Chapter 14 · Verse 10

Yoga through Understanding the Three Modes of Material Nature

रजस्तमश्चाभिभूय सत्त्वं भवति भारत।रजः सत्त्वं तमश्चैव तमः सत्त्वं रजस्तथा

rajas tamaśh chābhibhūya sattvaṁ bhavati bhārata rajaḥ sattvaṁ tamaśh chaiva tamaḥ sattvaṁ rajas tathā

Word Meanings

rajaḥ — mode of passion; tamaḥ — mode of ignorance; cha — and; abhibhūya — prevails; sattvam — mode of goodness; bhavati — becomes; bhārata — Arjun, the son of Bharat; rajaḥ — mode of passion; sattvam — mode of goodness; tamaḥ — mode of ignorance; cha — and; eva — indeed; tamaḥ — mode of ignorance; sattvam — mode of goodness; rajaḥ — mode of passion; tathā — also

Language:

Translation

O Arjuna, goodness prevails by overpowering passion and ignorance; passion prevails by overpowering goodness and ignorance; and likewise, ignorance prevails by overpowering goodness and passion.

Commentary

रजः Rajas? तमः inertia? च and? अभिभूय having overpowered? सत्त्वम् Sattva? भवति arises? भारत O Arjuna? रजः Rajas? सत्त्वम् Sattva? तमः inertia? च and? एव even? तमः inertia? सत्त्वम् purity? रजः active force? तथा also.Commentary Just as winter has its sway when summer and autumn have gone? just as sleep has its sway when a man is neither dreaming nor waking? so also Sattva has its sway when Rajas and Tamas are suppressed and makes people say that they are happy. The Sadhana for increasing Sattva is given in the 17th and 18th chapters.Each ality acts in its own turn at different times. All the three alities cannot operate at one and the same time. When one ality asserts itself or prdominates by overpowering or suppressing the other two? it produces its own effect. Sattva produces knowledge and happiness Rajas action Tamas veiling of knowledge? inertia? error? indolence? sloth and sleep. When Sattva is in the ascendant in a man? he is endowed with discrimination. Sublime thoughts roll in his mind. He has pure understanding. His mind turns away from sensual pleasures and moves inward towards the Self.What is the characteristic mark by which you can know that a particular ality is predominant or is in the ascendant The answer is given in the following three verses.