Chapter 14: Gunatraya Vibhaga Yoga
The Three Modes of Nature
This chapter analyses the three gunas that bind the self to the body: sattva, which binds through happiness and knowledge; rajas, which binds through desire and restless activity; and tamas, which binds through inertia and delusion. Krishna describes how each feels from the inside and what each leads to after death. Arjuna asks how one recognises a person who has gone beyond them — and receives the answer that such a one is unmoved by the gunas' coming and going, and stands firm, self-contained.
All 27 verses of Chapter 14
Verse 14.1
श्रीभगवानुवाच । परं भूयः प्रवक्ष्यामि ज्ञानानां ज्ञानमुत्तमम् । यज्ज्ञात्वा मुनयः सर्वे परां सिद्धिमितो गताः ॥
śrī-bhagavān uvāca paraṁ bhūyaḥ pravakṣyāmi jñānānāṁ jñānam uttamam yaj jñātvā munayaḥ sarve parāṁ siddhim ito gatāḥ
The Supreme Lord said: I shall again declare that supreme wisdom, the best of all knowledge, knowing which all the sages attained the highest perfection from this world.
Life lesson: Take a moment today to notice what's actually shaping your mood and choices — that awareness alone is valuable.
Read verse 14.1 in full →Verse 14.2
इदं ज्ञानमुपाश्रित्य मम साधर्म्यमागताः । सर्गेऽपि नोपजायन्ते प्रलये न व्यथन्ति च ॥
idaṁ jñānam upāśritya mama sādharmyam āgatāḥ sarge 'pi nopajāyante pralaye na vyathanti ca
Having taken refuge in this knowledge, those who attain My nature are not born at creation nor disturbed at dissolution.
Life lesson: Let today's understanding give you a little more steadiness, even amid changes you can't control.
Read verse 14.2 in full →Verse 14.3
मम योनिर्महद् ब्रह्म तस्मिन्गर्भं दधाम्यहम् । सम्भवः सर्वभूतानां ततो भवति भारत ॥
mama yonir mahad brahma tasmin garbhaṁ dadhāmy aham sambhavaḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ tato bhavati bhārata
The great material nature is My womb; in it I place the seed. From that, O Bharata, comes the birth of all beings.
Life lesson: Remember today that your existence carries something intentional at its root, not mere accident.
Read verse 14.3 in full →Verse 14.4
सर्वयोनिषु कौन्तेय मूर्तयः सम्भवन्ति याः । तासां ब्रह्म महद्योनिरहं बीजप्रदः पिता ॥
sarva-yoniṣu kaunteya mūrtayaḥ sambhavanti yāḥ tāsāṁ brahma mahad yonir ahaṁ bīja-pradaḥ pitā
Whatever forms arise in all the various wombs, O son of Kunti, the great nature is their womb, and I am the seed-giving father.
Life lesson: When someone seems very different from you today, remember there's a shared root beneath both of you — let that soften any distance.
Read verse 14.4 in full →Verse 14.5
सत्त्वं रजस्तम इति गुणाः प्रकृतिसम्भवाः । निबध्नन्ति महाबाहो देहे देहिनमव्ययम् ॥
sattvaṁ rajas tama iti guṇāḥ prakṛti-sambhavāḥ nibadhnanti mahā-bāho dehe dehinam avyayam
Goodness, passion, and ignorance — these are the three modes born of nature. O mighty-armed, they bind the imperishable soul to the body.
Life lesson: Notice today which tendency — clarity, restlessness, or heaviness — is coloring your mood, and simply name it without judgment.
Read verse 14.5 in full →Verse 14.6
तत्र सत्त्वं निर्मलत्वात्प्रकाशकमनामयम् । सुखसङ्गेन बध्नाति ज्ञानसङ्गेन चानघ ॥
tatra sattvaṁ nirmalatvāt prakāśakam anāmayam sukha-saṅgena badhnāti jñāna-saṅgena cānagha
Among these, sattva, being pure, is illuminating and free from affliction; it binds one through attachment to happiness and knowledge, O sinless one.
Life lesson: Even your good qualities today — your clarity or calm — are worth holding lightly, rather than clinging to as identity.
