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Bhagwad Gita (English) | Chapter 14 | Verse 13

Chapter 14, Verse 13

The Three Modes of Material Nature

O son of Kuru, when there is an increase in the mode of ignorance madness, illusion, inertia and darkness are manifested.

Verse

अप्रकाशोऽप्रवृत्तिश्च प्रमादो मोह एव च।तमस्येतानि जायन्ते विवृद्धे कुरुनन्दन।।14.13।।


aprakāśho ’pravṛittiśh cha pramādo moha eva cha
tamasy etāni jāyante vivṛiddhe kuru-nandana

Meaning of each word

aprakāśhaḥ — nescience;
apravṛittiḥ — inertia;
cha — and;
pramādaḥ — negligence;
mohaḥ — delusion;
eva — indeed;
cha — also;
tamasi — mode of ignorance;
etāni — these;
jāyante — manifest;
vivṛiddhe — when dominates;
kuru-nandana — the joy of the Kurus, Arjun

Interpretation

This verse talks about the 'mode of ignorance,' which is one of the three modes of our nature. When this mode becomes stronger in a person, certain negative qualities show up. Let's break it down:

1. **Ignorance** – This means a lack of knowledge or awareness. When someone is caught in this mode, they don't see things clearly. Imagine walking in a dark room; you can't see where you're going or what you're doing.

2. **Madness** – This idea doesn't just mean being crazy. It can also mean acting without thinking or making decisions based on false beliefs. For example, someone might overreact to a situation because they don't have the full picture or understanding.

3. **Inertia** – This is about being inactive or lazy. Someone in this mode may know what they should do but feel too sluggish or lack the motivation to take action. For instance, a student might know they have tests coming up but instead of studying, they spend hours on their phone doing nothing productive.

4. **Delusion** – This is believing in something that isn’t true. A person might convince themselves that they are fine when they are not, or they might believe that certain harmful choices are good for them. It's like being blinded by false ideas.

5. **Darkness** – This represents a lack of clarity or understanding. When someone is in this mode, they are lost in confusion, making it hard for them to see the right path. For example, they might make poor choices regarding their health or relationships because they can't see the truth.

So, when ignorance grows within someone, these negative traits start to emerge. They might act in careless or unreasonable ways, not because they don't care but because they cannot perceive reality correctly.

The focus is on how these traits can lead a person away from productive activities and good decisions, making them feel stuck or confused. This verse serves as a reminder of the importance of knowledge and awareness in guiding our actions and lives.

Other Verses of Chapter 14
Verse 1
The Blessed Lord said: Again I shall declare to you this supreme wisdom, the best of all knowledge, knowing which all the sages have attained to supreme perfection.
Verse 2
By becoming fixed in this knowledge, one can attain to the transcendental nature, which is like My own nature. Thus established, one is not born at the time of creation nor disturbed at the time of dissolution.
Verse 3
The total material substance, called Brahman, is the source of birth, and it is that Brahman that I impregnate, making possible the births of all living beings, O son of Bharata.
Verse 4
It should be understood that all species of life, O son of Kunti, are made possible by birth in this material nature, and that I am the seed-giving father.
Verse 5
Material nature consists of the three modes-goodness, passion and ignorance. When the living entity comes in contact with nature, he becomes conditioned by these modes.
Verse 6
O sinless one, the mode of goodness, being purer than the others, is illuminating, and it frees one from all sinful reactions. Those situated in that mode develop knowledge, but they become conditioned by the concept of happiness.
Verse 7
The mode of passion is born of unlimited desires and longings, O son of Kunti, and because of this one is bound to material fruitive activities.
Verse 8
O son of Bharata, the mode of ignorance causes the delusion of all living entities. The result of this mode is madness, indolence and sleep, which bind the conditioned soul.
Verse 9
The mode of goodness leads to happiness, the mode of passion leads to the desire for results from one's actions, and the mode of ignorance leads to confusion and madness.
Verse 10
Sometimes the mode of passion becomes prominent, defeating the mode of goodness, O son of Bharata. And sometimes the mode of goodness defeats passion, and at other times the mode of ignorance defeats goodness and passion. In this way there is always competition for supremacy.
Verse 11
The manifestations of the mode of goodness can be experienced when all the gates of the body are illuminated by knowledge.
Verse 12
O chief of the Bharatas, when there is an increase in the mode of passion, the symptoms of great attachment, uncontrollable desire, hankering, and intense endeavor develop.
Verse 14
When one dies in the mode of goodness, he attains to the pure higher planets.
Verse 15
When someone dies while influenced by passion, they are reborn among those who are focused on achieving results from their actions. On the other hand, if someone dies under the influence of ignorance, they are reborn in the form of animals.
Verse 16
By acting in the mode of goodness, one becomes purified. Works done in the mode of passion result in distress, and actions performed in the mode of ignorance result in foolishness.
Verse 17
From the mode of goodness, real knowledge develops; from the mode of passion, grief develops; and from the mode of ignorance, foolishness, madness and illusion develop.
Verse 18
Those situated in the mode of goodness gradually go upward to the higher planets; those in the mode of passion live on the earthly planets; and those in the mode of ignorance go down to the hellish worlds.
Verse 19
When you see that there is nothing beyond these modes of nature in all activities and that the Supreme Lord is transcendental to all these modes, then you can know My spiritual nature.
Verse 20
When the embodied being is able to transcend these three modes, he can become free from birth, death, old age and their distresses and can enjoy nectar even in this life.
Verse 21
Arjuna asked: O my dear Lord, how can we recognize someone who has gone beyond these three modes of nature? What is their behavior like? And how do they manage to rise above these modes?
Verse 22
The Blessed Lord said, "When light, activity, and delusion are present, he does not hate them, nor does he long for them when they are absent."
Verse 23
He who, seated like one unconcerned, is not moved by the dualities, and who, knowing that the dualities are active, is self-centered and does not move.
Verse 24
Who is the same in pleasure and pain, who dwells in the Self, to whom a clod of earth, a stone, and gold are all alike, who is the same to the dear and the unfriendly, who is firm, and to whom censure and praise are one and the same.
Verse 25
Who is the same in honor and dishonor, the same to friend and foe, abandoning all undertakings, he is said to have transcended the dualities.
Verse 26
One who engages in full devotional service, who does not fall down in any circumstance, at once transcends the modes of material nature and thus comes to the level of Brahman.
Verse 27
And I am the basis of the impersonal Brahman, which is the constitutional position of ultimate happiness, and which is immortal, imperishable and eternal.
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