Bhagavad-gītā 14.5
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सत्त्वं रजस्तम इति गुणाः प्रकृतिसंभवाः।निबध्नन्ति महाबाहो देहे देहिनमव्ययम्।।14.5।।
sattvaṁ rajas tama iti guṇāḥ prakṛiti-sambhavāḥ nibadhnanti mahā-bāho dehe dehinam avyayam
Purity, passion, and ignorance are the qualities that the law of nature brings forth. They fetter the free spirit in all beings.
English rendering by Shri Purohit Swami. Each source voice remains named.
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Read across once, then cover the meanings and recover them from the Sanskrit forms.
| Sanskrit form | Meaning here |
|---|---|
| sattvam | mode of goodness |
| rajaḥ | mode of passion |
| tamaḥ | mode of ignorance |
| iti | thus |
| guṇāḥ | modes |
| prakṛiti | material nature |
| sambhavāḥ | consists of |
| nibadhnanti | bind |
| mahā-bāho | mighty-armed one |
| dehe | in the body |
| dehinam | the embodied soul |
| avyayam | eternal |
The three alities indicate the triple mentality. They produce attachment in the individual souls, delude them and bind them down, as it were, to Samsara.
Attributed explanatory witness: Swami Sivananda. Chapter lens: Study how the three guṇas arise, bind, become visible in effects and are related to a response beyond identification.
Three named reading witnesses
Śaṅkara edition witness
Swami GambiranandaO mighty-armed one, the qualities, viz. sattva, rajas, and tamas, born of Nature, are the immutable embodiments belonging to the body.
Rāmānuja edition witness
Swami AdidevanandaThe Gunas of Sattva, Rajas, and Tamas arise from Prakrti and bind the immutable Self in the body, O Arjuna.
Sivananda commentary witness
Swami SivanandaThe three alities indicate the triple mentality. They produce attachment in the individual souls, delude them and bind them down, as it were, to Samsara.
These are concise, attributed reading witnesses from identified editions. They are presented for comparison and are not merged into one anonymous interpretation.
Meaning map
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- 1
Purity, passion
- 2
ignorance are the qualities that the law of nature brings forth
- 3
They fetter the free spirit in all beings
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