गुणत्रयविभागयोग

श्रीभगवानुवाच । परं भूयः प्रवक्ष्यामि ज्ञानानां ज्ञानमुत्तमम् । यज्ज्ञात्वा मुनयः सर्वे परां सिद्धिमितो गताः ॥

The Supreme Lord said: I shall speak once more of that supreme knowledge, the highest of all knowledge, knowing which all the sages have attained the highest perfection, passing beyond this world.

इदं ज्ञानमुपाश्रित्य मम साधर्म्यमागताः । सर्गेऽपि नोपजायन्ते प्रलये न व्यथन्ति च ॥

Taking refuge in this knowledge, having attained a nature similar to Mine, they are not born even at the time of creation, nor are they troubled at the time of dissolution.

मम योनिर्महद्ब्रह्म तस्मिन्गर्भं दधाम्यहम् । सम्भवः सर्वभूतानां ततो भवति भारत ॥

The vast material nature is My womb, in which I place the seed; from that, O Bharata, is the birth of all beings.

सर्वयोनिषु कौन्तेय मूर्तयः सम्भवन्ति याः । तासां ब्रह्म महद्योनिरहं बीजप्रदः पिता ॥

O son of Kunti, of whatever forms are produced in all wombs, the great material nature is their womb, and I am the seed-giving father.

सत्त्वं रजस्तम इति गुणाः प्रकृतिसम्भवाः । निबध्नन्ति महाबाहो देहे देहिनमव्ययम् ॥

O mighty-armed one, the three gunas — goodness, passion, and ignorance — born of material nature, bind the imperishable embodied soul within the body.

तत्र सत्त्वं निर्मलत्वात्प्रकाशकमनामयम् । सुखसङ्गेन बध्नाति ज्ञानसङ्गेन चानघ ॥

Among these, goodness, being pure, is illuminating and free from affliction; it binds through attachment to happiness and attachment to knowledge, O sinless one.

रजो रागात्मकं विद्धि तृष्णासङ्गसमुद्भवम् । तन्निबध्नाति कौन्तेय कर्मसङ्गेन देहिनम् ॥

Know passion to be of the nature of attachment, arising from craving and clinging; it binds the embodied soul, O son of Kunti, through attachment to action.

तमस्त्वज्ञानजं विद्धि मोहनं सर्वदेहिनाम् । प्रमादालस्यनिद्राभिस्तन्निबध्नाति भारत ॥

Know ignorance to be born of unawareness, deluding all embodied beings; it binds them through negligence, laziness, and excessive sleep, O Bharata.

सत्त्वं सुखे सञ्जयति रजः कर्मणि भारत । ज्ञानमावृत्य तु तमः प्रमादे सञ्जयत्युत ॥

O Bharata, goodness attaches one to happiness, passion attaches one to action, while ignorance, veiling knowledge, attaches one to negligence.

रजस्तमश्चाभिभूय सत्त्वं भवति भारत । रजः सत्त्वं तमश्चैव तमः सत्त्वं रजस्तथा ॥

O Bharata, sometimes goodness prevails, overpowering passion and ignorance; sometimes passion prevails over goodness and ignorance; and sometimes ignorance prevails over goodness and passion.

सर्वद्वारेषु देहेऽस्मिन्प्रकाश उपजायते । ज्ञानं यदा तदा विद्याद्विवृद्धं सत्त्वमित्युत ॥

When light and knowledge arise in every gate of this body, then one should know that goodness has become predominant.

लोभः प्रवृत्तिरारम्भः कर्मणामशमः स्पृहा । रजस्येतानि जायन्ते विवृद्धे भरतर्षभ ॥

When passion increases, O best of the Bharatas, greed, activity, undertaking of actions, restlessness, and longing arise.

अप्रकाशोऽप्रवृत्तिश्च प्रमादो मोह एव च । तमस्येतानि जायन्ते विवृद्धे कुरुनन्दन ॥

When ignorance increases, O descendant of Kuru, darkness, inactivity, negligence, and delusion arise.

यदा सत्त्वे प्रवृद्धे तु प्रलयं याति देहभृत् । तदोत्तमविदां लोकानमलान्प्रतिपद्यते ॥

When an embodied being dies while goodness is predominant, he attains the pure worlds of those who possess supreme knowledge.

