Chapter 14 · Verse 18 · Gunatraya Vibhaga Yoga
Bhagavad Gita 14.18
Sanskrit
ऊर्ध्वं गच्छन्ति सत्त्वस्था मध्ये तिष्ठन्ति राजसाः।जघन्यगुणवृत्तिस्था अधो गच्छन्ति तामसाः।।14.18।।
Transliteration
ūrdhvaṁ gachchhanti sattva-sthā madhye tiṣhṭhanti rājasāḥ jaghanya-guṇa-vṛitti-sthā adho gachchhanti tāmasāḥ
In plain words
Right now you may feel trapped—stuck in restlessness, or sunk in numbness, or pulled downward by habits and despair. Krishna says: you are not locked into your current state by fate or failure; the quality of your consciousness is a choice you make moment by moment. Choose one small act of clarity, service, or truth today, and notice how even that tiny choice feels.
Word by Word
The three gunas are not merely qualities but destinies—they are the invisible currents that carry consciousness upward toward liberation, hold it suspended in the middle realm of striving, or drag it downward into forgetfulness. When you align with sattva through clarity, service, and truth, you naturally rise; when you're caught in rajas, you remain restless in the middle, chasing and losing endlessly; when tamas claims you, you sink into numbness and self-abandonment.
The spiritual path is not about perfection but about recognizing which guna is pulling you right now, and choosing—consciously, moment by moment—to feed the light instead of the darkness.
Listen
Bhagavad Gita 14.18 — BG 14.18
Your Mantra Prescription
This mantra is prescribed for clarity and purpose. Is that what you're going through?
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