🪷 Guṇa-Traya Vibhāga · The Antya-Ṣaṭka Continues

Bhagavad Gītā Chapter 14 · 27 verses · the 3 guṇas of prakṛti that bind the embodied · the guṇātīta state · the bhakti-bridge to transcendence

Guṇa-Traya · Sources and Connected Readings

Open these optional pathways for Vidhyamitra's evidence boundaries and the wider spiritual context for BG 14 scripture sequence, guṇa catalogue, lived reflection, and commentary boundaries.

Evidence and limitations · Divine Param-Vidyā

Read the Chapter’s Seven Movements

The Sanskrit below keeps the chapter’s argument together. Each movement distinguishes the textual teaching, a reader reflection, and any necessary publication boundary.

BG 14.5 · Begin with the three prakṛti-born guṇas

सत्त्वं रजस्तम इति गुणाः प्रकृतिसम्भवाः। निबध्नन्ति महाबाहो देहे देहिनमव्ययम्॥

Textual teaching: Sattva, rajas, and tamas are said to arise from prakṛti and bind the imperishable embodied one in the body.

Reader reflection: Hold the distinction between the changing guṇas and the embodied one they bind; no natal score is the identity of the self.

BG 14.6-10 · Study how each binds and how they predominate in turn

तत्र सत्त्वं निर्मलत्वात्प्रकाशकमनामयम्। सुखसङ्गेन बध्नाति ज्ञानसङ्गेन चानघ॥ रजो रागात्मकं विद्धि तृष्णासङ्गसमुद्भवम्। तन्निबध्नाति कौन्तेय कर्मसङ्गेन देहिनम्॥ तमस्त्वज्ञानजं विद्धि मोहनं सर्वदेहिनाम्। प्रमादालस्यनिद्राभिस्तन्निबध्नाति भारत॥ सत्त्वं सुखे सञ्जयति रजः कर्मणि भारत। ज्ञानमावृत्य तु तमः प्रमादे सञ्जयत्युत॥ रजस्तमश्चाभिभूय सत्त्वं भवति भारत। रजः सत्त्वं तमश्चैव तमः सत्त्वं रजस्तथा॥

Textual teaching: Sattva binds through happiness and knowledge, rajas through thirst, attachment, and action, and tamas through heedlessness, inertia, and sleep. BG 14.10 says each becomes predominant by overcoming the other two.

Reader reflection: Notice changing conditions without turning them into a permanent label, hierarchy, diagnosis, or excuse for conduct.

BG 14.11-13 · Read the signs named when each guṇa increases

सर्वद्वारेषु देहेऽस्मिन्प्रकाश उपजायते। ज्ञानं यदा तदा विद्याद्विवृद्धं सत्त्वमित्युत॥ लोभः प्रवृत्तिरारम्भः कर्मणामशमः स्पृहा। रजस्येतानि जायन्ते विवृद्धे भरतर्षभ॥ अप्रकाशोऽप्रवृत्तिश्च प्रमादो मोह एव च। तमस्येतानि जायन्ते विवृद्धे कुरुनन्दन॥

Textual teaching: The verses name illumination and knowledge for increased sattva; greed, activity, undertakings, restlessness, and longing for increased rajas; and non-illumination, inactivity, heedlessness, and delusion for increased tamas.

Reader reflection: These are textual signs for honest observation in context. Jupiter, Mars, Saturn, Rāhu, Ketu, or any house cannot establish that they are present in a living reader.

BG 14.14-18 · Read the chapter’s consequence teaching without predicting a person’s destiny

यदा सत्त्वे प्रवृद्धे तु प्रलयं याति देहभृत्। तदोत्तमविदां लोकानमलान्प्रतिपद्यते॥ रजसि प्रलयं गत्वा कर्मसङ्गिषु जायते। तथा प्रलीनस्तमसि मूढयोनिषु जायते॥ कर्मणः सुकृतस्याहुः सात्त्विकं निर्मलं फलम्। रजसस्तु फलं दुःखमज्ञानं तमसः फलम्॥ सत्त्वात्सञ्जायते ज्ञानं रजसो लोभ एव च। प्रमादमोहौ तमसो भवतोऽज्ञानमेव च॥ ऊर्ध्वं गच्छन्ति सत्त्वस्था मध्ये तिष्ठन्ति राजसाः। जघन्यगुणवृत्तिस्था अधो गच्छन्ति तामसाः॥

Textual teaching: The verses relate increased guṇas at death, fruits of action, knowledge, greed, heedlessness, delusion, and upward, middle, or downward movement.

