ये चैव सात्त्विका भावा राजसास्तामसाश्च ये | मत्त एवेति तान्विद्धि न त्वहं तेषु ते मयि ||१२||
ye caiva sāttvikā bhāvā rājasās tāmasāś ca ye | matta eveti tān viddhi na tv ahaṃ teṣu te mayi || 12 ||
All sāttvic, rājasic, and tāmasic states proceed from Me — yet I am not in them; they are in Me.
Word by word (3)
- ye ca eva sāttvikāḥ bhāvāḥ — rājasāḥ tāmasāḥ ca ye
- — whatever states are sāttvic — and those that are rājasic and tāmasic · ye = which (relative pronoun — 'whatever states'). ca = and. eva = indeed (emphatic). sāttvikāḥ bhāvāḥ = sāttvic states/modes (sattva-guṇa-produced states: clarity, harmony, purity, knowledge, lightness — the guṇa of illumination). rājasāḥ = rājasic (rajas-produced states: passion, activity, restlessness, ambition, agitation — the guṇa of movement and desire). tāmasāḥ = tāmasic (tamas-produced states: inertia, delusion, darkness, heaviness, ignorance — the guṇa of inertia). The three guṇas (sattva, rajas, tamas) are the three fundamental modes of prakṛti (nature) that pervade all phenomenal existence. Every state of mind, every quality of experience, every type of activity arises from one of these three or their combinations. V12 declares: ALL of them — including the lowest tāmasic states — proceed from Me.
- mattaḥ eva iti tān viddhi — na tu aham teṣu — te mayi
- — know them all as proceeding from Me alone — but I am not in them; they are in Me · mattaḥ eva = from Me alone (mattaḥ = from Me; eva = alone, exclusively — a strong claim). iti tān viddhi = thus know them (know these states as proceeding from Me). na tu = but not (the pivot that prevents pantheism). aham = I. teṣu = in them (locative — in the guṇa-states). te mayi = they are in Me (te = they; mayi = in Me — the locative reversal). The crucial theological structure: ALL three guṇa-states (sāttvic, rājasic, tāmasic) come FROM Me (mattaḥ eva) — but I am NOT in them (na tv aham teṣu). They are IN Me (te mayi). The asymmetry: the guṇas are within the Divine, but the Divine is not within the guṇas (not limited by or identified with them). This is the Gita's way of maintaining divine transcendence while affirming divine immanence.
- mattaḥ eva... na tv aham teṣu... te mayi — the three-part theological structure
- — proceeds from Me / I am not in them / they are in Me — the Gita's resolution of transcendence and immanence · The three-part structure of V12's second line is theologically precise: (1) mattaḥ eva (from Me alone) = the guṇas have their source in the Divine — the Divine is the ground of all states, including the darkest tāmasic ones; (2) na tv aham teṣu (I am not in them) = the Divine is not identified with, limited by, or contained within any guṇa-state — the Divine transcends all three; (3) te mayi (they are in Me) = the guṇas exist within the Divine, as contained-within rather than as independent realities. This three-part structure resolves the apparent tension between 'all comes from Me' (which might suggest the Divine is in everything equally) and 'I am not in them' (which might suggest the Divine is distant). Both are true simultaneously: the Divine is the source and container of all states, yet is not defined by or limited to any state.
V12 makes the most comprehensive guṇa-declaration: ALL states of existence — the clear and pure (sāttvic), the passionate and active (rājasic), and the dark and inert (tāmasic) — proceed from Krishna alone (mattaḥ eva). But the crucial qualifier: I am NOT in them; they are in Me. The Divine is the source and container of all guṇa-states but is not defined by or identified with any of them.
A modern analogy
An ocean is the source of both clear surface water and dark muddy water stirred from the depths. The ocean is the source of both — but the ocean is not muddiness; the mud is in the ocean, not the ocean in the mud. V12's Divine is like the ocean: source of all states (sāttvic clarity to tāmasic mud), but not reducible to or limited by any state.
What it does NOT mean
V12 does NOT say tāmasic (dark, ignorant) states are equally good or to be cultivated. The hierarchy of guṇas is maintained (sattva > rajas > tamas). V12 says all three COME FROM Me — not that they are equally expressive of Me. The Divine is the ground even of tamas; but tamas veils the Divine, while sattva reveals it. The source is the same; the degree of transparency to the source differs.
Take with you
- V12's 'I am not in them' (na tv aham teṣu) is the Gita's immunity from the conclusion that 'everything is divine so everything is equally fine.' The Divine is the source, but the guṇa-states vary in how clearly they express the Divine — sattva reveals; rajas distorts; tamas veils.
- V12's 'they are in Me' (te mayi) means even the darkest tāmasic states — depression, lethargy, ignorance — exist within the Divine ground. This is not an approval of darkness but a location of comfort: even in your darkest states, you are within the Divine. The ground does not disappear in darkness.