Read verse 14.6 in full →Verse 14.7
रजो रागात्मकं विद्धि तृष्णासङ्गसमुद्भवम् । तन्निबध्नाति कौन्तेय कर्मसङ्गेन देहिनम् ॥
rajo rāgātmakaṁ viddhi tṛṣṇā-saṅga-samudbhavam tan nibadhnāti kaunteya karma-saṅgena dehinam
Know rajas to be of the nature of passion, arising from craving and attachment. It binds the soul, O Kaunteya, through attachment to action.
Life lesson: When you feel the restless urge to chase more today, pause and ask if rest, not more doing, is what you actually need.
Read verse 14.7 in full →Verse 14.8
तमस्त्वज्ञानजं विद्धि मोहनं सर्वदेहिनाम् । प्रमादालस्यनिद्राभिस्तन्निबध्नाति भारत ॥
tamas tv ajñāna-jaṁ viddhi mohanaṁ sarva-dehinām pramādālasya-nidrābhis tan nibadhnāti bhārata
Know tamas to be born of ignorance, deluding all embodied beings. It binds through negligence, laziness, and excessive sleep, O Bharata.
Life lesson: If procrastination or heaviness shows up today, name it gently as a passing pattern, not a flaw, and take one small step anyway.
Read verse 14.8 in full →Verse 14.9
सत्त्वं सुखे सञ्जयति रजः कर्मणि भारत । ज्ञानमावृत्य तु तमः प्रमादे सञ्जयत्युत ॥
sattvaṁ sukhe sañjayati rajaḥ karmaṇi bhārata jñānam āvṛtya tu tamaḥ pramāde sañjayaty uta
O Bharata, sattva binds one to happiness, rajas to action, and tamas, by covering knowledge, binds one to negligence.
Life lesson: Notice today even the pleasant states you cling to — freedom means holding those lightly too.
Read verse 14.9 in full →Verse 14.10
रजस्तमश्चाभिभूय सत्त्वं भवति भारत । रजः सत्त्वं तमश्चैव तमः सत्त्वं रजस्तथा ॥
rajas tamaś cābhibhūya sattvaṁ bhavati bhārata rajaḥ sattvaṁ tamaś caiva tamaḥ sattvaṁ rajas tathā
O Bharata, sometimes sattva prevails, overpowering rajas and tamas; sometimes rajas prevails over sattva and tamas; and sometimes tamas prevails over sattva and rajas.
Life lesson: Just notice which inner quality feels dominant today — sattva, rajas, or tamas — without judging yourself for it.
Read verse 14.10 in full →Verse 14.11
सर्वद्वारेषु देहेऽस्मिन्प्रकाश उपजायते । ज्ञानं यदा तदा विद्याद्विवृद्धं सत्त्वमित्युत ॥
sarva-dvāreṣu dehe 'smin prakāśa upajāyate jñānaṁ yadā tadā vidyād vivṛddhaṁ sattvam ity uta
When light and knowledge arise through all the gates of this body, then one should know that sattva, the mode of goodness, has increased.
Life lesson: Notice today when things feel unusually clear and lit up in your mind — that's a sign worth paying attention to.
Read verse 14.11 in full →Verse 14.12
लोभः प्रवृत्तिरारम्भः कर्मणामशमः स्पृहा । रजस्येतानि जायन्ते विवृद्धे भरतर्षभ ॥
lobhaḥ pravṛttir ārambhaḥ karmaṇām aśamaḥ spṛhā rajasy etāni jāyante vivṛddhe bharatarṣabha
Greed, activity, undertaking of actions, restlessness, and craving — these arise, O best of the Bharatas, when rajas increases.
Life lesson: If you notice restlessness or craving today, treat it as useful information, not a reason for self-judgment.
Read verse 14.12 in full →Verse 14.13
अप्रकाशोऽप्रवृत्तिश्च प्रमादो मोह एव च । तमस्येतानि जायन्ते विवृद्धे कुरुनन्दन ॥
aprakāśo 'pravṛttiś ca pramādo moha eva ca tamasy etāni jāyante vivṛddhe kuru-nandana
Darkness, inertia, negligence, and delusion — these arise, O joy of the Kurus, when tamas increases.
Life lesson: If today feels foggy or low, try a small dose of movement or light rather than harsh self-criticism.
