Verse 14.19
Speaker: Krishna
Sanskrit
नान्यं गुणेभ्यः कर्तारं यदा द्रष्टानुपश्यति | गुणेभ्यश्च परं वेत्ति मद्भावं सोऽधिगच्छति ||१९||
Transliteration (IAST)
nānyaṁ guṇebhyaḥ kartāraṁ yadā draṣṭānupaśyati | guṇebhyaś ca paraṁ vetti mad-bhāvaṁ so 'dhigacchati ||19||
Word-by-Word Meanings
Translation
When the seer perceives no agent other than the gunas and knows that which is beyond the gunas, he attains My nature.
Commentary
This is a key verse marking the transition from description to transcendence. Shankaracharya explains that liberation comes from two realizations: (1) all action is performed by the gunas alone, not by the Self, and (2) the Self is entirely beyond the gunas. Ramanuja interprets 'mad-bhāvam' as attaining the Lord's nature of eternal bliss. Madhva emphasizes that this knowledge must be accompanied by devotion to the Lord who is beyond all gunas.