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GG 14 The Three Modes of Material Nature

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His Divine Grace
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada



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.