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Bhagavad Gita · 18.40 · Yoga through the Perfection of Renunciation and Surrender·40 of 78

न तदस्ति पृथिव्यां वा दिवि देवेषु वा पुनःसत्त्वं प्रकृतिजैर्मुक्तं यदेभिः स्यात्ित्रभिर्गुणैः

na tad asti pṛithivyāṁ vā divi deveṣhu vā punaḥ

sattvaṁ prakṛiti-jair muktaṁ yad ebhiḥ syāt tribhir guṇaiḥ

Sanskrit recitation

Knowledge, work, and the worker · 18.29–18.40 · Teaching

Translation

There is no being on earth or in heaven among the gods that is liberated from the three qualities born of Nature.

Meaning

The Gunas form the warp and woof of everything as threads do in the case of cloth.Here in the world of mortals or there in the heavenworld, there is no creature that is not bound by the three alities of Nature. Can there be a cloth without threads Can there be a man without blood and bones Can there be a mountain without stones Even so there is not a single creature in the whole universe into whose composition the three alities of matter do not enter. The whole of creation is wrought of these three alities. They have given rise to the Trinity (Brahma, Vishnu and Siva). In the world of mortals the triplicity of agent, action and fruit owe their origin to them. They are the cause of the different functions of the four castes. This Samsara has been compared to the peepul tree in chapter XV.1. This Samsara is made up of the three alities and is kept up by the force of ignorance.Action, instruments of action and fruits have set the wheel of Samsara in motion and this wheel is revolving from beginningless time. It is only a liberated sage who has attained knowledge of the Self who puts a check to this wheel, goes beyond the cause and the effect, and breaks the bonds of Karma.Cut this mysterious tree of Samsara with the strong sword of nonattachment, transcend the three Gunas and rest in your own essential divine nature as ExistenceKnowledgeBliss Absolute.

After Swami Sivananda

Knowledge, work, and the worker· 18.29–18.40

Teachers usually read this idea across several verses together, one shared reflection covers the whole unit.

Word-by-word
na
no
tat
that
or
yat
that
asti
exists
divi
the higher celestial abodes
syāt
is
muktam
liberated
ebhiḥ
from the influence of these
punaḥ
again
sattvam
existence
deveṣhu
amongst the celestial gods
tribhiḥ
three
guṇaiḥ
modes of material nature
pṛithivyām
on earth
prakṛiti-jaiḥ
born of material nature

Related verses

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