14.21–14.25 — Bhagavad Gītā Decoded

14.21

अर्जुन उवाच | कैर्लिङ्गैस्त्रीन्गुणानेतानतीतो भवति प्रभो | किमाचार: कथं चैतांस्त्रीन्गुणानतिवर्तते

arjuna uvāca kair liṅgais trīnguṇān etān atīto bhavati prabho / kim ācāraḥ kathaṁ caitāṁs trīnguṇānativartate / / 14.21

Arjuna inquires: O my Lord, by what symptoms is one known who is transcendental to those modes? What is his behavior? And how does he transcend the modes of nature?

arjuna uvāca — Arjuna says

kaiḥ — by which

liṅgaiḥ — symptoms

trīn — three

guṇān — qualities

etān — all these

atītaḥ — having transcended

bhavati — become

prabho — my Lord

kim — what

ācāraḥ — behavior

kathaṁ — what

ca — also

etāṁ — these

trīn — three

guṇān — qualities

ativartate — transcend

14.22

श्रीभगवानुवाच | प्रकाशं च प्रवृत्तिं च मोहमेव च पाण्डव | न द्वेष्टि सम्प्रवृत्तानि न निवृत्तानि काङ् क्षति

śrībhagavānuvāca prakāśaṁ ca pravṛttiṁ ca mohameva ca pāṇḍava / na dveṣṭi saṁpravṛttāni na nivṛttāni kāṅkṣati / / 14.22

Śrī Bhagavān says: He who does not hate illu- mination, attachment and delusion when they are present, nor longs for them when they disappear; who is seated like one unconcerned, being situated beyond these material reactions of the modes of nature, who remains firm, knowing that the modes alone are active; He who regards alike pleasure and pain, and looks on a lump of earth, a stone and a piece of gold with an equal eye; who is wise and holds praise and blame to be the same; who is unchanged in honor and dishonor, who treats friend and foe alike, who has abandoned all result based undertakings—such a man is said to have transcended the modes of nature.

śrībhagavānuvāca — the supreme personality of Divine says

prakāśaṁ ca — and illumination

pravṛttiṁ ca — and attachment

mohaṁ — illusion

eva ca — also

pāṇḍava — O son of Pāṇḍu

na dveṣṭi — does not hate

saṁpravṛttāni — although developed

na nivṛttāni — nor stop development

kāṅkṣati — desires

14.23

उदासीनवदासीनो गुणैर्यो न विचाल्यते | गुणा वर्तन्त इत्येवं योऽवतिष्ठति नेङ्गते

udāsīnavadāsīno guṇairyo na vicālyate / guṇā vartanta ityeva yo’vatiṣṭhati neṅgate / / 14.23

Śrī Bhagavān says: He who does not hate illu- mination, attachment and delusion when they are present, nor longs for them when they disappear; who is seated like one unconcerned, being situated beyond these material reactions of the modes of nature, who remains firm, knowing that the modes alone are active; He who regards alike pleasure and pain, and looks on a lump of earth, a stone and a piece of gold with an equal eye; who is wise and holds praise and blame to be the same; who is unchanged in honor and dishonor, who treats friend and foe alike, who has abandoned all result based undertakings—such a man is said to have transcended the modes of nature.

udāsīnavat — as if neutral

āsīnaḥ — situated

guṇaiḥ — by the qualities

yaḥ — one who

na — never

vicālyate — is agitated

guṇāḥ — the qualities

vartante — is situated

ityeva — knowing thus

yaḥ — one who

avatiṣṭhati — remains

na — never

eṅgati — flickering

14.24

समदु:खसुख: स्वस्थ: समलोष्टाश्मकाञ्चन: | तुल्यप्रियाप्रियो धीरस्तुल्यनिन्दात्मसंस्तुति:

sama-duḥkha-sukhaḥ svasthaḥ sama-loṣṭāśma-kāñcanaḥ / tulya-priyāpriyo dhīras tulya-nindātma-saṁstutiḥ / / 14.24

Śrī Bhagavān says: He who does not hate illu- mination, attachment and delusion when they are present, nor longs for them when they disappear; who is seated like one unconcerned, being situated beyond these material reactions of the modes of nature, who remains firm, knowing that the modes alone are active; He who regards alike pleasure and pain, and looks on a lump of earth, a stone and a piece of gold with an equal eye; who is wise and holds praise and blame to be the same; who is unchanged in honor and dishonor, who treats friend and foe alike, who has abandoned all result based undertakings—such a man is said to have transcended the modes of nature.

