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Chapter 14 · Verse 21 · Gunatraya Vibhaga Yoga

Bhagavad Gita 14.21

contemplative Jnana & Wisdom Moksha & Liberation Self & Identity

Sanskrit

अर्जुन उवाचकैर्लिंगैस्त्रीन्गुणानेतानतीतो भवति प्रभो।किमाचारः कथं चैतांस्त्रीन्गुणानतिवर्तते।।14.21।।

Transliteration

arjuna uvācha kair liṅgais trīn guṇān etān atīto bhavati prabho kim āchāraḥ kathaṁ chaitāns trīn guṇān ativartate

Word by Word

arjunaḥ uvācha Arjun inquired
kaiḥ by what
liṅgaiḥ symptoms
trīn three
guṇān modes of material nature
etān these
atītaḥ having transcended
bhavati is
prabho Lord
kim what
āchāraḥ conduct
katham how
cha and
etān these
trīn three
guṇān modes of material nature
ativartate transcend
Simplified Perspective

Arjun asks the deepest question: how does a soul transcend the three gunas that bind all of creation? He recognizes that liberation is not philosophical abstraction but a living reality—a person whose consciousness has crossed beyond sattva, rajas, and tamas.

When you stop being *ruled* by the modes and start being a witness to them, you enter a freedom that no circumstance can touch. In your daily life, this means noticing when you're driven by desire, inertia, or even the false security of 'being good'—and choosing to rest in the awareness that watches all three.

Listen

Bhagavad Gita 14.21 — BG 14.21

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Sanskrit text from the Bhagavad Gita (public domain). Commentary © Mahakatha.

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