सत्त्वं रजस् तम इति गुणाः प्रकृतिसम्भवाः । निबध्नन्ति महाबाहो देहे देहिनम् अव्ययम् ॥
sattvaṃ rajas tama iti guṇāḥ prakṛti-sambhavāḥ | nibadhnanti mahā-bāho dehe dehinam avyayam ||
Sattva, rajas, tamas — three guṇas born of Prakṛti — bind the indestructible ātman in every body.
Word by word (3)
- sattvaṃ rajas tamaḥ iti guṇāḥ
- — sattva, rajas, tamas — these three are the guṇas (guṇa = quality, strand, rope-strand; the triple binding cord of Prakṛti)
- prakṛti-sambhavāḥ
- — born of Prakṛti (sambhava = arising; NOT from Puruṣa — this distinction is the liberation-key)
- nibadhnanti mahā-bāho dehe dehinam avyayam
- — they bind (nibadh = bind tight) the imperishable dehin (avyayam dehinam = the indestructible ātman within the body); O mighty-armed (mahā-bāho)
Sattva, rajas, and tamas — these three guṇas, born of Prakṛti — bind fast in the body the indestructible ātman (dehin). This, O mighty-armed, is the mechanism of all bondage.
A modern analogy
Three colored lenses — clear/white, red, and dark/black — placed over a pure light. The light itself doesn't change, but through the lenses the world appears as calm (sattva), agitated (rajas), or confused (tamas). Remove the lenses and the pure light shines. You are the light — not the lens.
This verse is the inaugural statement of Ch.14's central thesis: the three guṇas (sattva/rajas/tamas) born of Prakṛti bind the imperishable ātman in every embodied form. From V5 through V19, Krishna describes how each guṇa works, what it produces in psychology and action, how it colors rebirth, and how to recognize its dominance. V5 is the chapter's thesis statement.
guṇa etymologically means 'strand' or 'rope' — the three guṇas are the three twisted strands of Prakṛti's rope. Together they form the triple-strand cord (trivṛt) that binds the ātman to saṃsāra. The crucial philosophical claim: they are prakṛti-sambhavāḥ (born of Prakṛti). The ātman did not create them; it merely appears to be bound by them through identification (avidyā). Liberation is not elimination of the guṇas but transcendence of identification with them.
Advaita lens
Advaita: the three guṇas are manifestations of māyā — Prakṛti's creative power producing apparent multiplicity. The ātman (avyaya = indestructible) is NEVER actually bound — bondage is the apparent effect of avidyā (misidentification with the body-mind complex which is itself made of guṇas). When the jīva recognizes its true nature as Brahman, the illusory bondage dissolves. The guṇas continue their play in Prakṛti, but the Witness stands eternally untouched — avyayam dehinam points precisely to this.
Bhakti lens
For bhaktas, the guṇas are the Lord's creative śakti — He is the seed-giving Father (V4) and the guṇas are born of His Prakṛti. Understanding the guṇas as Bhagavān's own creative līlā transforms bondage into an opportunity for surrender. The devotee works WITH the guṇas: sattva becomes śraddhā (faith), rajas becomes seva (devoted service), tamas becomes surrender of all that is too heavy to carry — laid at the Lord's feet. The guṇas that bind the one seeking ego-satisfaction LIBERATE the one who offers every action as worship.
Karma-Yoga lens
The karma yogi reads V5 as a call to guṇa-management: identify which guṇa dominates each action and work systematically upward — tamas → rajas → sattva → transcendence (guṇātīta). Niskāma karma (desireless action) cultivates sattva by weakening the rājasic attachment to fruits. Over time, even sattva's 'binding' (its bond of pleasure and knowledge, V6) is transcended through unwavering karma-yoga practice. The rope has three strands; loosen all three through right action.
Public-domain translations (4) compare all →
Sattva, Rajas, Tamas — these guṇas, O mighty-armed, born of Prakṛti, bind fast in the body the embodied, the indestructible. [1]
Sattva, Rajas, and Tamas — these Gunas, O mighty-armed, born of Prakriti, bind fast in the body the indestructible embodied one. [4]
Goodness, passion, darkness — these qualities born from nature, O you of mighty arms, bind down the inexhaustible soul in the body. [9]
Goodness, passion, darkness — these qualities, born of nature, O thou of mighty arms, bind down the eternal embodied soul in the body. [13]
This verse speaks to
Where this thread continues
Rajas — passion, thirst, attachment — binds the embodied one specifically through attachment to action.
Dying in rajas, one is born among the action-attached; dying in tamas, one is born in irrational wombs.
Bodies end — the soul does not. Therefore: fight.
The Vedas deal in the three qualities of nature — go beyond them: free from opposites, self-possessed.
Sattva, rajas, or tamas — each can become dominant over the others, alternating in every mind.
Greed, restless activity, and longing surge — know that rajas is predominant and karma-saṅga is binding.