14ChapterBG CHAPTER XIV The Bhagavadgita The Mystical Father of All Beings The Highest Knowledge Translation and Comment by Dr. Radhakrishnan Sanskrit Text, Transliteration, Word Translation by Veeraswamy Krishnaraj |
श्रीभगवानुवाच परं भूयः
प्रवक्ष्यामि
ज्ञानानां ज्ञानमुत्तमम्
। यज्ज्ञात्वा
मुनयः सर्वे परां
सिद्धिमितो गताः
॥१४- १॥ śrībhagavān uvāca śrībhagavān uvāca śrībhagavān uvāca = Sri Bhagavan
said: pravakṣyāmi3 = I shall
declare; bhūyaḥ2 = again; param1 = supreme; jñānam5 = knowledge; uttamam6 = the highest; jñānānām4 = of all
knowledge; jñātvā8 = knowing; yat7 = which; sarve10 = all; munayaḥ9 = sages; gatāḥ14 = attained; itaḥ13 = from here
[this world]; parām11 = supreme; siddhim12 = perfection. 14.1 The Blessed Lord said: 14.1) I shall again declare that supreme wisdom,
of all wisdom the best, by knowing which all sages
have passed from this world to the highest perfection. |
इदं ज्ञानमुपाश्रित्य
मम साधर्म्यमागताः
। सर्गेऽपि नोपजायन्ते
प्रलये न व्यथन्ति
च ॥१४- २॥ idaṁ jñānam upāśritya mama sādharmyam
āgatāḥ idam1
jñānam2
upāśritya3
mama4
sādharmyam5
āgatāḥ6 upāśritya3 = Taking refuge
in; idam1 = this; jñānam2 = knowledge;
[and] āgatāḥ6 = attaining; mama4 = My; sādharmyam5 = Nature [same
identity]; [they] na upajāyante9
= are neither born; sarge7 = during
creation; na vyathanti11ca12 = nor suffer
pain; api8 = even; pralaye10 = at
dissolution.14.2 (14.2) Having resorted to this
wisdom and become of like nature to Me, they are not born at the time of
creation; nor are they disturbed at the time of dissolution. ■ Life eternal is not dissolution into the indefinable Absolute but
attainment of a universality and freedom of spirit, which is lifted above the
empirical movement. Its status is unaffected by the cyclic processes of creation and dissolution, being
superior to all manifestations. The saved soul grows into the likeness of the
Divine and assumes an unchangeable being, eternally conscious of the Supreme
Lord who assumes varied cosmic forms. It is not svarūpatā
or identity but only samānadharmatā
or similarity of quality. He becomes one in nature with
what he seeks, attains sādṛśyamukti. He realizes
the divine in his outer
consciousness and life. Cp. "Be ye therefore perfect, even as your
Father which is in heaven is
perfect:' Matthew v, 48. S.'s view is
different from this. He holds that sādharmya
means identity of nature and not equality of
attributes.1 1mama parameśvarasya sādharmyaṁ
mat svarūpataāṁ na tu samānadharmatāṁ sādharmyam kṣetrajneśvarayor
bhedān abhyupagamāt gītāśāstre.
Śaṁkara. mama
Īśvarasya sādharmyaṁ sarvātmatvaṁ sarvaniyantṛtvaṁ, ityādidharmasāmyaṁ sādharmyam. Nīlakaṇṭha. mamasādharmyam madrūpatvam. Śrīdhara. |
मम योनिर्महद्ब्रह्म
तस्मिन्गर्भं
दधाम्यहम् । संभवः सर्वभूतानां
ततो भवति भारत
॥१४- ३॥ mama yonir mahad brahma tasmin garbhaṁ dadhāmy aham mama1
yoniḥ2
mahat brahma3
tasmin4
garbham5
dadhāmi6
aham7 ·
mahat brahma3 = The
Great Brahman; [is] mama1 =
My; yoniḥ2 = Womb;
tasmin4 = in it [in the
Womb]; aham7= I; dadhāmi6 = induce [place]; garbham5 = pregnancy; tataḥ10 = thereafter;
sambhavaḥ8 =
birth; sarva-bhūtānām9
= of all beings;bhavati11 =
occurs; bhārata12 O
Scion of Bharata. 14.3 ·
(14.3) Great brahma (prakṛti)
is My womb: in that I cast the seed and from it is the birth of all beings, O Bharata
(Arjuna). ■ If we were merely products of nature, we could not attain
life eternal. This verse affirms that all existence is a manifestation of the
Divine. He is the cosmic seed. With reference to this world, He becomes Hiraṇyagarbha,
the cosmic soul. S. says: "1 unite the Kṣetra
with the Kṣetrajña, giving birth to Hiraṇyagarbha, hence to all
beings." The Lord is the Father who deposits in the womb which is
not-self, the seed which is essential
life, thus causing the birth of every individual. The world is the
play of the Infinite on the finite. See note on II, I2. The author
