Verse 14.5
Speaker: Krishna
Sanskrit
सत्त्वं रजस्तम इति गुणाः प्रकृतिसम्भवाः | निबध्नन्ति महाबाहो देहे देहिनमव्ययम् ||५||
Transliteration (IAST)
sattvaṁ rajas tama iti guṇāḥ prakṛti-sambhavāḥ | nibadhnanti mahā-bāho dehe dehinam avyayam ||5||
Word-by-Word Meanings
sattvam-goodness/purity
rajaḥ-passion/activity
tamaḥ-darkness/inertia
guṇāḥ-qualities/modes
prakṛti-sambhavāḥ-born of Prakriti
nibadhnanti-bind
dehinam-the embodied soul
avyayam-imperishable
Translation
Sattva, Rajas, and Tamas - these gunas born of Prakriti bind the imperishable embodied soul in the body, O mighty-armed one.
Commentary
This key verse introduces the three gunas as the binding forces of Prakriti. Shankaracharya explains that though the Self is imperishable and unattached, it appears bound due to identification with the gunas through ignorance. Ramanuja notes that the gunas are real properties of Prakriti that condition the soul's experience. Madhva emphasizes that bondage is due to the soul's dependence on the Lord's will.
Themes
jnanaatmanmoksha