Chapter 14
The Three Modes of Material Nature
- śrī-bhagavān kahilen:
- ābāra parama jñāna baliba tomāre
- jñāna-carcā yata āche uttama sabāre
- ye jñānete muni jñānī haiyā sarvata
- pūrva itihās chila siddhi pāraṅgata
Text 1: The Supreme Personality of Godhead said: Again I shall declare to you this supreme wisdom, the best of all knowledge, knowing which all the sages have attained the supreme perfection.
- ei jñāna lābha kari nirguṇa jñānete
- avasthita hay loka nirguṇa āmāte
- tāhār nā hay janma punaḥ sṛṣṭira samay
- kimbā duḥkha nāi tār yakhana pralay
Text 2: By becoming fixed in this knowledge, one can attain to the transcendental nature like My own. Thus established, one is not born at the time of creation or disturbed at the time of dissolution.
- jagater mātṛ-yoni jaḍā mahat-tattva
- sei brahme garbhādhān kari se mahattva
- he bhārat tāi janme sarva-bhūta yata
- jagater bhūta sṛṣṭi hay sei mata
Text 3: The total material substance, called Brahman, is the source of birth, and it is that Brahman that I impregnate, making possible the births of all living beings, O son of Bharata.
- ataev sarva-yoni yata mūrti dhare
- he kounteya jāna tāhā āmāra ādhāre
- brahma mahat-tattva hay sabāra jananī
- āmi vīja-prada pitā jagata saraṇī
Text 4: It should be understood that all species of life, O son of Kuntī, are made possible by birth in this material nature, and that I am the seed-giving father.
- sattva, raj, tama guṇ prakṛti-sambhava
- triguṇete vaddha jīv haye yāy saba
- ei deha se vandhana niguḍha ākār
- jīva avyaya se vaddha ye prakār
Text 5: Material nature consists of three modes-goodness, passion and ignorance. When the eternal living entity comes in contact with nature, O mighty-armed Arjuna, he becomes conditioned by these modes.
- tār madhye sattva-guṇ nirmala ādhā
- pāpa-śunya prakāśaka tattva se ātmār
- jñāna-carcā kari sattve bandhana tāhār
- sei śuddha saṅga māne śreṣṭha camatkār
Text 6: O sinless one, the mode of goodness, being purer than the others, is illuminating, and it frees one from all sinful reactions. Those situated in that mode become conditioned by a sense of happiness and knowledge.
- rajo-guṇ tṛṣṇā-may śudhu bhog cāy
- ājīvan karma kari kare hāy hāy
- karma kare yata pāre baddha tāhe hay
- asambhava karma ceṣṭā sukhe duḥkhe ray
Text 7: The mode of passion is born of unlimited desires and longings, O son of Kuntī, and because of this the embodied living entity is bound to material fruitive actions.
- tamo se ajñāna-rūpa nigūḍha bandhan
- pṛamāda ālasya nidrā tāhāra mohan
Text 8: O son of Bharata, know that the mode of darkness, born of ignorance, is the delusion of all embodied living entities. The results of this mode are madness, indolence and sleep, which bind the conditioned soul.
- sattva-guṇa sukhe bṅādhe rajo-guṇa kāje
- tamo-guṇa pramādete bandhane virāje
Text 9: O son of Bharata, the mode of goodness conditions one to happiness; passion conditions one to fruitive action; and ignorance, covering one's knowledge, binds one to madness.
- rajo-guṇa parājaye sattvera prādhānya
- sattva-tama parājaye raja hay gaṇya
- raj sattva parājaye tamera prādhānya
- sei se paryāya hay guṇera sāmāṇya
Text 10: Sometimes the mode of goodness becomes prominent, defeating the modes of passion and ignorance, O son of Bharata. Sometimes the mode of passion defeats goodness and ignorance, at other times ignorance defeats goodness and passion. In this way there is always competition for supremacy.
- jñānera prabhāve yadā śarīre prakāś
- sakal indriya-dvāre sattva-guṇera vikāś
Text 11: The manifestations of the mode of goodness can be experienced when all the gates of the body are illuminated by knowledge.
- lok-pūjā pratiṣṭhādi karmera ākāṅkṣā
- rajo-guṇe vṛddhi hay nāhi anyāpekṣā
Text 12: O chief of the Bhāratas, when there is an increase in the mode of passion the symptoms of great attachment, fruitive activity, intense endeavor, and uncontrollable desire and hankering develop.
- aprakāś apravṛtti moha tamor lakṣaṇ
- vividha guṇera kārya he kuru-nandan
Text 13: When there is an increase in the mode of ignorance, O son of Kuru, darkness, inertia, madness and illusion are manifested.
- pravṛddha ye sattva-guṇe dehera pralay
- niṣpāpa uttama lok tāṅr prāpti hay
Text 14: When one dies in the mode of goodness, he attains to the pure higher planets of the great sages.
