BHAGAVAD GITA - CHAPTER 14 - GUNA THRAYA VIBHAGA YOGA

 

BHAGAVAD GITA

CHAPTER 14

GUNA THRAYA VIBHAGA  YOGA

 

Bhagavad Gita is Lord Krishna's advice to the Confused Arjuna on the Battle field of Kurukshetra.

Each chapter of Bhagavad Gita is designated as a YOGA.

Here is a summary of Chapter.14. Guna Thraya Vibhaga Yoga. There are totally 27 Slokas in it and I have given here a faithful description of what each Sloka says.

Overall, it is a description of  the three Gunas of Sathva, Rajas and Thamas which run the Prakriti or Maya and influence all actions of mankind.

Now, let us look at the sloka-wise description :

Now, Lord Krishna is addressing Arjuna at the very beginning of this chapter :

1. Arjuna ! I will now explain to you that Great wisdom again, by understanding which all illustrous sages have achieved great siddhis (powers/skills) in this world itself.

2. People who live in this world totally in accordance with  this wisdom, attain to my own form (or myself). They will not be reborn again at the time of creation and will not suffer during the Pralaya (grand dissolution of whole world)

3. O Arjuna !This whole Mahat Brahma (the entire Universal Maya or Prakriti) is my Yoni(Uterus or part of body where creation occurs). There I keep all the creation and make further creation happen.

4. O Kaunteya ! In all Yonis (where  creation is occuring), whatever type of life is being born, for all of them, this Mahat Brahma or Maya Prakrithi is the causative force. I am the Pitha (father)  who infuses the seed of life into all of them.

This means Prakrithi is the mother and I am the father of all this creation.

5. O mighty armed Arjuna ! Sathva,Rajas and Thamas are the three Gunas born of this Prakrithi. They bind the immortal Jeeva (Dhehi) in the mortal body (Dheha).

6. Arjuna! Among the three Gunas, Sathva is the purest one which gives brightness and keeps you desire-free (Nirvikaara), but even Sathva also binds the Jeeva by creating the desire for peaceful (comfortable) life and for wisdom.

7. O Kaunteya! know that, Rajas is a Guna which is filled with likes and dislikes(Raaga) and deep desires for various things. It binds the Jeeva with the desire for various actions(Karmas) for fulfilment of his desires.

8. O Arjuna ! Tamoguna is born of Ignorance or lack of knowledge and wisdom. Know that, Tamoguna is the creator of all delusions in the Jeevas. It binds the Jeevas with 3 things.  Pramaada(forgetfulness), aalasya(idleness) and Nidra (sleepiness).

9. SathvaGuna binds people with Sukha or comfort; Rajoguna binds with actions (Karma) and Thamoguna envelops wisdom totally and binds the Jeeva with idleness (Pramaada).

10. Arjuna ! Sathvaguna develops itself by suppressing the Rajas and Thamas. Rajas develops itself by suppressing sathva and Thamas. Likewise, Thamas develops itself by suppressing Sathva and Rajas.

11.  Within the human body, in all its openings (passages or doors), if wisdom is born and glows well, then, know that, Sathvaguna has developed itself.

12. Arjuna ! When Rajoguna is enhancing itself in the body, the quality of greed (Lobha), increasing interest in worldly affairs, increase of  Karmas (actions), restlessness and desires are all born in that body.

13. When Thamo guna increases in us, ignorance, lack of interest (in really needed actions), carelessness and delusions take roots in us.

14.  When people with enhanced Sathva guna die, they attain to the purest heavens,  normally attained by Virtuous people by doing great good karmas

15. When people with enhanced Rajo guna die, they are born in households of people attached much to all kinds of karmas.

Likewise, When people with enhanced Thamo guna die, they are born in the households of unintelligent, ignorant beings (which may include non human beings as well).

16. What are the fruits of Sathvic Karma? These are purity, virtuousness and cleanliness of body and mind. The fruits of Rajo guna are sorrow. The fruits of Thamo guna is (further) ignorance.

17. Sathva guna generates Jnanam (wisdom). Rajo guna generates Greed. Thamo guna generates ignorance, inertia and carelessness.

18. where do people go with each of these three Gunas? People with Sathva guna move upwards in life. People with Rajo guna stay in the middle, and people with Thamo guna move downwards in life (and especially after death).

19. The self-witness, who goes beyond the three Gunas will see the real Karta beyond them. know him to be beyond the three Gunas. Such self witness understands me fully and attains to me.

20. The Jeeva (Dhehi), who goes beyond the three Gunas which are responsible for birth, death, old age and sorrow, attains to Moksha (eternity).

Now Arjuna gets a doubt and asks :

21. Krishna! If someone overcomes the three Gunas and goes above them, what characteristics will he have? What type of  habits etc(Aacharah) he will adopt? How does he go above the three Gunas?

Lord Krishna replies as follows :

22. O Arjuna! Such a person does not hate anything that comes, whether the brightness of Sathva guna or the Karma bound pravritthi of Rajoguna, or the delusion of the Thamoguna. Also, he does not hanker for that which has gone away from him.

23.  He stays indifferent of the three Gunas and is not influenced by any of them. He remains as a pure witness and assumes that the three Gunas are acting only in their own Gunas and stays away from their influence.

24. He remains indifferent in comforts (joys) and sorrows and remains within himself. He treats a piece of earth, a stone and a piece of Gold all equally and indifferently. He treats love and hate which he receives, in the same manner. He remains courageous always and is indifferent to both praise and abuse.

25. He treats humiliation and respect both, in the same manner. He treats friends and enemies also equally. He doesn't have the ego of himself being the doer of anything. Such a person is the one who is above all Gunas.

26.In aloneness (aloofness), in deep Bhakti yoga(devotional path), whoever serves me, he conquers all the three Gunas, and becomes one with my Para brahma form.

27. I am eternal and indestructible. I am the abode of Brahma, of eternal Dharma, and of the unwavering joyfulness (Sukha).

 

Conclusion : Here ends the fourteenth chapter called Guna Thraya Vibhaga Yogah - in the Yoga sasthra, which is a Part of the Brahma Vidya, in the Upanishad of Bhagavad Gita. It is a part of the Dialogue between Lord Sri Krishna and Arjuna. It describes the  three Gunas of Sathva, Rajas and Thamas, which make up the Prakrithi or Maya and run the entire creation (srishti) and mankind especially.

It is possible to go above the three Gunas, conquer them and stay indifferent to them. Such a conqueror of three Gunas becomes one with the almighty  himself (Lord Krishna).