sama — equal

duḥkha — in distress

sukhaḥ — in happiness

svasthaḥ — being situated himself

sama — equally

loṣṭa — a lump of earth

aśma — stone

kāñcanaḥ — gold

tulya — equally disposed

priya — dear

apriyo — undesirable

dhīraḥ — steady

tulya — equally

nindā — in defamation

ātmasaṁstutiḥ — in praise of himself

14.25

मानापमानयोस्तुल्यस्तुल्यो मित्रारिपक्षयो: | सर्वारम्भपरित्यागी गुणातीत: स उच्यते

mānāpamānyos tulyastulyo mitrāri-pakṣayoḥ / sarvārambha-parityāgī guṇātitaḥ sa ucyate / / 14.25

Śrī Bhagavān says: He who does not hate illu- mination, attachment and delusion when they are present, nor longs for them when they disappear; who is seated like one unconcerned, being situated beyond these material reactions of the modes of nature, who remains firm, knowing that the modes alone are active; He who regards alike pleasure and pain, and looks on a lump of earth, a stone and a piece of gold with an equal eye; who is wise and holds praise and blame to be the same; who is unchanged in honor and dishonor, who treats friend and foe alike, who has abandoned all result based undertakings—such a man is said to have transcended the modes of nature.

māna — in honor

apamānyoḥ — dishonor

tulyaḥ — equally

mi- tra — friend

ari — enemy

pakṣayoḥ — in parties

sarva — all

ārambha — endeavor

parityāgī — renouncer

guṇātītaḥ — transcendental to the material modes of nature

saḥ — he

ucyate — is said to be

With great clarity the Master tells us what to do. He uses specific terms that cannot be misunderstood or misinterpreted. Kṛṣṇa explains the nature of one who has transcended the three guṇas, one who has gone beyond his natural attributes, one who has completed with his root patterns. He explains what we need to do to become a triguṇa rahita, to become liberated from the influence of the three guṇas. One who is beyond the three guṇas is unaffected by their play. He is beyond the play of emotions. Whatever happens is right for him. Success and failure mean the same. Friend and foe make no difference. Poverty or richness has no influence.

. Guṇatraya Vibhāga Yogaḥ FindYour Root PatternAnd Complete 1063 Such an attitude of total detachment requires one thing: complete trust. When we trust that whatever happens is what needs to happen and we accept whatever happens as it arises, we are totally detached. Then whatever happens will be right. Such trust can only come from surrender. I tell my disciples that because I have no home, every home that I visit is my home. Anywhere and everywhere I stay, whether it is under a tree or out in the open, is my home. Four walls, a door and a lock do not create a home for me. There is neither attraction nor aversion.

Just as people admire the clothes or accessories on a mannequin, I admire the clothes and jewelry on this body. They have no connection to me. Every movement I make is at the order of Existence. I cannot move a finger without the permission of that universal energy. When we are one with Existence, one with nature, nothing affects us. I walked tens of thousands of miles barefoot across the length and breadth of India. People ask, ‘How is it your feet are so soft, not calloused and broken as ours would be, if we walked barefoot even ten miles?’ I tell you: If we trust Nature, Nature looks after us.

We create pain and pleasure through association with powerlessness, through conditioning. We create greed and fear through association. Our root patterns, our conditioned muscle-memories and bio-memories, create pain and pleasure. Light and darkness, good and bad, right and wrong are based on root patterns. Our inadequate cognitions, the civilized education and refinement tells us that a person dressed in a particular manner is acceptable in society and another dressed differently is not. No scripture ever said that one person is inferior to another. All scriptures affirm that every human being is a spiritual being; all of us carry the seed of Divinity in us. When you complete with everything, animate or inanimate, you will experience the space of non-duality, Advaita.

Relationships are nothing but your own extensions. Relationships are not outside; they are just your own extensions. The you extended outside you are your relationships. Completing with all your extensions, you learn to complete the incomplete you present in the other. Your negative cognitions disappear and from the space of completion, all that one can see is the Divinity in others, the space of non-duality, Advaita. Expression Of The Divine