पृथक्त्वेन तु यज् ज्ञानं नानाभावान् पृथग्विधान् । वेत्ति सर्वेषु भूतेषु तज् ज्ञानं विद्धि राजसम् ॥
pṛthaktvena tu yaj jñānaṃ nānā-bhāvān pṛthag-vidhān | vetti sarveṣu bhūteṣu taj jñānaṃ viddhi rājasam ||
Rājasic jñāna: knowing all beings as various separate entities of distinct kinds — by the lens of separateness.
Word by word (3)
- pṛthaktvena tu yaj jñānaṃ nānā-bhāvān pṛthag-vidhān vetti sarveṣu bhūteṣu
- — but (tu) the knowledge (jñānam) that perceives/knows (vetti) in all beings (sarveṣu bhūteṣu) many/various states (nānā-bhāvān) of different/separate kinds (pṛthag-vidhān) — through the lens of separateness/differentiation (pṛthaktvena = by-separateness) — rājasic knowledge sees multiplicity as fundamentally separate
- taj jñānaṃ viddhi rājasam
- — know (viddhi) that (tat) knowledge (jñānam) to be rājasic (rājasam) — the identification: rājasic jñāna = seeing all beings as fundamentally diverse separate entities
- pṛthaktva
- — separateness/distinctness (pṛthak = separate + tva = -ness); the mode of perception that sees every being as fundamentally distinct from every other; the ontological fragmentation view; contrast with V20's avibhaktam (undivided)
But that knowledge which, through the lens of separateness, perceives various entities of distinct kinds in all beings — know that knowledge to be rājasic.
A modern analogy
Rājasic jñāna is like a scientist who sees only the separate specimens in a collection — cataloguing differences between specimens without ever perceiving the underlying shared biology. Versus sāttvic jñāna (V20) which sees the shared life-force in all specimens. Both perspectives have validity at their level, but rājasic knowledge misses the One that unites them all.
V21 gives the rājasic jñāna — the counterpart to V20's sāttvic. The key distinction: V20 = avibhaktam vibhakteṣu (One undivided in the many); V21 = pṛthaktvena nānā-bhāvān (the many as fundamentally separate). Rājasic knowledge accurately perceives multiplicity but fails to perceive the underlying unity — it sees only the 'vibhakta' (divided) without the 'avibhakta' (undivided). This partial seeing is characteristic of rajas: accurate at the phenomenal level but incomplete at the ultimate level.
Pṛthaktvena (by separateness) as the defining lens of rājasic jñāna is precise: the rājasic knower processes reality through the framework of pṛthaktva (individual separateness). This framework produces accurate empirical science but cannot access the non-dual reality. In social terms, rājasic jñāna produces the consciousness of competition, comparison, and categorization — always seeing beings in terms of their differences rather than their shared essence.
Public-domain translations (4) compare all →
But that knowledge which by differentiation, sees in all the creatures various entities of distinct kinds, that knowledge know thou as Rajasic. [1]
MISSING from index. [4]
But that knowledge which apprehends various entities of distinct kinds in all existences (as) diverse — know that knowledge to be of the quality of passion. [9]
That knowledge which discerns all things as diverse essences of different kinds in consequence of their separateness, know that that knowledge has the quality of passion. [13]
This verse speaks to
Where this thread continues
All sāttvic, rājasic, and tāmasic states proceed from Me — yet I am not in them; they are in Me.
Deluded by the three guṇa-constituted states, all this world does not recognize Me — beyond them, imperishable.
This divine māyā of Mine, made of the guṇas, is hard to cross — but those who take refuge in Me alone do cross it.
Light of lights, beyond darkness — knowledge, the Knowable, reached through knowledge — dwelling in every heart.
Daivī wealth begins: abhaya, sattva-śuddhi, jñāna-yoga, dāna, dama, yajña, svādhyāya, tapa, ārjava.
Two paths: knowledge for the reflective, action for the active. Both lead to the same summit.