here adopts the theory of creation as the development of form from non-being, chaos or night. The forms of all things which arise out of
the abysmal void are derived from God. They are the seeds
He casts into non-being. |
सर्वयोनिषु
कौन्तेय मूर्तयः
संभवन्ति याः
। तासां ब्रह्म
महद्योनिरहं
बीजप्रदः पिता
॥१४- ४॥ sarvayoniṣu kaunteya mūrtayaḥ
saṁbhavanti yāḥ sarva-yoniṣu1
kaunteya2
mūrtayaḥ3
sambhavanti4
yāḥ5 yāḥ5 = Whatever; mūrtayaḥ3 = forms; sambhavanti4 = appear/are
born; sarva-yoniṣu1 = from all
wombs; kaunteya2 = O son of Kunti; mahat8 = the Great; brahma7 = Brahman; [is]
yoniḥ9 = the Womb; aham10 = I; [am] bīja-pradaḥ11= the seed
giving; pitā12 = father tāsām6 = of
them. 14.4 (4.4) Whatever forms are produced in any wombs
whatsoever, o Son of Kuntī (Arjuna), great brahma is
their womb and I am the Father who casts the seed. ■ Prakṛti is the mother and God is the father of all living forms. As prakṛti
is also of the nature of God, God is the father and mother of the
universe. He is the seed and
the womb of the universe. This conception is utilized in certain forms of worship
which are developed out of what some modem puritans deride as obscene
phallicism. The Spirit of God fertilizes our lives and makes them what God
wants them to be. ■ The Supreme is
the Seminal Reason of the world. All beings result from the impregnation of
matter through logoi spermatikoi or animating
souls. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rationes_seminales. Through
them God carries out His work in the world. These seeds of the Logos
are the ideal forms which mould the gross world of matter into beings. The
ideas, the patterns of things to be, are all in God. Every possibility
of manifestation has its root in a corresponding possibility in the
unmanifest, wherein it subsists as in its eternal cause, of which the
manifestation is an explicit affirmation. God has an eternal vision of
creation in all its details. Whereas in Socrates and Plato, ideas and matter are conceived as a dualism, where the relation between the
subtle world of ideas and the gross world of matter is difficult to
understand, in the Gītā the two are said to belong to the
Divine. God Himself incarnates the seminal ideas in the forms
of the gross world. These seminal ideas which have a divine origin, which
belong to the causal Logos are the explanation of our love for God. While God
is in one sense
transcendent to human nature, there is also in the soul a direct expression
of the Divine. The cosmic process continues until the causal origin, alpha
and the final consummation omega, coincide. |
Goodness, Passion and Dullness सत्त्वं रजस्तम
इति गुणाः प्रकृतिसंभवाः
। निबध्नन्ति
महाबाहो देहे
देहिनमव्ययम्
॥१४- ५॥ sattvaṁ rajas tama iti guṇāḥ
prakṛtisambhavāḥ sattvam1
rajas2
tamaḥ3 iti4 guṇāḥ5
prakṛti-sambhavāḥ6 sattvam1 =
Sattva/goodness; rajas2 =
Rajas/passion; tamaḥ3 =
Tamas/darkness; iti4 = thus; guṇāḥ5 = the Gunas or qualities; prakṛti-sambhavāḥ6
=
are born of nature; [and] nibadhnanti7 = bind down; avyayam11 = the
imperishable; dehinam10 = living being
[soul]; dehe9 = to the body; mahābāho8 = O
Mighty-armed Arjuna. 14.5 (14.5) The three modes (guṇas)
goodness (sattva), passion (rajas), and dullness (tamas)
born of nature (prakṛti) bind down in the body, O Mighty-armed (Arjuna), the imperishable dweller in the body. ■ What leads to the
appearance of the immortal soul in the cycle of birth and death is the power
of the guṇas or modes. They are "the primary constituents of
nature and are the bases of all substances. They cannot therefore be said to
be qualities inhering in these substances." Ᾱnandagiri.
They are called guṇas, because their emergence
is ever dependent on the puruṣa of the Sāṁkhya or the Kṣetrajña
of the Gītā. The guṇas are the three tendencies of
prakṛti or the three strands making up the twisted rope of nature.
Sattva reflects the light of consciousness and is irradiated by it, and so has the quality of radiance (prakāśa).
