BHAGAVAD GITA FOR BUSY PEOPLE

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PRIYA BHAGAVAT BANDUVULLARA!

 

BHAGAVAD GITA FOR BUSY PEOPLE

 

CHAPTER: FOURTEEN

 

THE YOGA OF THE DIVISION OF THREE GUNAS

 

GUNA-TRAYA-VIBHAGA-YOGA

 

The Blessed Lord said: " Sattva, Rajas and Tamas (purity, passion and

inertia) – these Gunas, O mighty-armed, born of Prakriti, bind fast

in the body the indestructible embodied one (5). Of these Sattva

(purity) which from its stainlessness is luminous and healthy, binds

by attachment to happiness and by attachment to knowledge, O sinless

one! (6). Know thou Rajas to be the nature of passion, the source of

thirst for life and objects and attachment, it binds fast, O son of

Kunti, the embodied one by attachment to action (7). But know thou

Tamas (inertia) born of ignorance is deluder of all embodied beings;

it binds fast, O Bharata, by heedlessness, indolence and sloth (8).

" Now Sattva (purity) prevails, having overpowered Rajas and Tamas, O

Bharata; now Rajas, having overpowered Sattva and Tamas; now Tamas,

having overpowered Sattva and Rajas (10).

" When the wisdom-light shines at every gate (sense) in this body,

then it should be known that Sattva is increasing (11). Greed,

activity, the undertaking of actions, restlessness, desire—these are

born of increase of Rajas, O best of Bharatas (12). Darkness,

inertness, heedlessness and also delusion – these are born of the

increase of Tamas, O descendant of Kuru (13).

" if the embodied one dies when Sattava is predominant, then he goes

to the spotless worlds of the Highest (14). If he dies when Rajas

is predominant, he is born among those attached to action; if he

dies when Tamas is predominant he is born in the wombs of the

senseless (15). The fruit of good action, they say, is Sattvic and

pure, verily the fruit of Rajas is pain and the fruit of Tamas is

ignorance (16). Those who are seated in the Sattva rise upwards,

the Rajassic remain in the middle; and the Tamassic who follow in

the course of lowest Guna, go downwards. (18). When the seer beholds

not an agent other than the Gunas and knows that which is higher

than the Gunas, he attains to Me being (19). The embodied one,

having crossed beyond these three Gunas out of which the body is

evolved is freed from birth, death, old age and pain and attains the

immortal " (20).Arjuna said: " What arethe marks of him who has

crossed over the three qualities, O Lord? What is his conduct and

how does he pass beyond the three Gunas? (21)

The Blessed Lord said : " He, O Pandava, who hates not radiance nor

activity, nor even delusion when present, nor longs for them when

absent (22), he who seated as a neutral, is not moved by Gunas; who

knowing that the Gunas act, is firm and moves not (23).

He to whom pain and pleasure are alike, who dwells n the Self, to

whom a lump of earth, stone and gold are alike, to whom the dear and

the undear are alike, who is firm, to whom censure and praise are

same; the same is honor and disgrace, the same to friend and foe,

abandoning all undertakings—he is said to have crossed over the

qualities " (24-25).