BHAGAVAD-GITA 7:12

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BHAGAVAD-GITA 7:12

 

ye caiva sattvika bhava

rajasas tamasas ca ye

matta eveti tan viddhi

na tv aham tesu te mayi

 

WORD FOR WORD

 

ye--all which; ca--and; eva--certainly; sattvikah--in goodness;

bhavah--states of being; rajasah--in the mode of passion; tamasah--in

the mode of ignorance; ca--also; ye--all which; mattah--from Me;

eva--certainly; iti--thus; tan--those; viddhi--try to know; na--not;

tu--but; aham--I; tesu--in them; te--they; mayi--in Me.

 

TRANSLATION

 

Know that all states of being--be they of goodness, passion or

ignorance--are manifested by My energy. I am, in one sense,

everything, but I am independent. I am not under the modes of material

nature, for they, on the contrary, are within Me.

 

PURPORT

 

All material activities in the world are being conducted under the

three modes of material nature. Although these material modes of

nature are emanations from the Supreme Lord, Krsna, He is not subject

to them. For instance, under the state laws one may be punished, but

the king, the lawmaker, is not subject to that law. Similarly, all the

modes of material nature--goodness, passion and ignorance--are

emanations from the Supreme Lord, Krsna, but Krsna is not subject to

material nature. Therefore He is nirguna, which means that these

gunas, or modes, although issuing from Him, do not affect Him. That is

one of the special characteristics of Bhagavan, or the Supreme

Personality of Godhead.

 

Copyright 1983 The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International. Used with

permission.