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Bhagwad Gita (English) | Chapter 14 | Verse 3

Chapter 14, Verse 3

The Three Modes of Material Nature

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

मम योनिर्महद्ब्रह्म तस्मिन् गर्भं दधाम्यहम्।संभवः सर्वभूतानां ततो भवति भारत।।14.3।।


mama yonir mahad brahma tasmin garbhaṁ dadhāmy aham
sambhavaḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ tato bhavati bhārata

Meaning of each word

mama — my;
yoniḥ — womb;
mahat brahma — the total material substance, prakṛiti;
tasmin — in that;
garbham — womb;
dadhāmi — impregnate;
aham — I;
sambhavaḥ — birth;
sarva-bhūtānām — of all living beings;
tataḥ — thereby;
bhavati — becomes;
bhārata — Arjun, the son of Bharat;

Interpretation

This verse talks about how everything in the world is created and how life comes into being. It uses the words 'Brahman' and 'mahat-tattva,' which essentially refer to the vast material world and the nature of everything around us.

To break it down: Brahman represents the entire material universe—the earth, water, air, and all elements that we see. Think of it as the raw material or the big picture of everything physical we experience. It is something very vast and complex, encompassing all the matter in the universe. The term ‘mahat-tattva’ refers to this overall material substance in which all these elements exist.

Now, the verse says that the Supreme God has a role to play in all this. The God here is like a gardener who plants seeds in the ground. In the same way, God 'impregnates' or enables this material nature—Brahman—to give rise to all living beings. This means that life does not just happen by accident; there is a divine cause behind it. God is the one who brings together these elements, allowing life to emerge from them.

According to the teachings, there are three modes in this material nature—goodness, passion, and ignorance. These modes influence how we behave and live our lives. They create the conditions under which life develops. For example, someone living in the mode of goodness might be kind and helpful, while someone under the influence of ignorance might be confused and lazy.

When we refer to 'the seeds of living entities,' it indicates that every life, every creature, has a place and a purpose within this massive material structure. Each living being originates from this material nature, similar to how a flower grows from a seed in the fertile soil of a garden.

Additionally, while this material nature is important, the teachings also indicate that there is something greater— the spirit or the soul. The soul is a reflection of a higher reality that goes beyond the physical world. It signifies that while we are often caught up in the material aspects of life, there’s a deeper essence to our existence.

So, simply put, this verse teaches us that the world and all life are deeply interconnected. The physical universe is created and organized by a higher power, and every living being is a part of this grand design. Awareness of this connection can lead us to respect all life and understand our place in this vast material universe.

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 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 13
O son of Kuru, when there is an increase in the mode of ignorance madness, illusion, inertia and darkness are manifested.
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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