Devanagari
सत्त्वं रजस्तम इति गुणा: प्रकृतिसम्भवा: ।
निबध्नन्ति महाबाहो देहे देहिनमव्ययम् ॥ ५ ॥
Verse text
sattvaṁ rajas tama iti
guṇāḥ prakṛti-sambhavāḥ
nibadhnanti mahā-bāho
dehe dehinam avyayam
Synonyms
sattvam
—
the mode of goodness
;
rajaḥ
—
the mode of passion
;
tamaḥ
—
the mode of ignorance
;
iti
—
thus
;
guṇāḥ
—
the qualities
;
prakṛti
—
material nature
;
sambhavāḥ
—
produced of
;
nibadhnanti
—
do condition
;
mahā-bāho
—
O mighty-armed one
;
dehe
—
in this body
;
dehinam
—
the living entity
;
avyayam
—
eternal.
Translation
Material nature consists of three modes – goodness, passion and ignorance. When the eternal living entity comes in contact with nature, O mighty-armed Arjuna, he becomes conditioned by these modes.
Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
5. The guṇas of sattva, rajas and tamas arising from prakṛti bind the unchanging jīva in this body, O Mighty-armed one.
Translation (Baladeva Vidyabhusana)
5. The guṇas of sattva, rajas and tama arising from prakṛti bind the unchanging jīva in this body, O Mighty-armed one.
Purport
The living entity, because he is transcendental, has nothing to do with this material nature. Still, because he has become conditioned by the material world, he is acting under the spell of the three modes of material nature. Because living entities have different kinds of bodies, in terms of the different aspects of nature, they are induced to act according to that nature. This is the cause of the varieties of happiness and distress.
Purport (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
After the Lord has described the appearance of all the living entities through prakṛti (mother) and puruṣa (father), how are the guṇas to be described? What type of bondage arises for the jīva from association with these guṇas? This verse answers these questions.
In the body, the product of prakṛti, the guṇas bind up the jīva (dehinam) situated there by his identification with it, due to the association with the guṇas arising from beginningless ignorance, even though the jīva actually is without change (avyayam) and not attached.
Purport (Baladeva Vidyabhusana)
In four verses the Lord describes the guṇas, how the jīva becomes related to the guṇas, or how they bind him.
The guṇas known as sattva, rajas and tams arise from prakṛti. They bind up the indestructible jīva, who is actually without change (avyayam), who is situated in a body made from the guṇas. They bind him with their quality of illusory happiness and distress, which are accepted by the jīva without understanding their true nature.
Surrender Unto Me
It is not all living entities who become conditioned by the modes of material nature, but there is a qualification for being conditioned by them. Or, seeing from another point of view, a disqualification from being free, liberated. That mentality that one has to have to be entangled with the modes of material nature is that ‑ he wants to enjoy. The root cause of it is his misuse of his free will and envy of Krsna. Instead of Krsna being 'bhoktaram', the living entity is thinking, 'isvar aham bhogi', "I am the controller, I am the enjoyer", and therefore he is placed by Krsna within the prision house of the material world and the bars or the binding elements of this prison house are explained in this Text: they are the three modes of material nature.
This Section A, is like a prelude to the other sections. How the soul becomes conditioned by the material energy.
[B. DESCRIPTION OF THE THREE MODES AND THE RESULTS OF THEIR ASSO‑
CIATION (14. 6‑18)]
Texts 6, 7, and 8 of this Section explain the conditioning of the three modes of material nature. How the modes conditione the living entity.
In Text 9 there is a summary of that previously explained.
In Text 10 shows just a specific point in the interactions of the modes.
In Texts 11 to 13, how the modes manifest themselves within an individual.
In Texts 14 to 15, the results of death when one is controlled by one or another of the modes.
In Texts 16 to 18, the results of action within the modes.
If one gets a clear understanding of the modes of material nature, he begins to see that everyone is completely controlled. He begins to see people acting, thinking as if they had free will, but actually completely encased and bound up by the modes of material nature. Everywhere, there is nothing in the existence of this material world that is free from the actions of the three modes.
This Section gives the basic information on the three modes of material nature and how they control or conditione a living entity. We say conditioned living entity because he is controlled by the three modes of material nature.
[ 1. The mode of goodness is illuminating and it frees one from sinful reaction, but one becomes conditioned by a sense of happiness and knowledge. (6) ]