14.039
ब्रह्मोवाच॥
Brahmā said.
नैव शक्या गुणा वक्तुं पृथक्त्वेनेह सर्वशः। अविच्छिन्नानि दृश्यन्ते रजः सत्त्वं तमस्तथा ॥१४-३९-१॥
It is not possible to describe the qualities distinctly here in all ways; rajas, sattva, and tamas are observed as undivided likewise. (14-39-1)
अन्योन्यमनुषज्जन्ते अन्योन्यं चानुजीविनः। अन्योन्यापाश्रयाः सर्वे तथान्योन्यानुवर्तिनः ॥१४-३९-२॥
All are mutually attached, dependent on and following each other. (14-39-2)
यावत्सत्त्वं तमस्तावद्वर्तते नात्र संशयः। यावत्तमश्च सत्त्वं च रजस्तावदिहोच्यते ॥१४-३९-३॥
As long as sattva persists, so long tamas remains—there is no doubt about this. As long as both tamas and sattva exist, rajas is also said to exist here. (14-39-3)
संहत्य कुर्वते यात्रां सहिताः सङ्घचारिणः। सङ्घातवृत्तयो ह्येते वर्तन्ते हेत्वहेतुभिः ॥१४-३९-४॥
Having assembled together, those who move in groups undertake their journey as a group; truly, these, whose behavior is collective, act according to reasons and beyond reasons. (14-39-4)
उद्रेकव्यतिरेकाणां तेषामन्योन्यवर्तिनाम्। वर्तते तद्यथान्यूनं व्यतिरिक्तं च सर्वशः ॥१४-३९-५॥
Among mutually interacting increase and decrease, it occurs such that there is neither deficiency nor excess, but in every way balanced. (14-39-5)
व्यतिरिक्तं तमो यत्र तिर्यग्भावगतं भवेत्। अल्पं तत्र रजो ज्ञेयं सत्त्वं चाल्पतरं ततः ॥१४-३९-६॥
Wherever, apart from darkness, there is the animal state, there rajas should be understood to be little, and sattva still less than that. (14-39-6)
उद्रिक्तं च रजो यत्र मध्यस्रोतोगतं भवेत्। अल्पं तत्र तमो ज्ञेयं सत्त्वं चाल्पतरं ततः ॥१४-३९-७॥
Where rajas is overflowing and has entered the middle channel, there tamas should be known as little, and sattva even less than that. (14-39-7)
उद्रिक्तं च यदा सत्त्वमूर्ध्वस्रोतोगतं भवेत्। अल्पं तत्र रजो ज्ञेयं तमश्चाल्पतरं ततः ॥१४-३९-८॥
And when sattva is overflowing and ascends to the upward current, then rajas should be recognized as little there, and tamas as even less than that. (14-39-8)
सत्त्वं वैकारिकं योनिरिन्द्रियाणां प्रकाशिका। न हि सत्त्वात्परो भावः कश्चिदन्यो विधीयते ॥१४-३९-९॥
Sattva, born of transformation, is the source and illuminator of the senses. Truly, there is no entity established beyond sattva. (14-39-9)
ऊर्ध्वं गच्छन्ति सत्त्वस्था मध्ये तिष्ठन्ति राजसाः। जघन्यगुणसंयुक्ता यान्त्यधस्तामसा जनाः ॥१४-३९-१०॥
Those abiding in sattva go upwards; those in rajas remain in the middle; people endowed with the lowest quality—those in tamas—go downwards. (14-39-10)
तमः शूद्रे रजः क्षत्रे ब्राह्मणे सत्त्वमुत्तमम्। इत्येवं त्रिषु वर्णेषु विवर्तन्ते गुणास्त्रयः ॥१४-३९-११॥
Darkness is predominant in the Śūdra, passion in the Kṣatriya, and purity is highest in the Brāhmaṇa. Thus, the three qualities revolve among the three castes. (14-39-11)
दूरादपि हि दृश्यन्ते सहिताः सङ्घचारिणः। तमः सत्त्वं रजश्चैव पृथक्त्वं नानुशुश्रुम ॥१४-३९-१२॥
Indeed, even from afar, those who move together in groups are seen as united. As for darkness, light, and passion, we have not heard that they are ever separate. (14-39-12)
दृष्ट्वा चादित्यमुद्यन्तं कुचोराणां भयं भवेत्। अध्वगाः परितप्येरंस्तृष्णार्ता दुःखभागिनः ॥१४-३९-१३॥
When the sun rises and is seen, fear arises among thieves. Travellers, afflicted by thirst, experience suffering. (14-39-13)
