📘 Bhagavad Gita – Chapter 14: The Three Gunas
Shlokas 1–10 - The Three Modes of Nature
Shloka 1
Sanskrit:
परं भूयः प्रवक्ष्यामि ज्ञानानां ज्ञानमुत्तमम्।
यज्ज्ञात्वा मुनयः सर्वे परां सिद्धिमितो गताः॥
Hindi Translation:
मैं अब फिर उस परम ज्ञान को बताऊँगा, जो ज्ञानों में सर्वोत्तम है। इसे जानकर अनेक मुनि इस संसार से ऊपर उठकर परम सिद्धि को प्राप्त हो चुके हैं।
English Translation:
I shall once again declare the supreme knowledge, the best of all knowledge. Knowing this, many sages have attained the highest perfection beyond this world.
🔍 Deep Reflection:
Krishna introduces the supreme knowledge once again—not to repeat, but to emphasize. Some truths require revisiting, for only through depth of understanding can one evolve.
🪔 Modern Insight:
In an era of information overload, distinguishing **knowledge that liberates** from knowledge that distracts is crucial. This chapter focuses on **inner mastery** through self-awareness.
Shloka 2
Sanskrit:
इदं ज्ञानमुपाश्रित्य मम साधर्म्यमागता:।
सर्गेऽपि नोपजायन्ते प्रलये न व्यथन्ति च॥
Hindi Translation:
इस ज्ञान का आश्रय लेकर जो मेरी समान प्रकृति को प्राप्त हो जाते हैं, वे सृष्टि के समय जन्म नहीं लेते और प्रलय में दुखी नहीं होते।
English Translation:
Those who take refuge in this knowledge and attain my nature are not born during creation and are not disturbed during dissolution.
🔍 Deep Reflection:
This is a promise of transcendence—not just survival but **freedom from the cycle** of becoming and unbecoming.
🪔 Modern Insight:
It’s not about escaping life, but **rising above its turbulence**. True spiritual knowledge stabilizes us in a world of constant change.
Shloka 3
Sanskrit:
मम योनिर्महद् ब्रह्म तस्मिन्गर्भं दधाम्यहम्।
सम्भव: सर्वभूतानां ततो भवति भारत॥
Hindi Translation:
मेरी प्रकृति 'महद् ब्रह्म' मेरी योनि है; मैं उसमें गर्भ धारण कराता हूँ, जिससे सभी जीवों का जन्म होता है।
English Translation:
My womb is the great Brahman; in that I place the seed, and from it, O Bharata, arises the birth of all beings.
🔍 Deep Reflection:
Krishna poetically reveals the **cosmic process of creation**. The Divine is both the seed and the field—consciousness and matter united.
🪔 Modern Insight:
Everything we experience is born of this cosmic union. Recognizing this helps us see ourselves not as separate, but **interconnected with all existence**.
Shloka 4
Sanskrit:
सर्वयोनिषु कौन्तेय मूर्तय: सम्भवन्ति याः।
तासां ब्रह्म महद्योनिरहं बीजप्रद: पिता॥
Hindi Translation:
हे कुन्तीपुत्र! जितने भी शरीर वाले जीव जन्म लेते हैं, वे सभी उस महान् प्रकृति से उत्पन्न होते हैं और मैं बीज रूप पिता हूँ।
English Translation:
O Kaunteya, whatever forms are produced in any womb, the great nature is their womb, and I am the seed-giving father.
🔍 Deep Reflection:
The Divine is not distant but **intimately involved** in every act of creation. Nothing is outside this sacred process.
🪔 Modern Insight:
This verse dissolves division. Regardless of background, caste, or race, all beings arise from the **same divine source**.
Shloka 5
Sanskrit:
सत्त्वं रजस्तम इति गुणा: प्रकृतिसम्भवा:।
निबध्नन्ति महाबाहो देहे देहिनमव्ययम्॥
Hindi Translation:
हे महाबाहो! सत्त्व, रज और तम – ये प्रकृति से उत्पन्न तीन गुण हैं, जो अविनाशी आत्मा को शरीर में बाँधते हैं।
English Translation:
O mighty-armed one, Sattva, Rajas, and Tamas—these qualities born of nature—bind the imperishable soul to the body.
🔍 Deep Reflection:
The soul is free by nature, yet these **three gunas** bind it into limitation. This is the human condition—divine, but veiled.
🪔 Modern Insight:
Understand your tendencies—are they driven by clarity (Sattva), activity (Rajas), or inertia (Tamas)? Self-mastery begins here.
