गुणत्रयविभागयोगः

परं भूयः प्रवक्ष्यामि ज्ञानानां ज्ञानमुत्तमम् ।
यज्ज्ञात्वा मुनयः सर्वे परां सिद्धिमितो गताः

paraṃ bhūyaḥ pravakṣyāmi jñānānāṃ jñānamuttamam |
yajjñātvā munayaḥ sarve parāṃ siddhimito gatāḥ

Once more I shall declare the supreme knowledge, the highest of all knowledge, knowing which all the munis passed from here to the highest perfection.

इदं ज्ञानमुपाश्रित्य मम साधर्म्यमागताः ।
सर्गेऽपि नोपजायन्ते प्रलये न व्यथन्ति च

idaṃ jñānamupāśritya mama sādharmyamāgatāḥ |
sarge'pi nopajāyante pralaye na vyathanti ca

Taking refuge in this knowledge, they come to share my nature. They are not born at the time of creation, nor are they troubled at the dissolution.

मम योनिर्महद्ब्रह्म तस्मिन्गर्भं दधाम्यहम् ।
संभवः सर्वभूतानां ततो भवति भारत

mama yonirmahadbrahma tasmingarbhaṃ dadhāmyaham |
saṃbhavaḥ sarvabhūtānāṃ tato bhavati bhārata

The great Brahman, Prakriti, is my womb; in it I place the seed. From that, Bharata, all beings come to birth.

सर्वयोनिषु कौन्तेय मूर्तयः संभवन्ति याः ।
तासां ब्रह्म महद्योनिरहं बीजप्रदः पिता

sarvayoniṣu kaunteya mūrtayaḥ saṃbhavanti yāḥ |
tāsāṃ brahma mahadyonirahaṃ bījapradaḥ pitā

Kaunteya, whatever forms are born in all the wombs, the great Brahman is their womb, and I am the father who gives the seed.

तत्र सत्त्वं निर्मलत्वात्प्रकाशकमनामयम् ।
सुखसङ्गेन बध्नाति ज्ञानसङ्गेन चानघ

tatra sattvaṃ nirmalatvātprakāśakamanāmayam |
sukhasaṅgena badhnāti jñānasaṅgena cānagha

Of these, sattva, being stainless, gives light and is free of affliction. It binds, sinless one, through attachment to happiness and attachment to knowledge.

रजो रागात्मकं विद्धि तृष्णासङ्गसमुद्भवम् ।
तन्निबध्नाति कौन्तेय कर्मसङ्गेन देहिनम्

rajo rāgātmakaṃ viddhi tṛṣṇāsaṅgasamudbhavam |
tannibadhnāti kaunteya karmasaṅgena dehinam

Know rajas to be of the nature of passion, springing from craving and attachment. It binds the embodied one, Kaunteya, through attachment to action.

तमस्त्वज्ञानजं विद्धि मोहनं सर्वदेहिनाम् ।
प्रमादालस्यनिद्राभिस्तन्निबध्नाति भारत

tamastvajñānajaṃ viddhi mohanaṃ sarvadehinām |
pramādālasyanidrābhistannibadhnāti bhārata

Know tamas to be born of ignorance, deluding all embodied beings. It binds, Bharata, through carelessness, sloth and sleep.

सत्त्वं सुखे संजयति रजः कर्मणि भारत ।
ज्ञानमावृत्य तु तमः प्रमादे संजयत्युत

sattvaṃ sukhe saṃjayati rajaḥ karmaṇi bhārata |
jñānamāvṛtya tu tamaḥ pramāde saṃjayatyuta

Sattva ties one to happiness, rajas to action, Bharata; but tamas, veiling knowledge, ties one to carelessness.

रजस्तमश्चाभिभूय सत्त्वं भवति भारत ।
रजः सत्त्वं तमश्चैव तमः सत्त्वं रजस्तथा

rajastamaścābhibhūya sattvaṃ bhavati bhārata |
rajaḥ sattvaṃ tamaścaiva tamaḥ sattvaṃ rajastathā

Sattva rises, Bharata, overpowering rajas and tamas; rajas rises, overpowering sattva and tamas; and tamas likewise, overpowering sattva and rajas.

सर्वद्वारेषु देहेऽस्मिन्प्रकाश उपजायते ।
ज्ञानं यदा तदा विद्याद्विवृद्धं सत्त्वमित्युत

sarvadvāreṣu dehe'sminprakāśa upajāyate |
jñānaṃ yadā tadā vidyādvivṛddhaṃ sattvamityuta

When the light of knowledge shines through every gate of this body, then know that sattva has grown strong.

लोभः प्रवृत्तिरारम्भः कर्मणामशमः स्पृहा ।
रजस्येतानि जायन्ते विवृद्धे भरतर्षभ

lobhaḥ pravṛttirārambhaḥ karmaṇāmaśamaḥ spṛhā |
rajasyetāni jāyante vivṛddhe bharatarṣabha

Greed, restless activity, the starting of ventures, unrest and longing: these arise when rajas grows strong, best of the Bharatas.

