Chapter Fourteen

               The Three Modes of Material Nature

                       Gunatraya-vibhaga-yoga

1) The Supreme Lord said: I shall now again describe to you that
supreme wisdom, knowing which all the sages attained the
supreme perfection beyond this mundane plane.

2) By taking refuge in this knowledge, the soul attains a nature
(predominantly) similar to Mine. Then he is neither born at the
time of universal creation, nor does he experience the pangs of
death at the time of universal annihilation.

3) O Bharata, material nature, known as pradhana, is the womb
into which I cast the seed (in the form of the individual soul which
is born of the marginal potency). From that place, all beings
headed by Lord Brahma are generated.

4) O Kaunteya, Brahman personified as mother nature is the
progenitress of all the various bodies born within all species of life,
headed by demigods and humans and I (as the causal
consciousness) am the seed-giving father.

5) O mighty hero, Arjuna, these three material modes of nature
goodness, passion, and ignorance which are manifest from
material nature, cause the unchangable, embodied spirit soul to be
enslaved by mundane sentiments based on happiness,
unhappiness, and delusion.

6) O sinless one, due to its comparatively purer nature among
these three material modes, the mode of goodness is an
illuminator of the nature of things and is of a peaceful nature. It
enslaves the spirit by attachment to happiness and knowledge.

7) O son of Kunti, you should know the mode of passion to be the
embodiment of obsessions for sensual enjoyment. The origin of
covetousness and infatuation, it enslaves the soul by attachment to
action.

8) And, O Bharata, you should know that the mode of ignorance is
born from darkness, and is the deluder of all beings. That mode of
ignorance captivates the embodied by carelessness, laziness, and
slumber.

9) O Arjuna, goodness conditions the soul to happiness, and
passion conditions him to action. But the mode of ignorance,
covering the living being's knowledge, conditions him to
indolence, slothfulness, and slumber.

10) O Bharata, goodness overcomes passion and ignorance,
passion overcomes goodness and ignorance, and ignorance
overcomes goodness and passion. Each mode in turn conquers the
others in an unending battle for supremacy.

11) When cognizance of the factual nature of the sense objects
abundantly appears within the perceptual senses of this body, you
should surely know this to be the characteristic development of
the mode of goodness. This will be recognized by the
aforementioned symptom of happiness.

12) O Arjuna, most noble of the Bharata dynasty, know that
greed, overexertion, ambitious attempts, incessant sensual
pleasure, and desire are born when the mode of passion develops
in a person.

13) O Kurunandana, with the influence of the mode of ignorance,
all the symptoms of injudiciousness, despondency, indolence, and
falsehood become manifest.

14) If any soul succumbs to the jaws of death at a time when
predominantly the mode of goodness influences him, he goes to
the pure planets of the worshipers of Hiranyagarbha (Brahma)
and other gods.

15) When a person dies in the mode of passion, he takes birth in
the karmi society of men addicted to fruitive work. If one dies in
the mode of ignorance, he takes birth amongst the animal or other
grossly ignorant species.

16) It is proclaimed by the learned that good works bestow a
result of peace and happiness, passionate works result in misery,
and ignorant works result in darkness or deathliness.

17) From the mode of goodness, knowledge arises; from the mode
of passion, greed arises; and from the mode of ignorance, insanity,
delusion, and foolishness ensue.

18) Persons in the mode of goodness ascend (up to Satyaloka),
those in the mode of passion remain in the middle (in human
society), and abominable fellows of ignorant nature fall down to
the lower planes (of hellish suffering).

19) When a person perceives that apart from the three modes of
nature there is no other cause of action in this modal world, and
when he can know the Lord of the three modes, who is
transcendental to them, he becomes divinely inspired with love for
Me.

20) When the soul transcends these three modes of material
nature from which the body is produced, and becomes absolutely
liberated from birth, death, old age, and misery, he then tastes the
ambrosia of divine love unalloyed by the modes of nature.

21) Arjuna said: O Lord, (1) by which symptoms can a person
transcendental to these three modes of material nature be
identified? (2) How does he behave, and (3) how does he transcend
the modes?

22-25) The Supreme Lord replied: O Pandava, (1) one who
neither resents the appearance of revelation (the effect of the
mode of goodness), activation (the effect of the mode of passion),
and stupefaction (the effect of the mode of ignorance), nor
hankers for their cessation; (2) who remains perfectly poised,
being situated indifferently and unperturbed by the modal effects
(based on happiness and unhappiness), remembering, 'The modes
are engaging (with their respective objects)'; who is equally
disposed to joy and sorrow; who is situated in continuous self-
perception; who sees a lump of earth, a rock, or a piece of gold
with the vision of equality; who is equipoised upon receiving
either desirable or undesirable things; who is intelligent, and
remains situated in equilibrium in the face of abuse or praise,
honor or dishonor; who sees alike both friend and foe; and who is
completely aloof to all causes of obsession and abnegation
certainly such a person is to be known as having transcended the
three modes of material nature.

26) (3) A person who renders service exclusively unto Me (in My
form of Syamasundara) by the path of pure devotion
(unadulterated by all spurious attempts based on exploitation or
renunciation), absolutely transcends these three modes of material
nature. He thus becomes qualified for the cognizance of his
internal divine identity.

27) I alone am the original mainstay of the undivided divine
vitality, the inexhaustible nectar, the timeless pastimes, and the
sweetness of the ambrosia of profound love divine.


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