आदित्यः सत्त्वमुद्दिष्टं कुचोरास्तु यथा तमः। परितापोऽध्वगानां च राजसो गुण उच्यते ॥१४-३९-१४॥
The Sun is declared to represent sattva, just as thieves are said to represent darkness. The suffering of travelers is known as the quality of rajas. (14-39-14)
प्राकाश्यं सत्त्वमादित्ये सन्तापो राजसो गुणः। उपप्लवस्तु विज्ञेयस्तामसस्तस्य पर्वसु ॥१४-३९-१५॥
Luminosity is the sattva quality in the sun; heat is the rajas attribute; but disturbance on the lunar phases is to be understood as the tamas quality of that. (14-39-15)
एवं ज्योतिःषु सर्वेषु विवर्तन्ते गुणास्त्रयः। पर्यायेण च वर्तन्ते तत्र तत्र तथा तथा ॥१४-३९-१६॥
In this way, the three qualities revolve in all luminaries; alternately, they act here and there, now thus, now so. (14-39-16)
स्थावरेषु च भूतेषु तिर्यग्भावगतं तमः। राजसास्तु विवर्तन्ते स्नेहभावस्तु सात्त्विकः ॥१४-३९-१७॥
Among stationary beings and among all creatures, darkness prevails in those of animal-nature; rajasic beings are active, but the feeling of affection is sattvic. (14-39-17)
अहस्त्रिधा तु विज्ञेयं त्रिधा रात्रिर्विधीयते। मासार्धमासवर्षाणि ऋतवः सन्धयस्तथा ॥१४-३९-१८॥
The day is understood as being of three kinds, and the night is also divided into three parts. Similarly, there are months, half-months, years, seasons, and their junctions. (14-39-18)
त्रिधा दानानि दीयन्ते त्रिधा यज्ञः प्रवर्तते। त्रिधा लोकास्त्रिधा वेदास्त्रिधा विद्यास्त्रिधा गतिः ॥१४-३९-१९॥
Gifts are given in three ways; sacrifices proceed in three ways; the worlds are threefold, the Vedas are threefold, knowledge is threefold, and the path is threefold. (14-39-19)
भूतं भव्यं भविष्यच्च धर्मोऽर्थः काम इत्यपि। प्राणापानावुदानश्चाप्येत एव त्रयो गुणाः ॥१४-३९-२०॥
Past, present, and future, righteousness, wealth, desire—so too prāṇa, apāna, and udāna—these are indeed the three qualities. (14-39-20)
यत्किञ्चिदिह वै लोके सर्वमेष्वेव तत्त्रिषु। त्रयो गुणाः प्रवर्तन्ते अव्यक्ता नित्यमेव तु ॥ सत्त्वं रजस्तमश्चैव गुणसर्गः सनातनः ॥१४-३९-२१॥
Whatever exists here in the world, all of it is indeed in these three. The three qualities—sattva, rajas, and tamas—eternally and unmanifestly operate; the creation of qualities is eternal. (14-39-21)
तमोऽव्यक्तं शिवं नित्यमजं योनिः सनातनः। प्रकृतिर्विकारः प्रलयः प्रधानं प्रभवाप्ययौ ॥१४-३९-२२॥
It is darkness, the unmanifest, the auspicious, the eternal, the unborn, the source, the everlasting, primordial nature, modification, dissolution, the primary cause, origin and dissolution. (14-39-22)
अनुद्रिक्तमनूनं च ह्यकम्पमचलं ध्रुवम्। सदसच्चैव तत्सर्वमव्यक्तं त्रिगुणं स्मृतम् ॥ ज्ञेयानि नामधेयानि नरैरध्यात्मचिन्तकैः ॥१४-३९-२३॥
That which is neither increased nor diminished, unshaken, immovable and constant, being and non-being, all that is considered unmanifest and threefold in nature. The names are to be understood by men who contemplate on the Self. (14-39-23)
अव्यक्तनामानि गुणांश्च तत्त्वतो; यो वेद सर्वाणि गतीश्च केवलाः। विमुक्तदेहः प्रविभागतत्त्ववि; त्स मुच्यते सर्वगुणैर्निरामयः ॥१४-३९-२४॥
He who truly knows the names of the unmanifest, the qualities, and all the unique paths; whose body is freed, and who knows the essence of their divisions—that person is liberated from all qualities, and is free from all affliction. (14-39-24)