रजसि प्रलयं गत्वा कर्मसङ्गिषु जायते । तथा प्रलीनस्तमसि मूढयोनिषु जायते ॥

One who dies when passion predominates is born among those attached to action; one who dies when ignorance predominates is born in the wombs of the deluded.

कर्मणः सुकृतस्याहुः सात्त्विकं निर्मलं फलम् । रजसस्तु फलं दुःखमज्ञानं तमसः फलम् ॥

The result of good action is said to be pure and untainted, born of goodness; the result of passion is sorrow, and the result of ignorance is more ignorance.

सत्त्वात्सञ्जायते ज्ञानं रजसो लोभ एव च । प्रमादमोहौ तमसो भवतोऽज्ञानमेव च ॥

From goodness arises knowledge, from passion arises greed, and from ignorance arise negligence, delusion, and continued ignorance.

ऊर्ध्वं गच्छन्ति सत्त्वस्था मध्ये तिष्ठन्ति राजसाः । जघन्यगुणवृत्तिस्था अधो गच्छन्ति तामसाः ॥

Those established in goodness rise upward; those in passion remain in the middle; those established in the lowest quality, ignorance, sink downward.

नान्यं गुणेभ्यः कर्तारं यदा द्रष्टानुपश्यति । गुणेभ्यश्च परं वेत्ति मद्भावं सोऽधिगच्छति ॥

When the seer perceives no doer other than the gunas, and knows that which is beyond the gunas, he attains My nature.

गुणानेतानतीत्य त्रीन्देही देहसमुद्भवान् । जन्ममृत्युजरादुःखैर्विमुक्तोऽमृतमश्नुते ॥

Having transcended these three gunas that arise with the body, the embodied soul, freed from birth, death, old age, and sorrow, attains immortality.

अर्जुन उवाच । कैर्लिङ्गैस्त्रीन्गुणानेतानतीतो भवति प्रभो । किमाचारः कथं चैतांस्त्रीन्गुणानतिवर्तते ॥

Arjuna said: O Lord, by what signs is one who has transcended these three gunas recognized? What is his conduct, and how does he go beyond these three gunas?

श्रीभगवानुवाच । प्रकाशं च प्रवृत्तिं च मोहमेव च पाण्डव । न द्वेष्टि सम्प्रवृत्तानि न निवृत्तानि काङ्क्षति ॥

The Supreme Lord said: O Pandava, one who does not hate illumination, activity, and delusion when they arise, nor longs for them when they cease,

उदासीनवदासीनो गुणैर्यो न विचाल्यते । गुणा वर्तन्त इत्येव योऽवतिष्ठति नेङ्गते ॥

Who, sitting like one unconcerned, is not disturbed by the gunas, and, understanding that it is only the gunas that are acting, remains steady and unmoved,

समदुःखसुखः स्वस्थः समलोष्टाश्मकाञ्चनः । तुल्यप्रियाप्रियो धीरस्तुल्यनिन्दात्मसंस्तुतिः ॥

Who is equal in pleasure and pain, self-abiding, regarding a lump of earth, a stone, and gold as the same, equal toward the pleasant and unpleasant, steady, and the same in blame and praise of himself,

मानापमानयोस्तुल्यस्तुल्यो मित्रारिपक्षयोः । सर्वारम्भपरित्यागी गुणातीतः स उच्यते ॥

Who is equal in honor and dishonor, equal toward friend and foe, and who has abandoned all initiation of undertakings — such a person is said to have transcended the gunas.

मां च योऽव्यभिचारेण भक्तियोगेन सेवते । स गुणान्समतीत्यैतान्ब्रह्मभूयाय कल्पते ॥

One who serves Me with unwavering devotional yoga, transcending these gunas entirely, becomes fit for oneness with Brahman.

ब्रह्मणो हि प्रतिष्ठाहममृतस्याव्ययस्य च । शाश्वतस्य च धर्मस्य सुखस्यैकान्तिकस्य च ॥

For I am the foundation of Brahman, of the immortal and imperishable, of eternal righteousness, and of absolute bliss.