- 'All states proceed from Me' means no spiritual state has a source outside the Divine — including the confusing, painful, and spiritually obstructive ones. This prevents the dualistic conclusion that there is a realm of existence outside or opposed to the Divine.
V12 is the pivot verse of Ch.7's theological teaching. The 'I am' declarations of V8-11 established divine immanence (the Divine IS in these things — as their essential quality). V12 now qualifies and transcends that immanence: yes, all states proceed FROM Me (mattaḥ eva) — but I am NOT IN them (na tv aham teṣu). They are IN Me (te mayi). This three-part structure (mattaḥ / na teṣu / te mayi) resolves one of the central tensions in theistic cosmology: if everything comes from God, how can God be beyond everything? V12's answer: the direction of the relationship is asymmetric. The guṇas proceed FROM the Divine and are contained WITHIN the Divine — but the Divine is not contained within the guṇas. This is the Vedantic concept of vivartāpavāda (non-reciprocal relation): the world depends on Brahman for its existence; Brahman does not depend on the world for its existence. V12 prepares directly for V13's māyā teaching: the three guṇas (V12) are the content of māyā (V13), which is the Divine's own creative power. The world that is guṇa-constituted is the Divine's māyā — not alien to the Divine but the Divine's own creative expression that veils the Divine from ordinary perception.
Advaita lens
For Shankaracharya, 'na tv aham teṣu' (I am not in them) is the statement of nirguṇa Brahman — the Divine as beyond all guṇas. The guṇas are Māyā's content; Brahman is nirguṇa (without guṇas). 'Te mayi' (they are in Me) means the guṇas subsist in Brahman as apparent realities — real as phenomena, but not independently real as Brahman is. In realization, the practitioner sees: I am the 'te mayi' — the ground in which the guṇas arise and dissolve, not a guṇa-state myself.
Bhakti lens
For Rāmānuja, V12 teaches the Lord's sovereignty over the guṇas: all states proceed from Him (He is their efficient cause) and subsist within Him (He is their substrate), yet He is not limited by them (He transcends them). This is the Lord's vibhūti-śakti — the power of divine self-expression — creating and containing the entire guṇa-field while remaining transcendent. The devotee takes refuge in this transcendent Lord to cross the guṇa-field (V14).
Karma-Yoga lens
V12 for the karma yogi: all three guṇas (sāttvik clarity, rājasic energy, tāmasic inertia) arise in the practitioner — they are not foreign to the divine ground. The karma yogi's task is not to eliminate the guṇas but to cultivate sattva (V14's approach: take refuge in Me, which produces sattva) while acting non-attached within the guṇa-field. V12's 'they are in Me' means the karma yogi operates within the Divine's own field — never outside it, never alone.
Modern parallels
The relationship between a mathematical space and the objects within it parallels V12's structure: the space is the source and container of all objects (mattaḥ / te mayi), yet the space itself is not any of the objects within it (na tv aham teṣu). The guṇa-states are the 'objects'; the Divine is the 'space' in which they appear, which they require for their existence, but which they do not limit or define.
Practice
V12 witness practice: in meditation, notice the quality of the mind — is there clarity (sattva), agitation (rajas), or heaviness (tamas)? Recognize: this quality arises from the Divine ground (mattaḥ eva). Then rest as the witness of the guṇa-state rather than being identified with it. 'They are in Me' — I am the 'Me' in whom they appear, not the state itself. Practice the distinction between awareness (the 'te mayi' — the ground) and the guṇa-content arising within it.
Public-domain translations (6) compare all →
Whatever sāttvic, rājasic, and tāmasic states exist — know all of them as proceeding from Me alone. I am not in them; they are in Me. [1]
And whatever states pertaining to Sattva, and those pertaining to Rajas, and to Tamas, know them to proceed from Me alone; still I am not in them, but they are in Me. [4]
Whatever beings there are of Sāttvic, Rājasic, or Tāmasic nature, know them all as proceeding from Me. I am not in them but they are in Me. [5]
Whatever natures proceed from goodness, activity, and darkness, know that they are from me; I am not in them, but they are in me. [6]
What nature hath of kin to Purity, of Passion, and of Darkness — know that these proceed all three from Me! But I am not in them — they are in Me! [7]
And whatever entities there are, sāttvic, rājasic, and tāmasic — know them all as proceeding from Me alone. I am not in them, but they are in Me. [9]
This verse speaks to
Where this thread continues
Deluded by the three guṇa-constituted states, all this world does not recognize Me — beyond them, imperishable.
Sattva, rajas, tamas — three guṇas born of Prakṛti — bind the indestructible ātman in every body.
I am the strength of the strong, free from craving — and the desire in beings that does not conflict with dharma.
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.