Each living being had different qualities in three categories - karma (actions), destiny, and situation. When the senses in the body, wisdom, and mindfulness arise in the mind, the quality of Satoguna increases. This leads to positive thoughts and actions. When the quality of Rajoguna increases, negative thoughts like greed and the desire to do bad things arise, leading to engagement in negative actions. The quality of Tamoguna leads to ignorance, laziness, and a lack of desire to do anything. When a person dies, if they have a body of wisdom in spirituality and yoga, they are reborn into the house of learned yogis who practice well. If they had a Rajoguni quality, they are reborn into a family that focuses on specific tasks or enjoyments. If their Tamoguni quality was high, they are reborn into a species or dull human beings.
Lord Sri Krishna told Arjuna that he will give him
the best knowledge, which is the ultimate form of knowledge. Arjuna desired to
see the manifested form of God even after seeing the great form of God,
indicating that his attachment and karma bond was still present. Lord Krishna
understood this and realized that Arjuna had not yet fully overcome his
attachment and karma bond. Therefore, Lord Krishna decided to give Arjuna
self-knowledge, which will help him overcome the illusions of Maya and attain
ultimate perfection. This knowledge is the key to being free from the bondage
of Maya and achieving true liberation.1.
A person who has attained enlightenment and is
centred on the self does not take birth at the beginning of the universe and is
not distressed by the cycle of birth and death. This is because their karma
bond has been destroyed due to their enlightenment. Even if they are born
again, it is by their own will, and they are not bound by the cycle of birth
and death. They are always free from the fear of birth and death, as they have
transcended the limitations of the physical world and achieved spiritual
liberation.2.
Similar to how beings are born in the world through
the combination of men and women, the place of conception of the original
nature, known as Mahat Brahm, exists. The infinite divine, which refers to Lord
Sri Krishna, establishes the womb in this nature. Through the combination of
nature and consciousness, all beings are born, just like how all ghosts or
living beings originate. This verse emphasizes the role of nature and
consciousness in the creation of all living beings, just like how the
combination of sperm and egg creates a new life in the physical world.3.
In this world, different bodies are produced in
different species. The mother of all these bodies is the expressed nature,
while Lord Sri Krishna is the father who instils the seed in them all. The soul
is like the husband, nature is like the wife, and the world is like the child.
This verse uses the analogy of a family to explain the relationship between the
soul, nature, and the world. The soul is like the husband who unites with
nature, which is like the wife, to give birth to the world, which is like their
child. It emphasizes the interconnectedness and interdependence of all things
in the world.4.
Nature, which consists of the power of knowledge
and action, produces different qualities that are divided into three parts:
sattva, raja, and Tama. Sattva has more enlightening power, raja has more
action power, and Tama has almost lost its knowledge power and has very little
action power. These three qualities captivate the imperishable latent soul,
which is divine, within the body. Due to the qualities of nature, the human
spirit of the divine is produced. This verse explains how the qualities of
nature influence and shape human behaviour and character, and how they affect
the development of the soul. It emphasizes that the divine is present within
every human being, but is affected by the qualities of nature.5.
Hey Arjun! Let me explain how nature (Maya) traps
the immortal soul in its web. Satoguna, one of the three qualities of nature,
attracts the soul with happiness and knowledge. Satoguna gives knowledge but
also generates a false sense of superiority and pride in the person. This false
pride confuses the person and leads them to believe in false pleasures, causing
them to forget about true knowledge and true joy.6.
Rajoguna is another quality of nature that always
keeps the soul entertained. This is because Rajoguna is associated with passion
and desire, and when the soul becomes attached to different forms of the world,
its desire for them increases. Initially, the soul may experience some
happiness, but it soon desires more, and this attachment to worldly things and
the desire for them leads to increased actions and work (karma). As the
attachment and desire for the results of these actions grow, the soul becomes
more and more tied to the individual body, giving it a feeling of life.7.
Hey Arjun! Tamoguna is a quality of nature that is
born out of ignorance. It completely confuses the soul and makes it forget its
true nature, causing it to identify with the body in which it resides. Tamoguna
is associated with qualities like insanity, laziness, and sleep, which weaken
the mind and confuse the intellect. When under the influence of Tamoguna, the
soul lacks the desire to take action (karma) and its intellect becomes dull and
foolish. It is similar to the intellect of Kumbhakarna, who performed severe
austerities for six months to obtain a specific result. The Tamoguna-dominated
mind finds pleasure in sleep and considers it to be the best thing in life.8.
Hey Arjun! Satoguna creates a sense of happiness in
the living spirit through knowledge and wisdom. Rajoguna also provides happiness
through desire and attachment, but it leads to more and more actions (karma).
Tamoguna, on the other hand, covers knowledge with ignorance, and the soul
finds pleasure in this state of unawareness. All these false pleasures arise
due to the influence of arrogance, attachment, and ignorance respectively..9.
Hey Arjun! If the influence of Rajoguna and
Tamoguna is suppressed, then Satoguna increases. When Rajoguna is suppressed,
Satoguna becomes more prominent. Similarly, when Tamoguna is suppressed, Satoguna
becomes more active. However, if Satoguna is suppressed, Rajoguna and Tamoguna
become more dominant. This means that the balance of these three gunas
(qualities) is always in a state of flux, and the dominance of one over the
other two depends on various factors.10.
