Chapter 14 · Verse 17

Yoga through Understanding the Three Modes of Material Nature

सत्त्वात्सञ्जायते ज्ञानं रजसो लोभ एव च।प्रमादमोहौ तमसो भवतोऽज्ञानमेव च

sattvāt sañjāyate jñānaṁ rajaso lobha eva cha pramāda-mohau tamaso bhavato ’jñānam eva cha

Word Meanings

sattvāt — from the mode of goodness; sañjāyate — arises; jñānam — knowledge; rajasaḥ — from the mode of passion; lobhaḥ — greed; eva — indeed; cha — and; pramāda — negligence; mohau — delusion; tamasaḥ — from the mode of ignorance; bhavataḥ — arise; ajñānam — ignorance; eva — indeed; cha — and

Language:

Translation

From goodness arises knowledge, from passion arises greed, and from ignorance arise negligence, delusion, and folly.

Commentary

सत्त्वात् from purity? सञ्जायते arises? ज्ञानम् knowledge? रजसः from activity? लोभः greed? एव even? च and? प्रमादमोहौ heedlessness and delusion? तमसः from inertia? अज्ञानम् ignorance? एव even? च and.Commentary From Sattva When Sattva becomes predominant. Sattva awakesn knowledge just as the sun causes daylight. Sattva enlightens the intellect.Greed is insatiable like fire. Greed brings misery and pain. Greed is born of Rajas. Rajas creates insatiable desire. Rajas makes one blind to the interests and the feelings of others. A Rajasic man treats others as tools to be utilised for his own selfadvancement or selfaggrandisement.Tamas produces shortsightedness? torpor and ignorance. A Tamasic man does not think a bit of the future conseences. He completely identifies himself with the body and begins to fight with people if they injure his body or speak ill of him. He is ready to do any sinful act in retaliation. He has no sense of proportion and no sense of balance or poise.