- pravṛtta se rajo-guṇe dehera nirvāṇ
- karmīra saṅgete hay tār anuṣṭhān
- pravṛddha ye tamo-guṇe śarīra chāḍay
- mūḍha paśu-yoni madhye tār janma hay
Text 15: When one dies in the mode of passion, he takes birth among those engaged in fruitive activities; and when one dies in the mode of ignorance, he takes birth in the animal kingdom.
- sukṛta sāttvika karma phala se nirmal
- rājasika karme hay duḥkhai praval
- tāmasika karma yata hay acetan
- ajñānatā phal sei paśute gaṇan
Text 16: The result of pious action is pure and is said to be in the mode of goodness. But action done in the mode of passion results in misery, and action performed in the mode of ignorance results in foolishness.
- sattva-guṇe jñāna-lābha rajo-guṇe lobh
- tamo-guṇe moha lābh pramāda vikṣobh
Text 17: From the mode of goodness, real knowledge develops; from the mode of passion, greed develops; and from the mode of ignorance develop foolishness, madness and illusion.
- satyalokāvadhi lok yāy sattva-guṇe
- rajo-guṇ dvārā naraloke avasthān
- tamo-guṇe adhaḥpāt narake gaman
- vividha guṇera sei phal nirūpaṇ
Text 18: Those situated in the mode of goodness gradually go upward to the higher planets; those in the mode of passion live on the earthly planets; and those in the abominable mode of ignorance go down to the hellish worlds.
- guṇ bhinna anya kartā nāhi tribhuvane
- sūkṣma darśana yār guṇa nirūpaṇe
- guṇātīta mor bhakti āmāra se bhāv
- svarūpete śuddha jīv prāpta se svabhāv
Text 19: When one properly sees that in all activities no other performer is at work than these modes of nature and he knows the Supreme Lord, who is transcendental to all these modes, he attains My spiritual nature.
- guṇātīta hate dehī guṇadeha chāḍe
- janma-mṛtyu jarā-duḥkha bṅādhe nā tṅāhāre
Text 20: When the embodied being is able to transcend these three modes associated with the material body, he can become free from birth, death, old age and their distresses and can enjoy nectar even in this life.
- arjun kahilen:
- ki lakṣaṇ kaha prabho gunātīta hale
- ācaraṇ kivā hay triguṇa jitile
Text 21: Arjuna inquired: O my dear Lord, by which symptoms is one known who is transcendental to these three modes? What is his behaviour? And how does he transcend the modes of nature?
- śrī-bhagavān kahilen:
- prakāśa pravrtti ār mohana ye tin
- guṇera prabhāv sei hay bhinna bhin
- tāhāte ye dveṣākāṅkṣā chāḍila jīvane
- guṇātīt hay sei bujha tribhuvane
- guṇa-kārye udāsīn mato ye āsīn
- bicalita nahe tāhe pravṛddha pravīṇ
- anāsakta guṇa kārye yevā hay dhīr
- sama duḥkha sukha svasthaḥ loṣṭra svarṇa sthir
- tulya priyā-priya tār tulya nindāstuti
- tulya mān apamān śatru mitra ati
- bhog tyāgādite nahe se āsakta
- guṇātīt hay sei nirguṇete yukta
Texts 22-25: The Supreme Personality of Godhead said: O son of Pāṇḍu, he who does not hate illumination, attachment and delusion when they are present or long for them when they disappear; who is unwavering and undisturbed through all these reactions of the material qualities, remaining neutral and transcendental, knowing that the modes alone are active; who is situated in the self and regards alike happiness and distress; who looks upon a lump of earth, a stone and a piece of gold with an equal eye; who is equal toward the desirable and the undesirable; who is steady, situated equally well in praise and blame, honor and dishonor; who treats alike both friend and enemy; and who has renounced all material activities—such a person is said to have transcended the modes of nature.
- triguṇer atikrame ye kārya karay
- sei se āmāra bhakti jānaha niścay
- ye avyabhicārī bhakti āmāte karay
- jaḍa guṇ atikrame brahma-bhūta hay
Text 26: One who engages in full devotional service, unfailing in all circumstances, at once transcends the modes of material nature and thus comes to the level of Brahman.
- brahmera pratiṣṭhā āmi amṛta śāśvata
- ānanda ye sanātana āmāte nihita
- āmār āśraye sei sakala sulabha
- ataev-mor bhakti hay sudurlabha
Text 27: And I am the basis of the impersonal Brahman, which is immortal, imperishable and eternal and is the constitutional position of ultimate happiness.
- bhaktivedānta kahe śrī-gītāra gān
- śune yadi śuddha bhakta kṛṣṇagata-prāṇ
Thus Bhaktivedānta sings the song of Śrī Gītā, with the hope that hearing this, Kṛṣṇa conscious pure devotees will be pleased.