Hey Arjun! Each living being had different
qualities in all three gunas. Karma, fate and circumstances also influence the
qualities that dominate. When the mind is focused and aware, and the senses are
under control, the quality of Sattva increases. When the quality of Rajas
increases, greed and a desire to do bad things can arise and cause engagement
in negative activities. If desires are fulfilled, more desires arise, leading
to an increased desire for pleasure. If desires are not fulfilled, there may be
disturbance and ignorance can prevail. As Tamoguna increases, the mind becomes
more ignorant, the intellect becomes dull, and there is a lack of desire to do
anything. This can lead to feelings of laziness, sleepiness, and insanity.11, 12,
13.
Hey Arjuna! When a person dies while having a
dominant Sattva quality, they are reborn in a family of learned individuals who
practice yoga and spirituality. If someone lacks spiritual knowledge, they are
born for this reason. On the other hand, if someone dies while having a
dominant Rajas quality, they may be reborn into a family with strong
attachments to material possessions or pleasures. And if someone dies while
having a dominant Tamas quality, they may be reborn as a foolish or dull human
being or even in a species with lower intelligence due to extreme ignorance.14,
15.
Sattva quality leads to the birth of pious
practices and results in the attainment of knowledge and purity. On the other
hand, the ultimate result of karma produced by Rajas' quality is unrest and
sorrow. Tamoguna quality leads to stupidity.16
Knowledge arises from Sattva quality. Pure
spirituality remains in the loop of Sattva quality, where the individual soul
with ego is present. Rajas quality gives rise to greed and Tamas quality
produces insanity, fascination, and stupidity.17
Men fixed in the Sattva quality attain vertical
development. A person devoid of yoga is born in a house of intellect, a rich,
and humble family. Men located in Rajas quality attain mid-development and are
born in the home of attached, scrooge worldly people. Tamasic men attain low
development and are born into foolish human beings or species.18.
This verse from the Bhagavad Gita is saying that
when a person is able to observe the three qualities of Sattva, Raja, and Tama
operating within them without identifying with them, they can attain a state of
ultimate reality that is free from the limitations of their actions and their
ego. This means that by being aware of the qualities that influence their
thoughts and actions, a person can become free from the attachment to their
actions and their results, and move towards a state of pure awareness and
consciousness.19.
When a person realizes the truth and recognizes the
three qualities that accompany their existence, they can overcome the cycle of
birth, death, and ageing. The body becomes like a snake's shed skin, and its
true natural self is attained through this realization.20.
Arjun said, O God! With what kind of symptoms does
the free man witness, and what kind of conduct is his thought, and with what
measures does he become free from the three qualities.21?
Hey Arjun! The liberated person who is established
in the self always observes the characteristics and actions of Satoguna, the
knowledge mode, and its ego; Rajoguna, the working instincts and illusions; and
Tamoguna, the foolishness. If any of these qualities arise, the liberated
person remains impartial and free from malice, and if they separate from these
qualities, they do not desire them because they have no attachment or pride in
their actions or qualities. In this way, the liberated person is like the calm
and undisturbed seawater.22.
The liberated person remains unaffected by virtues
and maintains an attitude of indifference towards happiness, sorrow, loss, and
gain because they understand that these qualities are a result of nature and
action. They observe the game of virtues with a detached perspective, similar
to how the sky remains unaffected by the movement of air. This centred state of
allowing the liberated person to remain unaffected by the qualities and always
stay centred in the self without deviating from this ultimate state.23.
Hey Arjun! The enlightened person within me
perceives the entire world as divine and therefore views happiness and sorrow
with equanimity. Clay, stone, and gems all hold equal value in their eyes, and
they feel no attachment or aversion towards anyone or anything. They remain
indifferent towards criticism and praise, and their intellect is always centred
on the self. This state of equanimity allows them to see the divine essence in
everything and everyone.24.
The liberated person remains indifferent whether
someone insults them or worships them as a Mahatma, enlightened being, or God.
They see both friend and enemy with an equal perspective, recognizing the self
in all forms and actions, and smiling at the workings of qualities present in
the body. They have exhausted their ego and intelligence, and thus remain free
from subjective thinking. They remain constantly in a state of witnessing and
transcend the influence of all three qualities.25.
The one who maintains a non-wavering intellect and
remains unified with the self in constant self-realization becomes fully
immersed in enlightenment and frees themselves from the influence of the three
qualities. They become like a roasted seed that cannot sprout, and never
experience feelings of ego or attachment. In this way, the person who attains
unity with God achieves the same divine essence, which is the ultimate and
infinite position.26.
.
Hey Arjun! Brahman is the soul, and that soul is
me. I am the nectar of the soul, the absolute pure knowledge that is
imperishable. I am the ultimate shelter of nature, the essence of all religions.
The yogi who attains me attains supreme joy. You should know with certainty
that I am the ultimate source of peace and shelter. This is the infinite and
ultimate position.27.
om tat sat
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