अप्रकाशोऽप्रवृत्तिश्च प्रमादो मोह एव च ।
तमस्येतानि जायन्ते विवृद्धे कुरुनन्दन

aprakāśo'pravṛttiśca pramādo moha eva ca |
tamasyetāni jāyante vivṛddhe kurunandana

Darkness, inertia, carelessness and delusion: these arise when tamas grows strong, joy of the Kurus.

यदा सत्त्वे प्रवृद्धे तु प्रलयं याति देहभृत् ।
तदोत्तमविदां लोकानमलान्प्रतिपद्यते

yadā sattve pravṛddhe tu pralayaṃ yāti dehabhṛt |
tadottamavidāṃ lokānamalānpratipadyate

If the embodied one meets death when sattva prevails, he reaches the pure worlds of those who know the highest.

रजसि प्रलयं गत्वा कर्मसङ्गिषु जायते ।
तथा प्रलीनस्तमसि मूढयोनिषु जायते

rajasi pralayaṃ gatvā karmasaṅgiṣu jāyate |
tathā pralīnastamasi mūḍhayoniṣu jāyate

Dying in rajas, one is born among those attached to action. Dying in tamas, one is born in deluded wombs.

कर्मणः सुकृतस्याहुः सात्त्विकं निर्मलं फलम् ।
रजसस्तु फलं दुःखमज्ञानं तमसः फलम्

karmaṇaḥ sukṛtasyāhuḥ sāttvikaṃ nirmalaṃ phalam |
rajasastu phalaṃ duḥkhamajñānaṃ tamasaḥ phalam

The fruit of good action is said to be sattvic and pure. The fruit of rajas is sorrow, and the fruit of tamas is ignorance.

सत्त्वात्संजायते ज्ञानं रजसो लोभ एव च ।
प्रमादमोहौ तमसो भवतोऽज्ञानमेव च

sattvātsaṃjāyate jñānaṃ rajaso lobha eva ca |
pramādamohau tamaso bhavato'jñānameva ca

From sattva knowledge is born, from rajas greed, and from tamas come carelessness, delusion and ignorance.

ऊर्ध्वं गच्छन्ति सत्त्वस्था मध्ये तिष्ठन्ति राजसाः ।
जघन्यगुणवृत्तिस्था अधो गच्छन्ति तामसाः

ūrdhvaṃ gacchanti sattvasthā madhye tiṣṭhanti rājasāḥ |
jaghanyaguṇavṛttisthā adho gacchanti tāmasāḥ

Those established in sattva rise upward; the rajasic stay in the middle; the tamasic, living in the lowest guna, go downward.

गुणानेतानतीत्य त्रीन्देही देहसमुद्भवान् ।
जन्ममृत्युजरादुःखैर्विमुक्तोऽमृतमश्नुते

guṇānetānatītya trīndehī dehasamudbhavān |
janmamṛtyujarāduḥkhairvimukto'mṛtamaśnute

Going beyond these three gunas from which the body arises, the embodied one is freed from birth, death, old age and sorrow, and tastes immortality.

कैर्लिङ्गैस्त्रीन्गुणानेतानतीतो भवति प्रभो ।
किमाचारः कथं चैतांस्त्रीन्गुणानतिवर्तते

kairliṅgaistrīnguṇānetānatīto bhavati prabho |
kimācāraḥ kathaṃ caitāṃstrīnguṇānativartate

Prabhu, by what marks is one known who has gone beyond these three gunas? How does he conduct himself, and how does he pass beyond them?

प्रकाशं च प्रवृत्तिं च मोहमेव च पाण्डव ।
न द्वेष्टि संप्रवृत्तानि न निवृत्तानि काङ्क्षति

prakāśaṃ ca pravṛttiṃ ca mohameva ca pāṇḍava |
na dveṣṭi saṃpravṛttāni na nivṛttāni kāṅkṣati

Pandava, he does not resent light, activity or delusion when they arise, nor long for them when they cease.

उदासीनवदासीनो गुणैर्यो न विचाल्यते ।
गुणा वर्तन्त इत्येव योऽवतिष्ठति नेङ्गते

udāsīnavadāsīno guṇairyo na vicālyate |
guṇā vartanta ityeva yo'vatiṣṭhati neṅgate

He sits as one indifferent, unshaken by the gunas. Knowing that only the gunas are at work, he stays firm and does not waver.

समदुःखसुखः स्वस्थः समलोष्टाश्मकाञ्चनः ।
तुल्यप्रियाप्रियो धीरस्तुल्यनिन्दात्मसंस्तुतिः

samaduḥkhasukhaḥ svasthaḥ samaloṣṭāśmakāñcanaḥ |
tulyapriyāpriyo dhīrastulyanindātmasaṃstutiḥ

Alike in sorrow and joy, rooted in the Self, he sees a clod, a stone and gold as the same. The pleasant and unpleasant are equal to him; he is steady, and blame and praise of himself weigh the same.

मानापमानयोस्तुल्यस्तुल्यो मित्रारिपक्षयोः ।
सर्वारम्भपरित्यागी गुणातीतः स उच्यते

mānāpamānayostulyastulyo mitrāripakṣayoḥ |
sarvārambhaparityāgī guṇātītaḥ sa ucyate

Alike in honour and dishonour, alike to friend and foe, having given up all self-driven undertakings: he is said to have gone beyond the gunas.