Read verse 14.13 in full →Verse 14.14
यदा सत्त्वे प्रवृद्धे तु प्रलयं याति देहभृत् । तदोत्तमविदां लोकानमलान्प्रतिपद्यते ॥
yadā sattve pravṛddhe tu pralayaṁ yāti deha-bhṛt tadottama-vidāṁ lokān amalān pratipadyate
When one dies while sattva predominates, one attains the pure worlds of those who know the highest truth.
Life lesson: Whenever you have the choice today, lean toward the clearer, calmer state of mind — it shapes more than you realize.
Read verse 14.14 in full →Verse 14.15
रजसि प्रलयं गत्वा कर्मसङ्गिषु जायते । तथा प्रलीनस्तमसि मूढयोनिषु जायते ॥
rajasi pralayaṁ gatvā karma-saṅgiṣu jāyate tathā pralīnas tamasi mūḍha-yoniṣu jāyate
One who dies in rajas is born among those attached to action; one who dies in tamas is born in the wombs of the deluded.
Life lesson: Treat the mental habits you're building today as seeds — tend them with the same care you'd give anything meant to last.
Read verse 14.15 in full →Verse 14.16
कर्मणः सुकृतस्याहुः सात्त्विकं निर्मलं फलम् । रजसस्तु फलं दुःखमज्ञानं तमसः फलम् ॥
karmaṇaḥ sukṛtasyāhuḥ sāttvikaṁ nirmalaṁ phalam rajasas tu phalaṁ duḥkham ajñānaṁ tamasaḥ phalam
The fruit of good action, they say, is pure and born of sattva; the fruit of rajas is pain, and the fruit of tamas is ignorance.
Life lesson: Before starting today's tasks, check the quality of mind you're bringing to them — it shapes the result more than the task itself.
Read verse 14.16 in full →Verse 14.17
सत्त्वात्सञ्जायते ज्ञानं रजसो लोभ एव च । प्रमादमोहौ तमसो भवतोऽज्ञानमेव च ॥
sattvāt sañjāyate jñānaṁ rajaso lobha eva ca pramāda-mohau tamaso bhavato 'jñānam eva ca
From sattva arises knowledge, from rajas arises greed, and from tamas arise negligence, delusion, and ignorance.
Life lesson: If you notice greed or confusion rising today, gently ask what you've been feeding your mind lately.
Read verse 14.17 in full →Verse 14.18
ऊर्ध्वं गच्छन्ति सत्त्वस्था मध्ये तिष्ठन्ति राजसाः । जघन्यगुणवृत्तिस्था अधो गच्छन्ति तामसाः ॥
ūrdhvaṁ gacchanti sattva-sthā madhye tiṣṭhanti rājasāḥ jaghanya-guṇa-vṛtti-sthā adho gacchanti tāmasāḥ
Those established in sattva rise upward; those in rajas remain in the middle; those in the lowest mode of tamas sink downward.
Life lesson: Notice today which direction your mind naturally leans — upward toward clarity, or downward toward dullness — and gently choose.
Read verse 14.18 in full →Verse 14.19
नान्यं गुणेभ्यः कर्तारं यदा द्रष्टानुपश्यति । गुणेभ्यश्च परं वेत्ति मद्भावं सोऽधिगच्छति ॥
nānyaṁ guṇebhyaḥ kartāraṁ yadā draṣṭānupaśyati guṇebhyaś ca paraṁ vetti mad-bhāvaṁ so 'dhigacchati
When the seer perceives no doer other than the gunas, and knows That which is beyond the gunas, one attains My nature.
Life lesson: When someone (including you) acts out of character today, remember it may just be the gunas shifting, not a fixed flaw.
Read verse 14.19 in full →Verse 14.20
गुणानेतानतीत्य त्रीन्देही देहसमुद्भवान् । जन्ममृत्युजरादुःखैर्विमुक्तोऽमृतमश्नुते ॥
guṇān etān atītya trīn dehī deha-samudbhavān janma-mṛtyu-jarā-duḥkhair vimukto 'mṛtam aśnute
Having transcended these three modes that arise from the body, the embodied soul, freed from birth, death, old age, and sorrow, attains immortality.
Life lesson: When today's moods pull you between restlessness, dullness, or clarity, remember you can grow beyond being ruled by any of them.