Reader reflection: Study the teaching without converting any reader into a rebirth caste, species label, or spiritual rank.

Boundary: A horoscope does not know the guṇa at death, the totality of karma, or a person’s next birth. Vidhyamitra publishes no such prediction.

BG 14.19-20 · Study the seer who knows what is beyond the guṇas

नान्यं गुणेभ्यः कर्तारं यदा द्रष्टानुपश्यति। गुणेभ्यश्च परं वेत्ति मद्भावं सोऽधिगच्छति॥ गुणानेतानतीत्य त्रीन्देही देहसमुद्भवान्। जन्ममृत्युजरादुःखैर्विमुक्तोऽमृतमश्नुते॥

Textual teaching: The seer who sees no agent other than the guṇas and knows what is beyond them attains Krishna’s state; transcending the three body-born guṇas, the embodied one is freed from birth, death, old age, and sorrow and tastes immortality.

Reader reflection: Read this as teaching and invitation, not as a chart-certifiable realization or liberation state.

BG 14.21-25 · Follow Arjuna’s question and Krishna’s complete answer

अर्जुन उवाच। कैर्लिङ्गैस्त्रीन्गुणानेतानतीतो भवति प्रभो। किमाचारः कथं चैतांस्त्रीन्गुणानतिवर्तते॥ श्रीभगवानुवाच। प्रकाशं च प्रवृत्तिं च मोहमेव च पाण्डव। न द्वेष्टि सम्प्रवृत्तानि न निवृत्तानि काङ्क्षति॥ उदासीनवदासीनो गुणैर्यो न विचाल्यते। गुणा वर्तन्त इत्येव योऽवतिष्ठति नेङ्गते॥ समदुःखसुखः स्वस्थः समलोष्टाश्मकाञ्चनः। तुल्यप्रियाप्रियो धीरस्तुल्यनिन्दात्मसंस्तुतिः॥ मानापमानयोस्तुल्यस्तुल्यो मित्रारिपक्षयोः। सर्वारम्भपरित्यागी गुणातीतः स उच्यते॥

Textual teaching: Krishna describes neither hatred nor longing as the guṇas arise and cease, firmness in “the guṇas are acting,” and equality amid pain and pleasure, clod and gold, pleasant and unpleasant, blame and praise, honor and dishonor, friend and enemy.

Reader reflection: Let lived response to these pairs be the field of reflection. A score cannot certify guṇātīta status.

BG 14.26-27 · Close with unwavering bhakti and brahma-pratiṣṭhā

मां च योऽव्यभिचारेण भक्तियोगेन सेवते। स गुणान्समतीत्यैतान्ब्रह्मभूयाय कल्पते॥ ब्रह्मणो हि प्रतिष्ठाहममृतस्याव्ययस्य च। शाश्वतस्य च धर्मस्य सुखस्यैकान्तिकस्य च॥

Textual teaching: One who serves Me through unwavering bhakti-yoga, crossing beyond these guṇas, becomes fit for brahma-bhūya. For I am the pratiṣṭhā of Brahman, of the immortal and imperishable, of eternal dharma, and of absolute happiness.

Reader reflection: Approach these verses through sincere practice and named commentary. Birth data cannot measure devotion, transcendence, brahma-bhūya, or the realization expressed here.

