उदासीनवद् आसीनो गुणैर् न विचाल्यते । गुणा वर्तन्त इत्य् एवं योऽवतिष्ठति नेङ्गते ॥
udāsīna-vad āsīno guṇair na vicālyate | guṇā vartanta ity evaṃ yo'vatiṣṭhati neṅgate ||
Sitting as a neutral — unmoved by guṇas, knowing 'guṇas act' — firm, unshaken, the pure witness.
Word by word (3)
- udāsīna-vat āsīnaḥ guṇaiḥ na vicālyate
- — seated as if neutral/indifferent (udāsīna-vat = like one who is uninvolved, sitting above), not moved/disturbed (na vicālyate) by the guṇas
- guṇāḥ vartante iti evam
- — knowing 'the guṇas operate (among themselves)' — this recognition of guṇa-as-agent is the foundation of the guṇātīta stance
- yaḥ avatiṣṭhati na iṅgate
- — who remains firm (avatiṣṭhati = stands steadily, is well-established), and does not waver (na iṅgate = does not oscillate/move)
He sits like one who is uninvolved — a neutral witness. The guṇas do not disturb him. Knowing that 'the guṇas are acting among themselves,' he stands firm and does not waver.
A modern analogy
Imagine sitting on a riverbank watching the current. You are not in the water — you are the bank. The current (guṇas) rushes by with all its forces, but you are seated above it, firm, not swept along. 'The river flows' — that's all you note. This is udāsīna-vat: the watcher who is genuinely uninvolved.
V23 gives the SECOND sign: the udāsīna-vat stance — sitting like a neutral observer. The cognitive key is 'guṇā vartante iti' — the recognition that guṇas are the actors in the drama of the body-mind. This is the same insight as Ch.3 V27-28 (guṇā guṇeṣu vartante iti viditvā) and Ch.13 V29 (the akartāram vision). The guṇātīta doesn't suppress reactions; they recognize guṇa-agency and THEREFORE don't react.
udāsīna (neutral, above, uninvolved) is a technical term in Sāṃkhya-Vedānta for the Puruṣa's natural stance: it is the eternal witness (sākṣī), never the actor (kartā). The guṇātīta has embodied this sākṣī-bhāva while still having a body. This is the Advaita 'jivanmukta' (liberated while alive) — the consciousness that knows itself as the witness without relinquishing the body.
Public-domain translations (4) compare all →
He who, seated as a neutral, is not moved by guṇas; who, thinking that guṇas act, is firm and moves not. [1]
He who, sitting like one unconcerned, is moved not by the Gunas, who knowing that the Gunas operate, is Self-centred and swerves not. [4]
He who, seated as a spectator, is not disturbed by the qualities, and who, thinking that the qualities act, remains firm and swerves not. [9]
He who sits as if indifferent and is not disturbed by the qualities, who, reflecting that the qualities alone are at work, stands apart and is not shaken. [13]
This verse speaks to
Where this thread continues
Sattva, rajas, or tamas — each can become dominant over the others, alternating in every mind.
Tamas — born of ignorance — deludes all beings and binds through carelessness, laziness, and sleep.
Even the wise act by their nature. All beings follow nature. Forced repression accomplishes nothing.
Mental tapas: serenity of mind, kindliness, silence, self-restraint, and purity of motive/bhāva.
One who — given the five causes — sees the self alone as doer due to unrefined intellect sees not; that is durmati.
Holding that nihilistic view, ruined selves of limited mind and fierce action, they rise as enemies of the world.