सत्त्वं सुखे सञ्जयति रज: कर्मणि भारत |
ज्ञानमावृत्य तु तम: प्रमादे सञ्जयत्युत || 9||
sattvaṁ sukhe sañjayati rajaḥ karmaṇi bhārata
jñānam āvṛitya tu tamaḥ pramāde sañjayaty uta
sattvam—mode of goodness; sukhe—to happiness; sañjayati—binds; rajaḥ—mode of passion; karmaṇi—toward actions; bhārata—Arjun, the son of Bharat; jñānam—wisdom; āvṛitya—clouds; tu—but; tamaḥ—mode of ignorance; pramāde—to delusion; sañjayati—binds; uta—indeed
Translation:
Sattva binds one to happiness, and rajas to action, Ο Bhārata; whereas tamas veils knowledge and binds one to inadvertence.
Commentary:
This verse is just a summary of the above three verses. The three Gunas and their main qualities are restated for easy understanding. Sattva guna leads man to knowledge and happiness of a worldly nature; Rajoguna prompts man to worldly action prompted by selfishness and Tamoguna leads to wrong understanding, sleeep and laziness. Sattvaguna is like the covering of a pure glass over the light, Rajoguna is like the covering of cane-basket over the light; and Tamoguna is like the covering of a pot over the light. In the first instance, light comes out through the glass, the medium being quite pure. In the second instance, some rays of light escape through the chinks of the basket. But in the third instance, the pot being opaque, the light within is totally covered. The state of Tamas is utter darkness. The man in darkness stumbles and falls, mistakes objects, takes one thing to be another, and thus commits a number of mistakes.
The pure light of Atma, a blissful and ever blessed, is thus shrouded by the three Gunas. Man is bound by them. The Lord expresses wonder, how deluded man suffers on account of the powerful influence of Prakriti and its qualities.
Bhagavad Gita: Chapter 14 🔻 (27 Verses)