Rajas has an outward
movement (pravṛtti) and tamas is characterized by inertia (apravṛtti) and
heedless indifference (pramāda),1 It is
difficult to have adequate English equivalents for the three words, sattva,
rajas and tamas. Sattva is perfect
purity and luminosity while rajas is impurity which
leads to activity and tamas is darkness and inertia. As the main application
of the guṇas in the Gītā is ethical, we use goodness for sattva, passion
for rajas and dullness for tamas. ■
The cosmic trinity reflects the dominance of one of the three modes,
sattva in Viṣṇu, the preserver, rajas in Brahma, the creator and
tamas in Śiva, the destroyer. Sattva contributes to the stability of the
universe, rajas to its creative movement and tamas represents the
tendency of things to decay and die. They are responsible for the
maintenance, origin and dissolution of the world.
The application of the guṇas to the three aspects of the Personal Lord
shows that the latter belongs to the objective or the manifested world. God is struggling in humanity
to redeem it and the godlike souls co-operate with Him in this work of
redemption.2 ■ When the soul identifies itself
with the modes of nature, it forgets its own eternity and uses mind, life and
body for egoistic satisfaction. To rise above bondage, we must rise above the
modes of nature, become triguṇātīta; then we put on the free and incorruptible nature of
spirit. Sattva is sublimated into the light of consciousness, jyoti, rajas into austerity, tapas
and tamas into tranquillity or rest, śānti. 1 II and 22, 12 and 22, 13. 2 Cp, Isaiah who
speaks of the Messiah these words:
"He hath borne our griefs and carried our
sorrows. He was wounded for our transgressions. The
chastisement of our peace was upon Him and with His
stripes we are healed" (liii, 45). |
तत्र
सत्त्वं निर्मलत्वात्प्रकाशकमनामयम्
। सुखसङ्गेन
बध्नाति ज्ञानसङ्गेन
चानघ ॥१४- ६॥ tatra sattvaṁ nirmalatvāt prakāśakam
anāmayam tatra1 sattvam2 nirmalatvāt3 prakāśakam4 anāmayam5 tatra1 = Therefore; sattvam2 = Sattva; nirmalatvāt3 = being pure; [is] prakāśakam4 = shining; [and] anāmayam5 = free of sickness; [ but] badhnāti7 = binds; sukhasaṅgena6 = because of connection to happiness; ca9 = and; jñāna-saṅgena8 = connection to knowledge; anagha10 = O sinless one.14.6 (14.6) Of these, goodness (sattva) being pure, causes illumination and
health. It binds, O blameless one, by attachment to happiness and by attachment
to knowledge. ■ Knowledge here means lower intellectual knowledge. Sattva does
not rid us of the ego-sense. It also causes desire though for noble objects.
The self which is free from all attachment is here attached
to happiness and knowledge. Unless we cease to think and will with the ego-sense, we are not liberated. Jñāna or knowledge relates to buddhi which is a product of prakṛti and is
to be distinguished from the pure consciousness which is the essence of
atman. |
रजो रागात्मकं
विद्धि तृष्णासङ्गसमुद्भवम्
। तन्निबध्नाति
कौन्तेय कर्मसङ्गेन
देहिनम् ॥१४- ७॥ rajo rāgātmakaṁ viddhi tṛṣṇāsaṅgasamudbhavam rajaḥ1
rāgātmakam2
viddhi3 tṛṣṇā-asaṅga-samudbhavam4 kaunteya7 = O son of Kunti; viddhi3 = know; rajaḥ1 = Rajas/passion;
[is] rāgātmakam2 = of the form
of desire; tṛṣṇā-asaṅga-samudbhavam4 = born of
avidity and attachment [avidity-attachment-born of]; tat5 = that; nibadhnāti6 = binds; dehinam9 = the embodied
self; karma-saṅgena8
= by its attachment to actions. 14.7 (14.7) Passion (rajas), know
thou, is of the nature of attraction, springing from craving and attachment.
