destructive due to its purity. It binds by developing an attachment to happiness and knowledge.
Shlok 14.7
रजो रागात्मकं विद्धि तृष्णाऽऽसङ्गसमुद्भवम्।
तन्निबध्नाति कौन्तेय कर्मसङ्गेन देहिनम्॥
rajo rāgātmakam viddhi trushṇā’’sangasamudbhavam;
tannibadhnāti kaunteya karmasangena dehinam.
O Arjun! Understand rajoguna as desirous in nature and the source of yearning and attachment. It binds the embodied (ātmā) with a longing for karma and its fruits.
Shlok 14.8
तमस्त्वज्ञानजं विद्धि मोहनं सर्वदेहिनाम्।
प्रमादालस्यनिद्राभिस्तन्निबध्नाति भारत॥
tamastvajnānajam viddhi mohanam sarvadehinām;
pramādālasyanidrābhistannibadhnāti bhārata.
O Arjun! And know tamoguna as born from ignorance and the cause of bewilderment for all ātmās. It binds by inducing negligence, indolence, and sleep.
Shlok 14.9
सत्त्वं सुखे सञ्जयति रजः कर्मणि भारत।
ज्ञानमावृत्य तु तमः प्रमादे सञ्जयत्युत॥
sattvam sukhe sanjayati rajah karmaṇi bhārata;
jnānamāvrutya tu tamah pramāde sanjayatyuta.
O Arjun! Sattvaguna attaches one to happiness, rajoguna binds one to karma, and sadly, tamoguna shrouds knowledge and attaches one to negligence.
Shlok 14.10
रजस्तमश्चाऽभिभूय सत्त्वं भवति भारत।
रजः सत्त्वं तमश्चैव तमः सत्त्वं रजस्तथा॥
rajastamashchā’bhibhūya sattvam bhavati bhārata;
rajah sattvam tamashchaiva tamah sattvam rajastathā.
O Arjun! Sometimes sattvaguna arises upon overshadowing rajoguna and tamoguna; sometimes rajoguna arises upon overshadowing sattvaguna and tamoguna; and sometimes tamoguna arises upon overshadowing sattvaguna and rajoguna.
Shlok 14.11
सर्वद्वारेषु देहेऽस्मिन्प्रकाश उपजायते।
ज्ञानं यदा तदा विद्याद्विवृद्धं सत्त्वमित्युत॥
sarvadvāreshu dehe’sminprakāsha upajāyate;
jnānam yadā tadā vidyādvivruddham sattvamityuta.
When the light of knowledge shines in all the senses, understand sattvaguna as prevailing in such a body.
Shlok 14.12
लोभः प्रवृत्तिरारम्भः कर्मणामशमः स्पृहा।
रजस्येतानि जायन्ते विवृद्धे भरतर्षभ॥
lobhah pravruttirārambhah karmaṇāmashamah spruhā;
rajasyetāni jāyante vivruddhe bharatarshabha.
O Arjun! When rajoguna prevails, greed, activity, the commencement of actions, unrestraint, and desire—these arise.
Shlok 14.13
अप्रकाशोऽप्रवृत्तिश्च प्रमादो मोह एव च।
तमस्येतानि जायन्ते विवृद्धे कुरुनन्दन॥
aprakāsho’pravruttishcha pramādo moha eva cha;
tamasyetāni jāyante vivruddhe kurunandana.
O Arjun! When tamoguna prevails, bewilderment, indolence, negligence, and ignorance—these arise.
Shlok 14.14
यदा सत्त्वे प्रवृद्धे तु प्रलयं याति देहभृत्।
तदोत्तमविदां लोकानमलान्प्रतिपद्यते॥
yadā sattve pravruddhe tu pralayam yāti dehabhrut;
tadottamavidām lokānamalānpratipadyate.
If one dies while sattvaguna is predominant, then they reach the pure realms of those with greater knowledge.
Shlok 14.15
रजसि प्रलयं गत्वा कर्मसङ्गिषु जायते।
तथा प्रलीनस्तमसि मूढयोनिषु जायते॥
rajasi pralayam gatvā karmasangishu jāyate;
tathā pralīnastamasi mūḍhayonishu jāyate.
If one dies while rajoguna is predominant, they are born among those attached to karma. Similarly, if one dies while tamoguna is dominant, they are born among the feral.
Shlok 14.16
कर्मणः सुकृतस्याऽऽहुः सात्त्विकं निर्मलं फलम्।
रजसस्तु फलं दुःखमज्ञानं तमसः फलम्॥
karmaṇah sukrutasyā’’huh sāttvikam nirmalam falam;
rajasastu falam duhkhamajnānam tamasah falam.
The fruit of meritorious actions is said to be characterized by sattvaguna and pure. The fruit of rajoguna is misery, and the fruit of tamoguna is ignorance.
Shlok 14.17
सत्त्वात्सञ्जायते ज्ञानं रजसो लोभ एव च।
प्रमादमोहौ तमसो भवतोऽज्ञानमेव च॥
sattvātsanjāyate jnānam rajaso lobha eva cha;
pramādamohau tamaso bhavato’jnānameva cha.
Wisdom arises from sattvaguna; only greed from rajoguna; and only negligence, delusion, and ignorance arise from tamoguna.
Shlok 14.18
ऊर्ध्वं गच्छन्ति सत्त्वस्था मध्ये तिष्ठन्ति राजसाः।
जघन्यगुणवृत्तस्था अधो गच्छन्ति तामसाः॥
ūrdhvam gachchhanti sattvasth āmadhye tishṭhanti rājasāhā;
jaghanyaguṇavruttasthā adho gachchhanti tāmasāhā.
