Chapter 14, Verse 20 (Bhagavad Gita 14.20)
Chapter 14: Guṇa Traya Vibhāg Yog – Yoga through Understanding the Three Modes of Material Nature
Sanskrit Shloka
गुणानेतानतीत्य त्रीन्देही देहसमुद्भवान्।जन्ममृत्युजरादुःखैर्विमुक्तोऽमृतमश्नुते
Transliteration
guṇān etān atītya trīn dehī deha-samudbhavān janma-mṛityu-jarā-duḥkhair vimukto ’mṛitam aśhnute
Word Meanings
guṇān—the three modes of material nature; etān—these; atītya—transcending; trīn—three; dehī—the embodied; deha—body; samudbhavān—produced of; janma—birth; mṛityu—death; jarā—old age; duḥkhaiḥ—misery; vimuktaḥ—freed from; amṛitam—immortality; aśhnute—attains
Translation
When the embodied soul transcends these three modes of material nature that originate the body, it becomes free from the distresses of birth, death, old age, and their attendant suffering, and thus attains the nectar of immortality.
Meaning & Commentary
In this profound revelation, Bhagwan Shri Krishna explains to Arjuna that the soul’s bondage is solely due to the influence of the three Gunas—Sattva, Rajas, and Tamas. By surrendering to the divine grace of Shri Krishna and performing one's duties without attachment, a devotee can rise above these material compulsions. Lord Krishna reveals that the state of liberation, or Moksha, is not a distant location but an inner realization of one's eternal spiritual identity. Once the seeker transcends the influence of the physical body, they step out of the cycle of samsara and experience the eternal bliss of the Supreme. This is the path of the Gunateeta, one who lives in this world but is no longer touched by its transient miseries.