Shloka 6
Sanskrit:
तत्र सत्त्वं निर्मलत्वात्प्रकाशकमनामयम्।
सुखसङ्गेन बध्नाति ज्ञानसङ्गेन चानघ॥
Hindi Translation:
उनमें सत्त्व गुण शुद्ध होने के कारण प्रकाशमान और रोगरहित है, परन्तु यह भी सुख और ज्ञान के बंधन में बाँधता है।
English Translation:
Of these, Sattva, being pure, is illuminating and healthy. Yet it binds the soul by attachment to happiness and knowledge.
🔍 Deep Reflection:
Even the purest quality, Sattva, can bind—through the subtle pride of knowledge and the craving for peace.
🪔 Modern Insight:
Not all positivity leads to liberation. **Attachment to “goodness”** can be as binding as craving or anger.
Shloka 7
Sanskrit:
रजो रागात्मकं विद्धि तृष्णासङ्गसमुद्भवम्।
तन्निबध्नाति कौन्तेय कर्मसङ्गेन देहिनम्॥
Hindi Translation:
रजोगुण को रागयुक्त जानो, जो तृष्णा और आसक्ति से उत्पन्न होता है और यह मनुष्य को कर्मों में बाँधता है।
English Translation:
Know Rajas to be full of passion and born of craving and attachment. It binds the soul through attachment to action.
🔍 Deep Reflection:
Rajas is the fuel of **ambition, restlessness, and desire**. It keeps the soul running in the endless race of doing.
🪔 Modern Insight:
The modern world thrives on Rajas. Yet without balance, we burn out. Learn to act without clinging to results.
Shloka 8
Sanskrit:
तमस्त्वज्ञानजं विद्धि मोहनं सर्वदेहिनाम्।
प्रमादालस्यनिद्राभिस्तन्निबध्नाति भारत॥
Hindi Translation:
तमोगुण को अज्ञान से उत्पन्न जानो; यह सभी जीवों को मोह में डालता है और प्रमाद, आलस्य व निद्रा से उन्हें बाँधता है।
English Translation:
Know Tamas to be born of ignorance, deluding all beings. It binds through heedlessness, laziness, and sleep.
🔍 Deep Reflection:
Tamas is darkness disguised as comfort. Its danger lies in its quiet, numbing pull—lethargy feels safe, but it suffocates the soul.
🪔 Modern Insight:
Doomscrolling, bingeing, escapism—modern expressions of Tamas. Recognize the drift and gently bring yourself back to awareness.
Shloka 9
Sanskrit:
सत्त्वं सुखे सञ्जयति रज: कर्मणि भारत।
ज्ञानमावृत्य तु तम: प्रमादे सञ्जयत्युत॥
Hindi Translation:
सत्त्व मनुष्य को सुख में बाँधता है, रज कर्मों में और तम ज्ञान को ढँक कर प्रमाद में बाँधता है।
English Translation:
Sattva binds to happiness, Rajas to action, and Tamas, covering knowledge, binds to delusion.
🔍 Deep Reflection:
Each guna influences behavior and awareness differently. They color our choices, our reactions, and our path forward.
🪔 Modern Insight:
Want to know which guna dominates you today? Check your **energy, clarity, and intent**—they're your inner compass.
Shloka 10
Sanskrit:
रजस्तमश्चाभिभूय सत्त्वं भवति भारत।
रज: सत्त्वं तमश्चैव तम: सत्त्वं रजस्तथा॥
Hindi Translation:
हे भारत! कभी रज और तम सत्त्व को पराजित कर देते हैं, तो कभी रज सत्त्व और तम को, और कभी तम सत्त्व और रज को।
English Translation:
Sometimes Sattva prevails over Rajas and Tamas; at other times Rajas overcomes Sattva and Tamas, or Tamas overcomes the others.
🔍 Deep Reflection:
The gunas are in constant motion. Recognizing their play within us is the beginning of **inner detachment and awareness**.
🪔 Modern Insight:
Your moods, energy, and focus change—don’t blame yourself. Observe, understand, and gently align with higher tendencies.
📜 Ancient Verse – Modern Wisdom
| Shloka | Timeless Insight | Modern Relevance |
|---|---|---|
| 14.1 | Supreme knowledge leads to liberation | Seek depth, not just data |
| 14.5–10 | Three gunas shape all experiences | Self-awareness transforms mental health |
| 14.6 | Even Sattva can bind | Attachment to peace may hinder growth |
| 14.8 | Tamas is born of ignorance | Digital numbing is today’s Tamas |
🧘 Message to Gen Z
- You're not your mood—you're the witness to your moods.
- Energy shifts are natural. Learn to notice them, not drown in them.
- Growth comes from balance, not burnout.
- Sattva isn’t perfection; it’s awareness and harmony.
- The gunas are not labels—they are energies to work with, not fight against.