Bhagavad Gita Chapter 14, Verse 7

English Translation

Know rajas to be of the nature of passion, born of hankering and attachment. O son of Kunti, that binds the embodied one through attachment to action.

Detailed Commentary

Know Rajas as born of attachment (Raga). This Guna of Rajas is of the nature of Raga, meaning the fondness that arises for any object, person, situation, event, or action is the nature of Rajas. Just as gold ornaments are golden, so too is Rajas imbued with Raga. In Patanjali's Yoga Darshan, action (Kriya) is stated to be the nature of Rajas. However, in the Shrimad Bhagavad Gita, the Lord primarily considers Raga (attachment) to be the nature of Rajas. Therefore, in "Yoga-sthah kuru karmani sangam tyaktva" (2.48), the command is given to perform one's prescribed duties by renouncing attachment (sanga). Actions performed with a selfless attitude (nishkama bhava) are liberating (3.19). In the twenty-second verse of this very chapter, the Lord states that even when the inclination towards action (pravritti) arises, the Guna-atita Purusha (one who has transcended the Gunas) has no Raga for it. The import is that in a Guna-atita Purusha, action (pravritti) does occur due to the influence of Rajas, but it is not performed with Raga. Even while being helpful in transcending the Gunas, Sattva Guna is said to bind one through attachment to happiness and knowledge. This proves that attachment (asakti) alone is binding, not Sattva Guna itself. Therefore, the Lord here asks us to know Raga as the primary nature of Rajas. At the beginning of the great creation (Mahasarga), the Supreme Being has the resolve: 'May I be many, may I procreate' (bahu syāṃ prajāyeya). This resolve is Rajasic. In the Gita, this is referred to as Karma (8.3). Just as butter and buttermilk separate when curd is churned, similarly, from the Rajasic resolve of creation, a disturbance (kshobha) arises in Prakriti, separating Sattva Guna, which is like butter, and Tamas Guna, which is like buttermilk. From Sattva Guna, the inner faculty (antahkarana) and sense organs (jnanendriyas) are formed; from Rajas Guna, the vital force (prana) and organs of action (karmendriyas) are formed; and from Tamas Guna, gross matter, the body, and so on, are formed. From the three Gunas, other objects of the world arise. Thus, at the beginning of the Mahasarga, the Lord's act of creation is also completely free from Raga (attachment) (Gita 4.13). *Trishna-sanga-samudbhavam* - If there is a desire for acquired objects, persons, substances, situations, events, etc., to persist and for more to be obtained, then craving (trishna) arises. From this craving, attachment (asakti) arises towards objects and so on. According to grammar, the term *trishna-sanga-samudbhavam* has two meanings: (1) that from which craving and attachment arise, i.e., that which generates craving and attachment; and (2) that which arises from craving and attachment, i.e., that which is generated by craving and attachment. Just as seed and tree are causes of each other – a tree grows from a seed, and from the tree many seeds are then produced – similarly, from Rajas, which is of the nature of Raga, craving and attachment grow, and from craving and attachment, Rajas greatly increases. The import is that both mutually nourish each other. Therefore, both the aforementioned meanings are correct. "It binds the embodied one, O son of Kunti, by attachment to action (karma-sanga)." Rajas binds the embodied being through attachment to actions. That is, as Rajas increases, and as craving (trishna) and attachment (asakti) grow, so too does a person's inclination to perform actions. With the increase in the inclination to act, a person begins to undertake new actions. Then, day and night, he remains entangled in this inclination, meaning a person's mental tendencies are constantly engaged in contemplating the initiation of new actions. In such a state, he does not even get an opportunity to achieve his welfare and liberation. In this way, Rajas binds the embodied being by attachment to the pleasure of actions (sukha-asakti), meaning it leads him into the cycle of birth and death. Therefore, a spiritual aspirant (sadhaka) should certainly perform his obligatory duties (kartavya karma) in a detached manner (nishkama bhava) according to his given circumstances, but he should not initiate new actions for accumulation or enjoyment of pleasure. There is a pleasure even in performing actions with desire (sakama bhava), and there is also a pleasure in the attachment to the fruit (phala-asakti) of actions, anticipating 'I will enjoy this particular fruit of action.' A person becomes bound by this attachment to the pleasure of action and its fruit. To be freed from the attachment to the pleasure of actions, a sadhaka should reflect: "For how long will these objects, persons, situations, events, etc., remain with me?" For all that is visible is constantly moving towards invisibility; life is constantly moving towards death; creation (sarga) is constantly moving towards dissolution (pralaya); the great creation (Mahasarga) is constantly moving towards the great dissolution (Mahapralaya). The stages of childhood, youth, etc., that have passed until today, cannot be regained. The time that has passed cannot be recovered. By recalling the final state of great kings, emperors, and wealthy individuals, and by observing the ruins of grand palaces and houses, a sadhaka should realize that the same fate that befell them will also befall this body, wealth, property, houses, and so on. "But I, succumbing to their allure, have wasted my strength, intellect, and time. This indeed is a great loss." Through such thoughts, Sattvic tendencies will arise in the sadhaka's inner consciousness (antahkarana), and he will rise above attachment to action (karma-sanga). "If I remain engaged day and night in performing new actions, my human birth will go in vain, and due to attachment to those actions, I know not into what wombs (yonis) I will have to enter, and how many times I will have to endure birth and death. Therefore, I must not initiate new actions for accumulation and enjoyment of pleasure; rather, I must perform my obligatory duties (kartavya karma) with detachment (anasakta bhava) according to the given circumstances." Through such thoughts, too, a sadhaka rises above attachment to actions. Connection: The nature of Tamas Guna and the way it binds will be explained in the next verse.