Read verse 14.20 in full →Verse 14.21
अर्जुन उवाच । कैर्लिङ्गैस्त्रीन्गुणानेतानतीतो भवति प्रभो । किमाचारः कथं चैतांस्त्रीन्गुणानतिवर्तते ॥
arjuna uvāca kair liṅgais trīn guṇān etān atīto bhavati prabho kim ācāraḥ kathaṁ caitāṁs trīn guṇān ativartate
Arjuna said: By what signs, O Lord, is one known who has transcended the three gunas? How does such a person behave, and how do they go beyond these three gunas?
Life lesson: When you learn a spiritual idea today, ask the practical follow-up: what would this actually look like in my day?
Read verse 14.21 in full →Verse 14.22
श्रीभगवानुवाच । प्रकाशं च प्रवृत्तिं च मोहमेव च पाण्डव । न द्वेष्टि सम्प्रवृत्तानि न निवृत्तानि काङ्क्षति ॥
śrī-bhagavān uvāca prakāśaṁ ca pravṛttiṁ ca moham eva ca pāṇḍava na dveṣṭi sampravṛttāni na nivṛttāni kāṅkṣati
The Supreme Lord said: One who is transcendent to the modes, O Pandava, neither hates illumination, activity, or delusion when present, nor longs for them when absent.
Life lesson: Whatever mood shows up today, practice letting it come and go without grasping or resisting — that's real freedom.
Read verse 14.22 in full →Verse 14.23
उदासीनवदासीनो गुणैर्यो न विचाल्यते । गुणा वर्तन्त इत्येवं योऽवतिष्ठति नेङ्गते ॥
udāsīna-vad āsīno guṇair yo na vicālyate guṇā vartanta ity evaṁ yo 'vatiṣṭhati neṅgate
—who sits like one indifferent, unmoved by the gunas, knowing that it is only the gunas acting, remaining steady and unwavering.
Life lesson: When a strong reaction rises in you today, try watching it for a moment from a slight distance before responding.
Read verse 14.23 in full →Verse 14.24
समदुःखसुखः स्वस्थः समलोष्टाश्मकाञ्चनः । तुल्यप्रियाप्रियो धीरस्तुल्यनिन्दात्मसंस्तुतिः ॥
sama-duḥkha-sukhaḥ sva-sthaḥ sama-loṣṭāśma-kāñcanaḥ tulya-priyāpriyo dhīras tulya-nindātma-saṁstutiḥ
Equal in pleasure and pain, dwelling in the self, regarding a clod, a stone, and gold alike, wise and steady amid the pleasant and unpleasant, alike in praise and blame—
Life lesson: Notice today how much praise or criticism pulls at you, and practice letting your sense of worth rest somewhere steadier.
Read verse 14.24 in full →Verse 14.25
मानापमानयोस्तुल्यस्तुल्यो मित्रारिपक्षयोः । सर्वारम्भपरित्यागी गुणातीतः स उच्यते ॥
mānāpamānayos tulyas tulyo mitrāri-pakṣayoḥ sarvārambha-parityāgī guṇātītaḥ sa ucyate
—alike in honor and dishonor, alike toward friend and foe, having renounced all selfish undertakings, such a one is said to have transcended the gunas.
Life lesson: You don't have to reach this today, but let it be a clear direction you're quietly growing toward.
Read verse 14.25 in full →Verse 14.26
मां च योऽव्यभिचारेण भक्तियोगेन सेवते । स गुणान्समतीत्यैतान्ब्रह्मभूयाय कल्पते ॥
māṁ ca yo 'vyabhicāreṇa bhakti-yogena sevate sa guṇān samatītyaitān brahma-bhūyāya kalpate
One who serves Me with unwavering devotion transcends these three modes and becomes fit to attain the state of Brahman.
Life lesson: Whatever mood you're stuck in today, a small act of devotion or love can quietly lift you above it.
Read verse 14.26 in full →Verse 14.27
ब्रह्मणो हि प्रतिष्ठाहममृतस्याव्ययस्य च । शाश्वतस्य च धर्मस्य सुखस्यैकान्तिकस्य च ॥
brahmaṇo hi pratiṣṭhāham amṛtasyāvyayasya ca śāśvatasya ca dharmasya sukhasyaikāntikasya ca
I am the foundation of the formless Brahman, of immortality, of eternal dharma, and of unending bliss.
Life lesson: Whatever ground you're standing on today, trust that it rests on something deeper and more secure than you can see.
Read verse 14.27 in full →