Home · Bhagavad Gita · Chapter 14: Gunatraya Vibhaga Yoga · Verse 16-18

Gunatraya Vibhaga Yoga · The Three Gunas

Bhagavad Gita 14.16-18

Sanskrit

कर्मणः सुकृतस्याहुः सात्त्विकं निर्मलं फलम् । रजसस्तु फलं दुःखमज्ञानं तमसः फलम् ॥14.16॥सत्त्वात्सञ्जायते ज्ञानं रजसो लोभ एव च । प्रमादमोहौ तमसो भवतोऽज्ञानमेव च ॥14.17॥ऊर्ध्वं गच्छन्ति सत्त्वस्था मध्ये तिष्ठन्ति राजसाः । जघन्यगुणवृत्तिस्था अधो गच्छन्ति तामसाः ॥14.18॥

Transliteration

karmaṇaḥ sukṛtasyāhuḥ sāttvikaṃ nirmalaṃ phalam | rajasastu phalaṃ duḥkhamajñānaṃ tamasaḥ phalam ‖14.16‖ sattvātsañjāyate jñānaṃ rajaso lobha eva ca | pramādamohau tamaso bhavato'jñānameva ca ‖14.17‖ ūrdhvaṃ gacchanti sattvasthā madhye tiṣṭhanti rājasāḥ | jaghanyaguṇavṛttisthā adho gacchanti tāmasāḥ ‖14.18‖

Meaning

The fruit of good action, they say, is sattvic and stainless; the fruit of rajas is pain; and the fruit of tamas is ignorance. From sattva arises knowledge, from rajas greed, from tamas negligence, delusion, and ignorance. Those established in sattva rise upward; the rajasic remain in the middle; the tamasic, abiding in the lowest tendencies, sink downward.

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Theme: The Three Gunas

This verse is part of Bhagavad Gita Chapter 14: Gunatraya Vibhaga Yoga , read all verses in this chapter.

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