Bhagavad Gita Chapter 14: Gunatraya Vibhaga Yoga
The three qualities — sattva, rajas and tamas — and how to rise above them.
गुणत्रयविभागयोग — सत्त्व, रज और तम — तीन गुण, और उनसे ऊपर उठने का मार्ग।
Chapter 14 of 18 · 27 verses · “The Yoga of the Three Gunas”
Chapter 14 summary
Krishna explains the three qualities (guṇas) of nature that bind the self to the body: sattva (clarity, goodness), rajas (passion, restlessness) and tamas (inertia, darkness). Sattva binds through attachment to happiness and knowledge, rajas through attachment to action, and tamas through negligence, laziness and sleep. At any time one of them dominates the others, and each shows its signs: light and understanding, greed and restlessness, or confusion and dullness.
Arjuna asks how to recognise someone who has gone beyond all three. Krishna describes the guṇātīta: such a person does not resent the gunas when they appear or long for them when they go; remains the same in pleasure and pain; treats a clod of earth, a stone and gold alike; is steady in praise and blame, honour and dishonour, friend and foe (14.22–25). This freedom comes through unwavering devotion (14.26).
Key teachings of chapter 14
- Our moods and tendencies come from three qualities of nature.
- Each guna binds in its own way — even goodness can become an attachment.
- Notice which guna is dominant, and you gain a choice.
- Going beyond the gunas means equanimity in every condition (14.24–25).
Key verses of chapter 14
- Sattva, rajas and tamas — these qualities born of nature bind the imperishable self to the body. — Gita 14.5
- From sattva arises knowledge, from rajas greed, and from tamas negligence, delusion and ignorance. — Gita 14.17
- One who is the same in pleasure and pain, to whom earth, stone and gold are equal, steady amid the pleasant and unpleasant, the same in praise and blame… — Gita 14.24
What chapter 14 means today
The gunas are a practical self-awareness tool. Feeling sluggish? That is tamas — add movement. Feeling scattered and greedy for more? That is rajas — slow down. Feeling clear? Use it, but do not cling to it.
Frequently asked questions
How many verses are in chapter 14 of the Bhagavad Gita?
Chapter 14, Gunatraya Vibhaga Yoga, has 27 verses in the standard (Gita Press) numbering.
What are the three gunas in the Gita?
Sattva (goodness, clarity), rajas (passion, activity) and tamas (inertia, ignorance). Chapter 14 explains how each binds the self and how to rise above all three.
What is a gunatita?
A person who has transcended the three gunas, described in 14.22–14.25 as unaffected by pleasure and pain, praise and blame, and equal towards all.