न तद् अस्ति पृथिव्यां वा दिवि देवेषु वा पुनः । सत्त्वं प्रकृतिजैर् मुक्तं यद् एभिः स्यात् त्रिभिर् गुणैः ॥
na tad asti pṛthivyāṃ vā divi deveṣu vā punaḥ | sattvaṃ prakṛtijair muktaṃ yad ebhiḥ syāt tribhir guṇaiḥ ||
No being — neither on earth nor among the devas in heaven — is free from these three guṇas born of Prakṛti.
Word by word (3)
- na tad asti pṛthivyāṃ vā divi deveṣu vā punaḥ
- — that (tad) does not exist (na asti) either (vā) on earth (pṛthivyāṃ) or (vā) again (punaḥ) in heaven (divi) among the gods (deveṣu) — no exception anywhere: neither on earth nor in the highest heavens of the devas
- sattvaṃ prakṛtijair muktaṃ yad ebhiḥ syāt tribhir guṇaiḥ
- — any being/entity (sattvam = a sattva = a being, a living entity — here NOT sattva-guṇa but sattva meaning 'existence/being') free (muktam = liberated/free) from these (ebhiḥ) three (tribhiḥ) guṇas (guṇaiḥ) born of Prakṛti (prakṛtijaiḥ = born of/from Prakṛti) — no entity in any realm can be free from the three guṇas while embodied in Prakṛti
- pṛthivyāṃ vā divi deveṣu
- — on earth or in the heavens among the devas — the comprehensive scope: from the lowest earthly realm to the highest heavenly realm; even the devas (gods/celestial beings) are not free from guṇas; only the transcendent Puruṣa (Ch.15 V17-18) is beyond Prakṛti and hence beyond guṇas; embodied existence in Prakṛti = life under the three guṇas
There is no entity on earth or in heaven among the gods that is free from these three guṇas born of Prakṛti.
A modern analogy
V40 is the universal closing statement of the entire guṇa-analysis. Like a physicist saying 'everything in the observable universe is made of matter and energy — no exception,' V40 says every being in every realm of existence is constituted by the three guṇas. This makes the preceding analysis (jñāna, karma, kartā, buddhi, dhṛti, sukha — all in three guṇa-types) a COMPLETE map of embodied existence.
V40 is the closing verse of the entire guṇa-classification section (Ch.18 V19-V40 = 22 verses systematically analyzing jñāna, karma, kartā, buddhi, dhṛti, and sukha through the three guṇas). V40 provides the epistemological closure: this classification is universal — every being in every realm is within its scope. The practical implication: understanding guṇas is understanding the totality of embodied experience. The next section (V41ff) pivots from guṇa-classification to svadharma (four-fold varṇa duties), applying this understanding to social action.
The phrase sattvam prakṛtijair muktam (entity free from Prakṛti-born guṇas) points to what such freedom would require: not being constituted by Prakṛti at all. Only the uttama puruṣa (Ch.15 V17-18) — the Paramātman beyond both kṣara and akṣara — is genuinely guṇātīta (beyond-guṇas). The guṇātīta of Ch.14 V26 is the realized soul who has transcended identification with Prakṛti while still embodied. V40 makes the scope of the guṇa-analysis total, making guṇātīta the only exit from the system it describes.
Public-domain translations (4) compare all →
There is no being on earth, or again in heaven among the Devas, that can be free from these three guṇas born of Prakriti. [1]
There is no entity on earth, or again in heaven among the Devas, that is devoid of these three Gunas, born of Prakriti. [4]
MISSING from index. [9]
There is not, either on earth or heaven among the gods, the entity that is free from these three qualities born of nature. [13]
This verse speaks to
Where this thread continues
By bhakti one truly knows what and who I am; then knowing Me truly, one enters into Me immediately.
Where yogeśvara Kṛṣṇa is, where archer Pārtha stands — there abide fortune, victory, flourishing, and steadfast dharma.
Arjuna asks: what does the truly wise person look like? How do they speak, sit, and move?
Bodies end — the soul does not. Therefore: fight.
If you know the soul is indestructible — who kills whom?
The fully self-realized person has no binding duty — their joy, satisfaction, and fullness come entirely from within.