It binds fast, O Son of Kuntī (Arjuna), the embodied one by attachment
to action. ■ Though the self is not the agent, rajas makes him act with the
idea ''Ī am the doer." Ᾱnandagiri. |
तमस्त्वज्ञानजं
विद्धि मोहनं
सर्वदेहिनाम्
। प्रमादालस्यनिद्राभिस्तन्निबध्नाति
भारत ॥१४- ८॥ tamas tv ajñānajaṁ viddhi mohanaṁ sarvadehinām tamaḥ1 tu2
ajñānajam3
viddhi4
mohanam5
sarva-dehinām6 tu2 = But; viddhi4 = know; tamaḥ1 =
Tamas/darkness; ajñānajam3 = is born of
ignorance; [causing] mohanam5 = delusion; sarva-dehinām6 = to all
embodied selves; tat8 = that; nibadhnāti9 = binds; pramāda-ālasya-nidrābhiḥ7 = by negligence,
laziness, and sleep; bhārata10 = O son of
Bharata.14.8 (14.8) But dullness (tamas), know
thou, is born of ignorance and deludes all embodied beings. It binds, O
Bharata (Arjuna), by (developing the qualities of) negligence, indolence and sleep. |
सत्त्वं सुखे
संजयति रजः कर्मणि
भारत । ज्ञानमावृत्य
तु तमः प्रमादे
संजयत्युत ॥१४-
९॥ sattvaṁ sukhe saṁjayati
rajaḥ karmaṇi
bhārata sattvam1
sukhe2
sañjayati3
rajaḥ4
karmaṇi5
bhārata6 sattvam1 =
Sattvam/goodness; sañjayati3 = attaches a
person; sukhe2 = to happiness;
rajaḥ4 =
rajas/passion; karmaṇi5 = to action; bhārata6 = O Bharata; tu9 = but; tamaḥ10 =
tamas/darkness; sañjayati12 =
attaches; pramāde11 = to negligence;
uta13 = also āvṛtya8 = by hiding; jñānam7 = wisdom.14.9
(14.9) Goodness attaches one to happiness,
passion to action, o Bharata (Arjuna), but dullness, veiling wisdom, attaches to negligence. |
रजस्तमश्चाभिभूय
सत्त्वं भवति
भारत । रजः सत्त्वं
तमश्चैव तमः सत्त्वं
रजस्तथा ॥१४- १०॥ rajas tamaś cābhibhūya
sattvaṁ bhavati bhārata rajaḥ1
tamaḥ2 ca3
abhibhūya4
sattvam5
bhavati6
bhārata7 sattvam5 =
Sattva/virtue; bhavati6 = becomes; abhibhūya4 = superior; [by
subduing] rajaḥ1 =
Rajas/passion; ca3 = and; tamaḥ2 =
Tamas/darkness; bhārata7 = O Scion of
Bharata Clan. rajaḥ8 = Rajas;
[augments by subduing] sattvam9 = Sattva; ca11 = and; tamaḥ10 = Tamas; eva12 = indeed. tamaḥ13 = Tamas; tathā16 = thus;
[augments by subduing] sattvam14 = Sattva; [and]
rajaḥ15 = Rajas. 14.10 (14.10) Goodness
prevails, overpowering passion and dullness, o Bharata
(Arjuna). Passion prevails, (overpowering) goodness and dullness and even so
dullness prevails (overpowering) goodness and passion. ■ The three modes are present in all human beings, though in different degrees. No one is free from them and in each soul one or the other
predominates. Men are said to be sattvika, rajasa or tamasa
according to the mode which prevails. When the theory of the
"humours" of the body dominated physiology, men were divided into
the sanguine, the bilious, the lymphatic and the nervous,
according to the predominance of one or the other of the four humours. In the
Hindu classification, the psychic characteristics are taken
into account. The sattvika nature aims at light and
knowledge: the rajasa nature is restless, full of
desires for things outward. While the activities of a sattvika
temperament are free, calm and selfless, the rajasa nature wishes to be always active and cannot sit
still and its activities are tainted by selfish desires.
The tamasa nature is dull and
inert, its mind is dark and confused and its whole
life is one continuous submission to environment. |
सर्वद्वारेषु
देहेऽस्मिन्प्रकाश
उपजायते । ज्ञानं यदा तदा
विद्याद्विवृद्धं
सत्त्वमित्युत
॥१४- ११॥ sarvadvāreṣu dehesmin
prakāśa upajāyate sarva-dvāreṣu1
dehe2
asmin3
prakāśa4
upajāyate5 yadā7 = When; prakāśa4 = light; [of] jñānam6 = knowledge; upajāyate5 = manifests [shines];
sarva-dvāreṣu1 = from all
gates; asmin3 = in this; dehe2 = body; tadā8 = then; vidyāt9 = know; sattvam11 = Sattva; iti12 = thus; uta13 = indeed; vivṛddham10 = has
augmented.14.11 (14.11) When the light of
knowledge streams forth in all the gates of the body, then it may be known that
goodness has increased. ■ sarva-dvāreṣu1
dehe2
asmin3: all the gates of the body. The light of knowledge can have
a full physical manifestation.
