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Bhagwad Gita (English) | Chapter 14 | Verse 4

Chapter 14, Verse 4

The Three Modes of Material Nature

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

सर्वयोनिषु कौन्तेय मूर्तयः सम्भवन्ति याः।तासां ब्रह्म महद्योनिरहं बीजप्रदः पिता।।14.4।।


sarva-yoniṣhu kaunteya mūrtayaḥ sambhavanti yāḥ
tāsāṁ brahma mahad yonir ahaṁ bīja-pradaḥ pitā

Meaning of each word

sarva — all;
yoniṣhu — species of life;
kaunteya — Arjun, the son of Kunti;
mūrtayaḥ — forms;
sambhavanti — are produced;
yāḥ — which;
tāsām — of all of them;
brahma-mahat — great material nature;
yoniḥ — womb;
aham — I;
bīja-pradaḥ — seed-giving;
pitā — Father

Interpretation

This verse teaches us an important concept: that God, specifically Krishna, is the original father of all living things. What this means is that every type of life that we see around us—whether it is a human, an animal, a plant, or any other form of life—has come into being through the process of birth that happens within the material world.

You can visualize this like understanding a family tree where God is at the top, as the father of all living beings. When we say 'mother nature' or 'material nature,' we refer to the environment and the physical world where all of us live. This world provides the conditions and elements needed for life—kind of like how a plant needs soil, water, and sunlight to grow.

Krishna mentions that He is the 'seed-giving father.' This means that He is the source or origin from which all life comes. Just as a father contributes to the birth of a child, God contributes to the formation of every living being. In every situation, this can apply to various forms of life existing everywhere—not just on Earth, but even in different realms and planets, which we might think of as the 'higher' or 'other' worlds, such as where the deities or celestial beings might exist.

Moreover, this verse suggests that our existence and the forms we take are influenced by our past actions or deeds. In simpler terms, the kind of life we lead and our experiences are shaped by what we have done before. Just like how actions in this life can lead to rewards or consequences in the future, it’s similar to how we are born into certain situations based on our past choices.

So, everything in life, whether it’s a person, an animal, or even something like a tree, is created through this relationship of God giving the 'seed' and nature nurturing that seed to grow. It reminds us that we are all interconnected and come from one source, reinforcing the idea that life is a shared experience among all beings.

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 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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