Commentary on the Bhagavadgita : 13- Swami Krishnananda.

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Thursday, January 06, 2022. 8:00.PM

Discourse 41

The Fourteenth Chapter: Rising Above the Three Gunas

POST-13.

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Sarvayoniṣu kaunteya mūrtayaḥ saṁbhavanti yāḥ, tāsāṁ brahma mahad yonir ahaṁ bījapradaḥ pitā (14.4): 

“Mahat-brahma is the field in which I sow the seed of creation; and I am the Father who sows this seed into the Mahat-brahma.” That is to say, the field is mulaprakriti itself, which is all-pervading in its nature. Because of the disturbance of the three gunas—sattva, rajas and tamas—it has the potency to manifest itself into variety. But it cannot act of its own accord. It cannot move, it cannot divide itself into three qualities, unless there is a spirit pushing it forward. That spirit is Supreme Consciousness, which is referred to here by Lord Krishna. 

Here God is referring to Himself when He says, “I am the Supreme Father that causes the germinating of the seeds of all the jivas through this Mahat-brahma.

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There are three gunas. It has been mentioned many a time that there are three gunas, that prakriti has three properties—sattva, rajas and tamas. 

What are these? 

Sattvaṁ rajastama iti guṇāḥ prakṛtisambhavāḥ (14.5): 

These properties are the very constituent elements of prakriti. They are not qualities like the whiteness of a cloth, which is different from the cloth, and the blueness of a flower, which is different from the flower. That is not the way in which we have to understand the qualities of prakriti. The gunas are qualities of prakriti in the same way as the three strands of a rope are qualities of the rope. We cannot say that the strands are qualities; they are the very substance of the rope. These qualities, these properties, are the very substance, the very stuff, of prakriti; and they cause bondage to the individual—nibadhnanti. 

Dehe dehinam avyayam : They bind us.

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Rajas cuts one part away from another part. 

It segments the one universal existence into bits of individualities, and prevents every part from knowing that it has any connection with other parts. 

The vehemence of rajas is twofold. 

Firstly, it divides the one universal existence into little bits of individuality, into all the species of creation. 

Then, secondly, it compels the individual to be conscious only of that location, that little part, and does not permit it to be aware of its having any connection with other individuals. 

Thus, it gives a double blow when it acts—firstly, it cosmically distinguishes one thing from the other, then it compels the individual to be conscious only of this body and this personality located in one place only. We always feel that we are only in one place, and not in two places. That is because rajas prevents us from knowing that we can also be in other places by our internal connection with other bodies. 

It binds us in this manner. Sattvaṁ rajas- tama iti guṇāḥ prakṛtisambhavāḥ, nibadhnanti mahābāho dehe dehinam avyayam.

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To be continued ....

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