The truth of consciousness is not opposed to expression in matter. The Divine can be realized
on the physical plane. To divinize the human consciousness, to bring the
light into the physical, to transfigure our whole life is the aim of yoga. ■ When our minds
are illumined and senses quickened, then sattva predominates. |
लोभः प्रवृत्तिरारम्भः
कर्मणामशमः स्पृहा
। रजस्येतानि
जायन्ते विवृद्धे
भरतर्षभ ॥१४- १२॥ lobhaḥ pravṛttir ārambhaḥ karmaṇām
aśamaḥ spṛhā lobhaḥ1
pravṛttiḥ2
ārambhaḥ3
karmaṇām4
aśamaḥ5 spṛhā6 lobhaḥ1 = Greed; pravṛttiḥ2 = activity; ārambhaḥ3 = beginning; karmaṇām4 = of actions; aśamaḥ5 = unrest; [and]
spṛhā6 = desire: etāni8 = these; jāyante9 = manifest;
[when] rajasi7 = Rajas
quality; vivṛddhe10 = becomes dominant; bharata-rṣabha11 = O the
best of Bharatas. 14.12 (14.12) Greed,
activity, the undertaking of actions, unrest and craving: these spring up, O
Best of the Bharatas (Arjuna), when rajas increases. The passionate seeking of life
and its pleasures arises from the dominance of rajas. |
अप्रकाशोऽप्रवृत्तिश्च
प्रमादो मोह एव
च । तमस्येतानि
जायन्ते विवृद्धे
कुरुनन्दन ॥१४-
१३॥ aprakāśopravṛttiś ca pramādo moha eva ca aprakāśaḥ1
apravṛttiḥ2 ca3
pramādaḥ4
mohaḥ5 eva6 ca7 aprakāśaḥ1 = Darkness; apravṛttiḥ2 =
stagnation/inactivity; pramādaḥ4 =
negligence; ca3 = and; mohaḥ5 ca7 = also delusion:
etāni9 = these; eva6 = indeed; jāyante10 = come forth;
[when] tamasi8 = Tamas
quality; vivṛddhe11 = increases; kuru-nandana12 = O son
of Kuru.14.13 (14.I3) Unillumination,
inactivity, negligence and mere delusion: these
arise, O Joy of the Kurus (Arjuna), when dullness increases. ■ While prakāśa
or illumination is the effect of sattva, aprakāśa or
non-illumination is the result of tamas. Error, misunderstanding, negligence and inaction are the characteristic marks of a tāmasa
temperament. |
यदा सत्त्वे
प्रवृद्धे तु
प्रलयं याति देहभृत्
। तदोत्तमविदां
लोकानमलान्प्रतिपद्यते
॥१४- १४॥ yadā sattve pravṛddhe
tu pralayaṁ yāti
dehabhṛt yadā1
sattve2
pravṛddhe3 tu4
pralayam5
yāti6
deha-bhṛt7 yadā1 = When; deha-bhṛt7 = the
embodied; yāti6 = proceeds to; pralayam5 =
dissolution/death; [and] sattve2 =
Sattva/virtue; pravṛddhe3 = is on the
ascent/ dominant; tu4 = certainly; tadā8 = then; pratipadyate12 = he attains; amalān11 = the pure; lokān10 = world; uttamavidām9 = of knowers of
the highest. 14.14 (14.14) When the
embodied soul meets with dissolution, when goodness prevails, then it attains to
the pure worlds of those who know the Highest. They do not obtain release but
birth in brahmaloka. Nistraiguṇya or the
transcendence of the three guṇas is the condition of release. |
रजसि प्रलयं
गत्वा कर्मसङ्गिषु
जायते । तथा प्रलीनस्तमसि
मूढयोनिषु जायते
॥१४- १५॥ rajasi pralayaṁ gatvā karmasaṅgiṣu
jāyate rajasi1
pralayam2
gatvā3
karma-saṅgiṣu4
jāyate5 pralayam2
gatvā3 = Attaining
death [ death-attain]; rajasi1 = in Rajas
quality; jāyate5 = he takes
birth; karma-saṅgiṣu4 = [among
people] attached to action; tathā6 = likewise; pralīnaḥ7 = when one
dies; tamasi8 = in Tamas; jāyate10 = he takes
birth; mūḍha-yoniṣu9
= in ignorant wombs [in animal wombs]. 14.15 (14.15) Meeting with dissolution when passion prevails, it is born among those
attached to action; and if it is dissolved when dullness prevails, it is born in the wombs of the deluded. |
कर्मणः सुकृतस्याहुः
सात्त्विकं निर्मलं
फलम् । रजसस्तु फलं
दुःखमज्ञानं
तमसः फलम् ॥१४-
१६॥ karmaṇaḥ sukṛtasyāhuḥ
sāttvikaṁ nirmalaṁ
phalam karmaṇaḥ1 sukṛtasya2
āhuḥ3
sāttvikam4
nirmalam5
phalam6 phalam6 = The fruit; sukṛtasya2 = of
good/pious; karmaṇaḥ1 = action; āhuḥ3 = is said to be; nirmalam5 = pure; sāttvikam4 = virtue; tu8 = but; phalam9 = fruit; rajasaḥ7 = of passion;
[is] duḥkham10 = sorrow; phalam13 = the fruit;
[of] ajñānam11 = ignorance; [
