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Chapter 14 · Verse 5 · Gunatraya Vibhaga Yoga

Bhagavad Gita 14.5

philosophical Jnana & Wisdom Self & Identity Attachment & Letting Go

Sanskrit

सत्त्वं रजस्तम इति गुणाः प्रकृतिसंभवाः।निबध्नन्ति महाबाहो देहे देहिनमव्ययम्।।14.5।।

Transliteration

sattvaṁ rajas tama iti guṇāḥ prakṛiti-sambhavāḥ nibadhnanti mahā-bāho dehe dehinam avyayam

Word by Word

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
Simplified Perspective

Sri Krishna reveals the three gunas—sattva, rajas, and tamas—as the fundamental forces woven into the fabric of material nature itself. These are not external enemies but the very threads that bind the eternal soul to the body, creating the illusion of limitation.

When you understand that you are the witness to these qualities rather than their victim, you begin to step free from their grip. In daily life, this means pausing to observe whether your thoughts, desires, and actions arise from clarity, restlessness, or delusion—and choosing consciously rather than reacting automatically.

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Bhagavad Gita 14.5 — BG 14.5

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

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