Bg. 3.28 · Bhagavad-gita As It Is

Devanagari

तत्त्ववित्तु महाबाहो गुणकर्मविभागयोः । गुणा गुणेषु वर्तन्त इति मत्वा न सज्ज‍ते ॥ २८ ॥

Verse text

tattva-vit tu mahā-bāho guṇa-karma-vibhāgayoḥ guṇā guṇeṣu vartanta iti matvā na sajjate

Synonyms

tattva-vit — the knower of the Absolute Truth ; tu — but ; mahā-bāho — O mighty-armed one ; guṇa-karma — of works under material influence ; vibhāgayoḥ — differences ; guṇāḥ — senses ; guṇeṣu — in sense gratification ; vartante — are being engaged ; iti — thus ; matvā — thinking ; na — never ; sajjate — becomes attached.

Translation

One who is in knowledge of the Absolute Truth, O mighty-armed, does not engage himself in the senses and sense gratification, knowing well the differences between work in devotion and work for fruitive results.

Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

28. But the wise person, who knows the divisions of the guṇas and the factors of action, O Mighty-armed, is not contaminated, understanding that only the senses are engaged with the sense objects

Translation (Baladeva Vidyabhusana)

28. But the wise person, who knows that he is different from the senses and their actions, O Mighty-armed, is not attached to the sense objects, understanding that only the senses are engaged with the sense objects

Purport

The knower of the Absolute Truth is convinced of his awkward position in material association. He knows that he is part and parcel of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa, and that his position should not be in the material creation. He knows his real identity as part and parcel of the Supreme, who is eternal bliss and knowledge, and he realizes that somehow or other he is entrapped in the material conception of life. In his pure state of existence he is meant to dovetail his activities in devotional service to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa. He therefore engages himself in the activities of Kṛṣṇa consciousness and becomes naturally unattached to the activities of the material senses, which are all circumstantial and temporary. He knows that his material condition of life is under the supreme control of the Lord; consequently he is not disturbed by all kinds of material reactions, which he considers to be the mercy of the Lord. According to Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, one who knows the Absolute Truth in three different features – namely Brahman, Paramātmā and the Supreme Personality of Godhead – is called tattva-vit, for he knows also his own factual position in relationship with the Supreme.

Purport (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

The intelligent person, however, knows the truth (tattva-vit) about the divisions of guṇas and actions (guṇa-karma-vibhagayoḥ). The divisions of the guṇas are sattva, rajas and tamas. The divisions of action are according the effects of the guṇas: devatā (sattva), senses (rajas), and sense objects (tamas). One who knows the nature of these two is called tattva vit. The senses such as the eye (guṇāḥ) administered by their devatās are engaged with the sense objects such as form (guṇeṣu). The intelligent person is not attached, knowing this. He thinks, “I am not at all the senses, nor the sense objects. There is no relation between me and the senses or the sense objects at all.”

Purport (Baladeva Vidyabhusana)

The person in knowledge is not like this. He knows (tattva vit) that he is different from the guṇas or senses, and from the actions performed by the senses (guṇa karma vibhāgayoḥ). That means that he knows he is not a body made of senses (guṇa) and the actions they perform (karma), after considering their difference (vibhaga) from his true self. He knows the real nature of things (tattva vit), that he is not a material body made of senses or their actions, by considering their respective differences. He knows that the senses (guṇā), inspired by the devatās, reveal the sense objects (guṇeṣu), and knows that he is different from these sense objects, because of his being the bliss of spiritual consciousness. He does not identify with them by similarity. Knowing that he is not agent of manifesting those sense objects, he consequently has no attachment to them. However, he is attached to the ātmā. In this verse also, it should be understood that the jīva is also the doer, when it is mentioned “understanding that only the sense are engaged with the sense objects.” The jīva does the understanding.