is] tamasaḥ12 = Tamas. 14.16 (14.16) The fruit of good action is
said to be of the nature of "goodness" and pure; while the fruit of
passion is pain, the fruit of dullness is ignorance. |
सत्त्वात्संजायते
ज्ञानं रजसो लोभ
एव च । प्रमादमोहौ
तमसो भवतोऽज्ञानमेव
च ॥१४- १७॥ sattvāt saṁjāyate jñānaṁ rajaso lobha eva ca sattvāt1
sañjāyate2
jñānam3
rajasaḥ4
lobha5 eva6 ca7 sattvāt1 = From virtue; sañjāyate2 = arises; jñānam3 = knowledge; rajasaḥ4 = from passion;
lobha5 = greed; eva6 = indeed; ca7 = and; tamasaḥ9 = from
darkness; bhavataḥ10 = comes; pramāda-mohau8 = madness and
delusion; ca13 = and; ajñānam11 = ignorance; eva12 = indeed.14.17 (14.I7) From goodness arises
knowledge and from passion greed, negligence and
error arise from dullness, as also ignorance. ■ The
psychological effects of the three modes are here set forth. |
ऊर्ध्वं गच्छन्ति
सत्त्वस्था मध्ये
तिष्ठन्ति राजसाः
। जघन्यगुणवृत्तिस्था
अधो गच्छन्ति
तामसाः ॥१४- १८॥ ūrdhvaṁ gacchanti
sattvasthā madhye tiṣṭhanti rājasāḥ ūrdhvam1 gacchanti2
sattvasthāḥ3
madhye4 tiṣṭhanti5
rājasāḥ6 sattvasthāḥ3 = They who are
steadfast in Sattva; gacchanti2 = go; ūrdhvam1 = higher [in
the realm of gods]; rājasāḥ6 = the Rajasic; tiṣṭhanti5 = stay/remain; madhye4 = in the middle; tāmasāḥ10 = the Tamasic; jaghanya-guṇa-vṛttisthāḥ7 = immersed in
lowest quality, [the lowest-quality-being in any state or condition or
employment]; gacchhanti9 = go; adhaḥ8 = low [born as
worms, birds, animals]. 14.18 (14.18) Those who
are established in goodness rise upwards; the passionate remain in the middle
(regions); the dull steeped in the lower occurrences of the modes sink
downwards. The soul evolves through these
three stages; it rises from dull inertia and subjection to ignorance, through
the struggle for material enjoyments to the pursuit of knowledge and happiness.
But so long as we are attached, even though it may be to very noble objects,
we are limited and there is always a sense of insecurity
since rajas and tamas may overcome the sattva in us. The highest ideal
is to transcend the ethical level and rise to the spiritual. The good man (sāttvika)
should become a saint (triguṇātīta).
Until we reach this stage, we are only in the making; our
evolution is incomplete. triguṇātīta = Transcending the three guṇas. |
नान्यं गुणेभ्यः
कर्तारं यदा द्रष्टानुपश्यति
। गुणेभ्यश्च
परं वेत्ति मद्भावं
सोऽधिगच्छति
॥१४- १९॥ nānyaṁ guṇebhyaḥ kartāraṁ yadā draṣṭānupaśyati na anyam guṇebhyaḥ1
kartāram2
yadā3 draṣṭā4
anupaśyati5 yadā3 = When; draṣṭā4 = a Seer; anupaśyati5 = sees; na anyam guṇebhyaḥ1 = none other
than the three Gunas; [as] kartāram2 = the
agent; ca7 = and; vetti9 = knows; [that
which is] param8 = Supreme; guṇebhyaḥ6
= to the Gunas/qualities; saḥ11 = he; adhigacchhati12 = attains; madbhāvam10 = My State.14.19 (14.19) When the seer
perceives no agent other than the modes, and knows also
that which is beyond the modes, he attains to My being. ■ "Then his
identity with Brahman becomes manifest." Ᾱnandagiri. |
गुणानेतानतीत्य
त्रीन्देही देहसमुद्भवान्
। जन्ममृत्युजरादुःखैर्विमुक्तोऽमृतमश्नुते
॥१४- २०॥ guṇān etān atītya trīn dehī dehasamudbhavān guṇān1
etān2
atītya3
trīn4
dehī5
deha-samudbhavān6 atītya3 = Transcending;
etān2 = these; trīn4 = three; guṇān1 = Gunas; [which] deha-samudbhavān6 = give
rise to the body [body-giving birth to]; dehī5 = the embodied
[soul]; vimuktaḥ8 = having become
free; janma-mṛtyu-jarā-duḥkhaiḥ7 = from birth,
death, old age, and sorrow; aśnute10 =
attains/experiences; amṛtam9 = immortality.14.20 (14.20) When the embodied soul
rises above these three modes that spring from the body, it is freed from
birth, death, old age and pain and attains life eternal. dehasamudbhavān: this implies
that the modes are caused by the body.