Three-Guṇa Study Catalogue

#	Guṇa	Concise reading	How it binds	Consequence teaching
1	सत्त्वम् · sattva	purity, illumination, and freedom from affliction	BG 14.6 says sattva binds through attachment to happiness and attachment to knowledge.	BG 14.14, 14.16-18 describe pure worlds, a stainless fruit, knowledge, and upward movement in relation to increased sattva.
2	रजः · rajas	passion, thirst, attachment, and activity	BG 14.7 says rajas is of the nature of passion, arises from thirst and attachment, and binds through attachment to action.	BG 14.15-18 describe birth among those attached to action, suffering as fruit, greed, and remaining in the middle in relation to rajas.
3	तमः · tamas	ignorance-born delusion, heedlessness, inertia, and sleep	BG 14.8 says tamas is born of ignorance, deludes embodied beings, and binds through heedlessness, inertia, and sleep.	BG 14.15-18 describe birth in mūḍha-yoni, ignorance as fruit, heedlessness and delusion, and downward movement in relation to tamas.

BG 14.11-13 · Terms Named When a Guṇa Increases

These terms support textual study and honest observation in context. They do not constitute a horoscope, medical, psychological, moral, or permanent-identity diagnosis.

Guṇa	Sanskrit	Reading	Verse
sattva	प्रकाशः	illumination arising through all the gates of the body	BG 14.11
sattva	ज्ञानम्	knowledge arising	BG 14.11
rajas	लोभः	greed	BG 14.12
rajas	प्रवृत्तिः	outward activity	BG 14.12
rajas	कर्मणामारम्भः	undertaking actions	BG 14.12
rajas	अशमः	restlessness or lack of tranquility	BG 14.12
rajas	स्पृहा	longing	BG 14.12
tamas	अप्रकाशः	non-illumination	BG 14.13
tamas	अप्रवृत्तिः	inactivity	BG 14.13
tamas	प्रमादः	heedlessness	BG 14.13
tamas	मोहः	delusion	BG 14.13

BG 14.22-25 · Four Grouped Rows Covering Krishna’s Answer

#	Sanskrit	IAST	Textual reading	Verse
1	न द्वेष्टि सम्प्रवृत्तानि न निवृत्तानि काङ्क्षति · उदासीनवदासीनः	na dveṣṭi sampravṛttāni na nivṛttāni kāṅkṣati · udāsīnavad āsīnaḥ	Neither hating the guṇas when they arise nor longing for them when they cease; seated as if indifferent.	BG 14.22-23
2	गुणा वर्तन्त इत्येव · समदुःखसुखः स्वस्थः · समलोष्टाश्मकाञ्चनः	guṇā vartanta ity eva · sama-duḥkha-sukhaḥ svasthaḥ · sama-loṣṭāśma-kāñcanaḥ	Standing firm in “the guṇas alone are acting”; equal in pain and pleasure, established in oneself, and equal toward clod, stone, and gold.	BG 14.23-24
3	तुल्यप्रियाप्रियो धीरस्तुल्यनिन्दात्मसंस्तुतिः · मानापमानयोस्तुल्यः	tulya-priyāpriyo dhīras tulya-nindātma-saṁstutiḥ · mānāpamānayos tulyaḥ	Steady and equal toward pleasant and unpleasant, blame and praise, honor and dishonor.	BG 14.24-25
4	तुल्यो मित्रारिपक्षयोः · सर्वारम्भपरित्यागी	tulyo mitrāri-pakṣayoḥ · sarvārambha-parityāgī	Equal toward the sides of friend and enemy and relinquishing all undertakings; such a one is called guṇātīta.	BG 14.25

Chapter-wide truth boundary: BG 14 remains a teaching about the three guṇas, their binding and consequences, the seer beyond them, guṇātīta marks, unwavering bhakti, and brahma-pratiṣṭhā. Birth data cannot identify a reader as sāttvika, rājasika, tāmasika, guṇātīta, liberated, or destined for a particular rebirth; it cannot prescribe a spiritual path or determine human worth.

BG 14.27 interpretation boundary: How brahma-pratiṣṭhā and its relation to Krishna are understood belongs to named Vedāntic commentary. Vidhyamitra does not collapse those traditions into a horoscope claim.

Machine-readable study: GET /api/guna-traya. The older parameterized URL remains only for compatibility and returns the same non-classifying scripture study.

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All 27 Ślokas · Adhyāya 14

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