यदा सत्त्वे प्रवृद्धे तु प्रलयं याति देहभृत् |
तदोत्तमविदां लोकानमलान्प्रतिपद्यते || 14||
yadā sattve pravṛiddhe tu pralayaṁ yāti deha-bhṛit
tadottama-vidāṁ lokān amalān pratipadyate
yadā—when; sattve—in the mode of goodness; pravṛiddhe—when premodinates; tu—indeed; pralayam—death; yāti—reach; deha-bhṛit—the embodied; tadā—then; uttama-vidām—of the learned; lokān—abodes; amalān—pure; pratipadyate—attains;
Translation:
If the embodied soul meets with death when sattva prevails, it goes to the spotless realms of those who know the Highest.
Commentary:
It is declared that the future birth of man is determined by the Guna that dominates in him at the time of death. If Sattva-guna predominates, then the Jiva attains the pure worlds which the wise go to. Sattva-guna is the effect of long practice in self-perfection. Tamas and Rajas have to be eliminated by Nishkama Karma, by devotion and by studious understanding of the Truth. If a man cultivates Sattva-guna through a long life-time of steady practice, then, even at the time of death, his mind remains pure, calm, and full of peace. Leaving the body in that state is good, because it takes him to higher worlds of purity and knowledge. So the seekers have to be vigilant and cautious and observe how they are progressing on the path of self-purification. They should remember that their future life in other worlds will be strictly determined by their state of mind in this life. They should refrain from any evil and sinful acts because they are caused by impure Rajas and Tamas. Otherwise, they shall have to suffer in low worlds of a painful nature.
Dehabhrit: (The embodied being, man.) This word is significant because it shows that man holds the body. The house is different from the tenant who lives in it. The tenant is not the house itself. He uses the house. So also, the Jiva is placed in the house of the body, but he is not the body. He changes the body by death, even as a tenant leaves one house and goes to dwell in another one.
The man who wears a particular dress or ornament is different from the dress and ornament that he wears. By keen intellectual perception, this truth becomes clear to man. When the body identification (dehatmabuddhi) is given up. man naturally discovers that he is the untainted, pure and perfect Atma.
Uttamavidam lokan: The man of Sattva-guna attains the pure worlds of the wise. But that is not the end. He has to reach the birthless and deathless state of Paramatma.
Question: Where does he go who dies with Sativa-guna predominating at the time of death?
Answer: He goes to the spotless worlds attained by the knowers of the Highest.
Bhagavad Gita: Chapter 14 🔻 (27 Verses)