"Which are the seed out of which the body is evolved." S.1 Even sāttvika
goodness is imperfect since this goodness has for its condition the struggle
with its opposite. The moment the struggle ceases and the goodness becomes absolute,
it ceases to be goodness and goes beyond all ethical compulsion. By developing
the nature of sattva, we rise beyond it and obtain transcendent wisdom.2 1 dehotpattibījabhūtān. 2 Just as we pull out a thorn by a thorn, so renouncing worldly things we
must renounce renunciation. kāṇtakaṁ
kāṇtakaneva yena
tyajasi taṁ tyaja. By means of sattva we
overcome rajas and tamas and
then get beyond sattva itself. |
The Character of Him Who is Beyond the Three Modes अर्जुन उवाच कैर्लिङ्गैस्त्रीन्गुणानेतानतीतो
भवति प्रभो । किमाचारः कथं
चैतांस्त्रीन्गुणानतिवर्तते
॥१४- २१॥ arjuna uvāca arjuna uvāca arjuna uvāca = Arjuna said: kaiḥ1 = by what; liṅgaiḥ2 = marks/signs;
[one is said to] atītaḥ6 = transcend; etān5 = these; trīn3 = three; guṇān4 = Gunas/qualities? kim9 = What; bhavati7 = is; [his] ācāraḥ10 = conduct; prabho8 = O Lord; ca12 = and; katham11 = how; [does
he] ativartate16 = transcend; etān13 = these; trīn14 = three; guṇān15 = Gunas? 14.21 Arjuna said (14.2I) By what marks
is he, O Lord, who has risen above the three modes characterized? What is his
way of life? How does he get beyond the three modes? ■ What are the
marks of the jīvanmukta, of him who achieves perfection in the present
life? The characteristics are more or less the same as those of the
sthitaprajña (II, 55 ff.) of the bhaktimān,
devotee (XII, I3 ff.). From this it
is evident that the marks of perfection are the same, however it may be reached. |
श्रीभगवानुवाच प्रकाशं च प्रवृत्तिं
च मोहमेव च पाण्डव
। न द्वेष्टि संप्रवृत्तानि
न निवृत्तानि
काङ्क्षति ॥१४-
२२॥ śrībhagavān uvāca śrībhagavān uvāca = Sri bhagavan
said; pāṇḍava8 = O Pandava; [he] na9 = neither; dveṣṭi10 = hates; prakāśam1 = Light
[knowledge]; ca2 = and; pravṛttim3 = activity; ca4 = and; moham5 = delusion; eva6 = indeed; sampravṛttāni11 = when they
arise; ca7 = and; na12 = nor; kāṅkṣati14 = desires; [for
them, when they] nivṛttāni13 = disappear or
cease to exist; 14.22 (14.22) He, O Paṇḍava (Arjuna), who does not abhor illumination,
activity and delusion when they arise nor longs for them when they cease. |
उदासीनवदासीनो
गुणैर्यो न विचाल्यते
। गुणा वर्तन्त
इत्येव योऽवतिष्ठति
नेङ्गते ॥१४- २३॥ udāsīnavad āsīno
guṇair yo na vicālyate udāsīnavat1
āsīnaḥ2 guṇaiḥ3 yaḥ4 na
vicālyate5 yaḥ4 = He who; āsīnaḥ2 = is sitting; udāsīnavat1 = indifferent
to; guṇaiḥ3 = Gunas; na vicālyate5 = not
perturbed; [knowing] guṇāḥ6 = Gunas; vartante7 = act; iti8 = thus; eva9 = surely; yaḥ10 = he; avatiṣṭhati11 = remains firm;
[and] na iṅgate12
= does not waver... 14.23 (14.23) He who is seated like one unconcerned, unperturbed by the
modes, who stands apart, without wavering, knowing that it is only the modes
that act. ■ He sees the
mutations of nature but is not entangled in them. The modes or guṇas
are lifted up into pure illumination, divine activity
and perfect calm. |
समदुःखसुखः
स्वस्थः समलोष्टाश्मकाञ्चनः
। तुल्यप्रियाप्रियो
धीरस्तुल्यनिन्दात्मसंस्तुतिः
॥१४- २४॥ samaduḥkhasukhaḥ svasthaḥ samaloṣṭāśmakāñcanaḥ sama-duḥkha-sukhaḥ1
svasthaḥ2
sama-loṣṭa-aśma-kāñcanaḥ3 sama-duḥkha-sukhaḥ1 = equal in
sorrow and happiness; svasthaḥ2 = abiding in
his self; sama-loṣṭa-aśma-kāñcanaḥ3 = equal
