The dust of Kurukshetra swirls gently, yet the true storm is the dialogue between Arjuna and Krishna. Arjuna has now begun to see the body as the field and the soul as the knower, untouched and eternal. But within him rises a new question.
He bows before Krishna and asks.
O Lord, You speak of the body, the soul, and the eternal. Yet You also speak of nature and its binding powers. Tell me, what are these forces that tie the soul to the body? How do they bind? How may they be overcome?
Krishna’s eyes glow with compassion, His voice steady as the eternal flame.
Arjuna, listen. The modes of material nature, born of prakriti, bind the imperishable soul to the body. These are three — sattva, rajas, and tamas. They weave the net of existence. They shape the mind, the body, the destiny of all beings.
Sattva, pure and luminous, is born of clarity. It binds the soul with attachment to happiness and knowledge. It lifts the heart upward, like the flame that always points to the sky. It purifies, it illuminates, it brings harmony.
Rajas, restless and fiery, is born of passion. It binds the soul with attachment to action and desire. It drives man to ambition, to striving, to ceaseless movement. It burns with longing, never content, never still.
Tamas, dark and heavy, is born of ignorance. It binds the soul with attachment to delusion, to sleep, to negligence, to inertia. It drags the heart downward, covering wisdom, breeding confusion.
These three bind the soul, O Arjuna. At times sattva prevails, bringing clarity. At times rajas dominates, bringing unrest. At times tamas rises, bringing darkness. They compete, they control, they imprison the soul in the cycle of birth and death.
Arjuna listens intently, his mind absorbing the rhythm of truth. Krishna continues, His words sharp yet filled with grace.
When sattva grows strong, light shines, wisdom arises. When rajas grows strong, greed, ambition, and unrest surge. When tamas prevails, ignorance and delusion cover the mind.
From sattva comes clarity, from rajas comes desire, from tamas comes negligence. The fruit of sattva is purity and peace. The fruit of rajas is endless toil. The fruit of tamas is confusion and destruction.
The one in sattva attains higher worlds. The one in rajas remains bound to endless work. The one in tamas sinks into lower states.
But beyond these three, Arjuna, lies the soul’s true freedom.
He who rises above sattva, rajas, and tamas, who is not shaken by light or restlessness or darkness, who sees them as they are without being bound — such a one is liberated.
He neither hates illumination, activity, or delusion when they appear, nor longs for them when they depart. He stands steady, balanced, unmoved, offering all to Me.
Such a one is equal in pleasure and pain, gold and clay, praise and blame, honor and dishonor. He treats friend and foe alike. He acts without clinging, serving without selfishness.
He who serves Me with unwavering devotion rises beyond the gunas. He becomes fit for Brahman.
Krishna’s voice grows vast, his tone like the endless sky.
For I am the foundation of Brahman, of immortality, of the eternal dharma, of the everlasting bliss. He who clings to Me alone transcends nature, transcends bondage, transcends death, and attains the eternal.
Arjuna bows low, his heart filled with awe. He sees now that all men are bound by the play of these three gunas, yet the devotee, surrendered to Krishna, rises beyond.
Closing Reflection in Krishna’s Voice
O listener, know this truth. Your moods, your desires, your confusions are not the self — they are the play of sattva, rajas, and tamas. At times you feel clear, at times restless, at times dark. But these are not you. You are the eternal self, beyond these three.
Do not be proud when sattva shines. Do not despair when rajas burns or tamas weighs you down. See them, endure them, transcend them.
Fix your heart on Krishna, the eternal Lord, and you rise above the play of nature. You are no longer bound by happiness or sorrow, by ambition or delusion. You are free.
This is Gunatraya Vibhaga Yoga — the yoga of transcending the three gunas.
Soft Call to Action
If Krishna’s words brought clarity to your path, support this Dharma work with a symbolic offering of eleven dollars. Or unlock the Dharma Vault, through the link. Walk this journey fully, with Krishna’s wisdom as your eternal guide.