Those established in sattvaguna advance, those in rajoguna reside in the middle realms, while those established in tamoguna—those who act according to baser qualities—descend to the lower realms.
Shlok 14.19
नाऽन्यं गुणेभ्यः कर्तारं यदा द्रष्टाऽनुपश्यति।
गुणेभ्यश्च परं वेत्ति मद्भावं सोऽधिगच्छति॥
nā’nyam guṇebhyah kartāram yadā drashṭā’nupashyati;
guṇebhyashcha param vetti madbhāvam so’dhigachchhati.
When a seer does not understand anything other than the gunas as the cause of worldly actions and realizes their ātmā as beyond the gunas, they attain brahmabhāv.
Shlok 14.20
गुणानेतानतीत्य त्रीन्देही देहसमुद्भवान्।
जन्ममृत्युजरादुःखैर्विमुक्तोऽमृतमश्नुते॥
guṇānetānatītya trīndehī dehasamudbhavān;
janmamrutyujarāduhkhairvimukto’mrutamashnute.
One who transcends these three gunas, which arise from the body, is freed from birth, death, old age, and other miseries and attains liberation.
Shlok 14.21
Arjun said
कैर्लिङ्गैस्त्रीन्गुणानेतानतीतो भवति प्रभो।
किमाचारः कथं चैतांस्त्रीन्गुणानतिवर्तते॥
kairlingaistrīnguṇānetānatīto bhavati prabho;
kimāchārah katham chaitānstrīnguṇānativartate.
O Krishna! What are the characteristics of one who transcends these three gunas? How do they behave, and how do they rise above these three gunas?
Shlok 14.22
Shrī Bhagwān said
प्रकाशं च प्रवृत्तिं च मोहमेव च पाण्डव।
न द्वेष्टि सम्प्रवृत्तानि न निवृत्तानि काङ्क्षति॥
prakāsham cha pravruttim cha mohameva cha pāṇḍava;
na dveshṭi sampravruttāni na nivruttāni kānkshati.
O Arjun! One who does not develop aversion when they witness spirited, worldly, or ignorant actions[96] nor are desirous of them in their absence…
Shlok 14.23
उदासीनवदासीनो गुणैर्यो न विचाल्यते।
गुणा वर्तन्त इत्येव योऽवतिष्ठति नेङ्गते॥
udāsīnavadāsīno guṇairyo na vichālyate;
guṇā vartanta ityeva yo’vatishṭhati nengate.
Like those who are detached, one who is uninfluenced by the gunas, understands that the gunas merely occur, remains in meditation of Paramātmā, and is unmoved by the gunas...
Shlok 14.24
समदुःखसुखः स्वस्थः समलोष्टाश्मकाञ्चनः।
तुल्यप्रियाऽप्रियो धीरस्तुल्यनिन्दात्मसंस्तुतिः॥
samaduhkhasukhah swasthah samaloshṭāshmakānchanaha;
tulyapriyā’priyo dhīrastulyanindātmasanstutihi.
One who sees pain and pleasure as equal; is established in the ātmā; regards dirt, stone, and gold as equivalent; considers the agreeable and disagreeable as the same; is patient; and views censure and praise equally…
Shlok 14.25
मानापमानयोस्तुल्यस्तुल्यो मित्रारिपक्षयोः।
सर्वारम्भपरित्यागी गुणातीतः स उच्यते॥
mānāpamānayostulyastulyo mitrāripakshayoho;
sarvārambhaparityāgī guṇātītah sa uchyate.
One who sees honor and insult as equal; considers friend and foe as the same; and who, upon realizing Paramātmā as the doer, offers all actions to him—such a person is called gunātīt.[97]
Shlok 14.26
मां च योऽव्यभिचारेण भक्तियोगेन सेवते।
स गुणान्समतीत्यैतान्ब्रह्मभूयाय कल्पते॥
mām cha yo’vyabhichāreṇa bhaktiyogena sevate;
sa guṇānsamatītyaitānbrahmabhūyāya kalpate.
One who serves me with unwavering bhakti-yoga[98]—they transcend these gunas and become worthy of becoming brahmarūp.
Shlok 14.27
ब्रह्मणो हि प्रतिष्ठाऽहममृतस्याऽव्ययस्य च।
शाश्वतस्य च धर्मस्य सुखस्यैकान्तिकस्य च॥
brahmaṇo hi pratishṭhā’hamamrutasyā’vyayasya cha;
shāshwatasya cha dharmasya sukhasyaikāntikasya cha.
Because, I am the support of the eternal, unchanging Aksharbrahma and the foundation of the everlasting ekāntik-dharma[99] and happiness.
॥इति श्रीमद्भगवद्गीतासूपनिषत्सु ब्रह्मविद्यायां योगशास्त्रे
श्रीकृष्णार्जुनसंवादे गुणातीतयोगो नाम चतुर्दशोऽध्यायः॥
iti shrīmadbhagavadgītāsūpanishatsu brahmavidyāyām yogashāstre shrīkrushṇārjunasamvāde
guṇātītayogo nāma chaturdasho’dhyāyaha
In this way, within the Upanishad-like Shrīmad-Bhagavad-Gītā, which is brahmavidyā and a sacred text on yoga, and in the dialogue between Shrī Krishna and Arjun, this concludes the fourteenth chapter titled “Gunātīt-yoga.”