in regarding a clod, a stone and gold [= equal-clod-stone-gold]; tulya-priya-apriyaḥ4
= equal in regarding the desirable and the undesirable [equal-desirable-undesirable];
dhīraḥ5 = wise; tulya-nindā-ātma-saṁstutiḥ6 = equal in
blame, and praise of him [equal-blame-self-praise]... 14.24 (14.24) He who regards pain and
pleasure alike, who dwells in his own self, who looks upon a clod, a stone, a
piece of gold as of equal worth, who remains the same amidst the pleasant and the unpleasant things, who is firm of mind, who regards both blame and praise as one. |
मानापमानयोस्तुल्यस्तुल्यो
मित्रारिपक्षयोः
। सर्वारम्भपरित्यागी
गुणातीतः स उच्यते
॥१४- २५॥ mānāpamānayos tulyas tulyo mitrāripakṣayoḥ māna-apamānayoḥ1
tulyaḥ2
tulyaḥ3
mitra-ari-pakṣayoḥ4 [who is] tulyaḥ2 = equal; māna-apamānayoḥ1 = in honor and
dishonor; tulyaḥ3 = equal; mitra-ari-pakṣayoḥ4 = to
friends and foes; arva-ārambha-parityāgī5 = who has
renounced all initiatives; saḥ7 = he; ucyate8 = is said to; guṇa-atītaḥ6 = transcend the
Gunas. 14.25 (14.25) He who is the same in honour
and dishonour and the same to friends and foes, and who has given up all
initiative of action, he is said to have risen above the modes. |
मां च योऽव्यभिचारेण
भक्तियोगेन सेवते
। स गुणान्समतीत्यैतान्ब्रह्मभूयाय
कल्पते ॥१४- २६॥ māṁ ca yovyabhicāreṇa bhaktiyogena sevate mām1 ca2 yah3
avyabhicāreṇa4
bhakti-yogena5
sevate6 yah3 = Whoever; sevate6 = renders
service; mām1 = to Me; avyabhicāreṇa4 = with unswerving;
bhakti-yogena5 = devotional
service; ca2 = and; samatītya9 = transcends
completely; etān10 = these; guṇān8 = Gunas [qualities]; saḥ7 = he; kalpate12 = is fit; brahma-bhūyāya11 = to become
Brahman. 14.26 (14.26) He who serves Me
with unfailing devotion of love, rises above the three modes, he too is fit for
becoming Brahman. ■ He is fit for
liberation. |
ब्रह्मणो हि
प्रतिष्ठाहममृतस्याव्ययस्य
च । शाश्वतस्य च
धर्मस्य सुखस्यैकान्तिकस्य
च ॥१४- २७॥ brahmaṇo hi pratiṣṭhāham
amṛtasyāvyayasya ca brahmaṇaḥ1 hi2
pratiṣṭhā3
aham4 amṛtasya5
avyayasya6 ca7 aham4 = I; [am] pratiṣṭhā3 = the abode; brahmaṇaḥ1 = of Brahman; hi2 = indeed;
amṛtasya5 = of the
immortal; avyayasya6 = of the
imperishable/ the immutable; ca7 = and; śāśvatasya8 = of the
eternal; ca9 = and; dharmasya10 = of Dharma/
righteousness; ca13 = and; aikāntikasya12 = of absolute; sukhasya11 = happiness or
Bliss.14.27 (14.27) For
I am the abode of Brahman, the Immortal and the Imperishable, of eternal law
and of absolute bliss. ■ Here the personal Lord is said to be the foundation of the Absolute
Brahman. Saṁkara (S) makes out that the Supreme Lord
is Brahman in the sense that He is the manifestation of Brahman. Brahman
shows His grace to His devotees through Īśvaraśakti and He is
that power in manifestation and therefore Brahman Himself. S. gives an
alternative explanation. Brahman is the personal Lord and the verse means "I, the unconditioned and the unutterable, am
the abode of the conditioned Brahman who is immortal and
indestructible." Nīlakaṇṭha takes Brahma to mean Veda.
R. interprets it as the emancipated soul and Madhva as māyā.
Madhusūdana takes it for the personal Lord. Kṛṣṇa identifies
Himself with the absolute unconditioned Brahman. iti . . . guṇatrayavibhāgayogo nāma caturdaśo 'dhyāyaḥ. This is the fourteenth chapter
entitled The Yoga of the Differentiation of the Three Modes. |