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Ch 14 · Guṇatraya-Vibhāga-Yoga
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Bhagavad Gītā Chapter 14, Verse 20: Krishna to Arjuna — Guṇatraya-Vibhāga-Yoga

Bhagavad Gītā 14.20Chapter 14 · Guṇatraya-Vibhāga-Yoga · Krishna → Arjuna · anuṣṭubh
गुणानेतानतीत्य त्रीन् देही देहसमुद्भवान् ।
जन्ममृत्युजरादुःखैर् विमुक्तो ऽमृतमश्नुते ॥
guṇān← guṇa(35 verses)accusative masculine plural nounquality, attribute (esp. the three guṇas: sattva/rajas/tamas)attested in commentariesadvaitaएतान् यथोक्तान् अतीत्य जीवन्नेव अतिक्रम्य मायोपाधिभूतान् त्रीन् देही देहसमुद्भवान् देहोत्पत्तिबीजभूतान् जन्ममृत्युजरादुviśiṣṭādvaitaअतीत्य तेभ्यः etān← etad(66 verses)accusative masculine plural nounthis (proximal demonstrative)attested in commentariesadvaitaयथोक्तान् अतीत्य जीवन्नेव अतिक्रम्य मायोपाधिभूतान् त्रीन् देही देहसमुद्भवान् देहोत्पत्तिबीजभूतान् जन्ममृत्युजरादुःखैः जviśiṣṭādvaitaसत्त्वादीन् त्रीन् गुणान् अतीत्य तेभ्यः atītya← atīconvto pass beyond, transcend (ati- + √i 'go')attested in commentariesadvaitaजीवन्नेव अतिक्रम्य मायोपाधिभूतान् त्रीन् देही देहसमुद्भवान् देहोत्पत्तिबीजभूतान् जन्ममृत्युजरादुःखैः जन्मviśiṣṭādvaitaतेभ्यःadvaita-bhaktiजीवन्नेव तत्त्वज्ञानेन (नाधिगत्य) बाधित्वा जन्ममृत्युजरादुःखैर्जन्मना,मृत्युना जरया दुःखैश्चाध्यात्मिकादिभिर्मायामयैर्व trīn← tri(9 verses)accusative masculine plural nounthreeattested in commentariesadvaitaदेही देहसमुद्भवान् देहोत्पत्तिबीजभूतान् जन्ममृत्युजरादुःखैः जन्मviśiṣṭādvaitaगुणान् अतीत्य तेभ्यः dehī← dehin(10 verses)nominative masculine singular nounembodied being; the soul in a bodyattested in commentariesadvaitaदेहसमुद्भवान् देहोत्पत्तिबीजभूतान् जन्ममृत्युजरादुःखैः जन्मviśiṣṭādvaitaदेहसमुद्भवान् देहाकारपरिणतप्रकृतिसमुद्भवान् एतान् सत्त्वादीन् त्रीन् गुणान् अतीत्य तेभ्यः deha← deha(18 verses)compound (compound member)body-samudbhavān← samudbhava(5 verses)accusative masculine plural nounorigin (sam- + ud- 'up' + √bhū 'become')
janma← janman(18 verses)compound (compound member)birth, origin-mṛtyu← mṛtyu(8 verses)compound (compound member)death; Mṛtyu personified-jarā← jarā(4 verses)compound (compound member)old age-duḥkhai← duḥkha(25 verses)instrumental neuter plural nounsuffering, sorrow, painr vimu← vi-√muc(6 verses)nominative masculine singular participle nounto release (vi- + √muc)kto 'mṛtam aśnute← √aś(10 verses)present indicative 3rd person singular verbto eat / to pervade (verbal root, two homophonous roots)attested in commentariesadvaita, एवं मद्भावम् अधिगच्छति इत्यर्थः
spokensingle-voice recital; rendered via IndicF5 conditioned on a Sanskrit reference clip
meaning

When the embodied soul rises above all three *guṇas*, the very forces that generate bodily birth, it is freed from the cycle of birth, death, old age, and sorrow, and tastes immortality.

Bhāṣyakāra purports

  • Śaṅkaraadvaita

    The embodied one (dehin), by transcending while still living (jivan) these three gunas — sattva, rajas, tamas — which are the seed-causes (bija-bhuta) of bodily birth, becomes liberated even now from birth, death, old age and sorrow. Śaṅkara insists the transcendence is not post-mortem but accomplished through discernment of the Self's non-relation to maya's adjuncts (mायोपाधि). Thus 'amrita' means reaching the state of Brahman (mad-bhavam adhigacchati) — immortality is not gained but recognized as one's own nature.

  • Rāmānujaviśiṣṭādvaita

    This embodied self (dehin), perceiving itself as pure knowledge (jñana-ekakaara) and distinct from the three gunas arising from prakriti transformed into bodily form (deha-akara-parinata-prakriti), is freed from birth, death, age and sorrow, and experientially enjoys (anubhavati) its own immortal nature (amritam atmanam). Rāmānuja stresses that the atman is real, not dissolved: the freedom is from prakriti's bondage, not from individuality. This is the Lord's own state (mad-bhava) — conscious blissful selfhood in relation to Bhagavan.

  • Madhvadvaita

    The one who no longer sees any agent other than Hari among the modifications of the gunas — knowing the gunas act among themselves while the real kartritva (agency) belongs solely to the eternally free Lord — has passed beyond bondage. Madhva grounds this in shruti: 'pashyete rukmavarnami kartaram isham purusham brahma-yonim' (Mund. 3.1.3) — seeing the golden-hued Ishvara as the sole independent agent. The jiva's 'transcendence' is utter dependence (paratanatrata) on Hari; release from sorrow is His gift, not the jiva's own accomplishment.

  • Vallabhaśuddhādvaita

    Having established the bondage-lila (bandha-lila) through the gunas' creative differentiation, the Lord now reveals moksha-lila through discrimination from the gunas. When the seer (drashta) no longer sees any agent other than the gunas acting in their own domain, and also knows Paramatman as transcending them, he attains mad-bhavam — the aksara-Brahman state — as the shruti declares 'brahma veda brahmaiva bhavati.' In Pushti-mārga this amrita is brahma-sukha (the bliss of Brahman), which is Krishna's own prasada freely given, not earned.

  • Śrīdharabhakti

    The dehin who transcends all three gunas — whose very transformation (parinama) produces the body — is freed from the entire chain of evils wrought by the gunas: birth, death, old age, sorrow. Śrīdhara is direct: such a one 'amritam ashnute, brahmananda prapnoti' — attains Brahman-bliss. The verse is the soteriological payoff of the entire guna-chapter: knowing the gunas fully (viveka) yields complete release from what the gunas inflict.

  • Madhusūdanaadvaita-bhakti

    The gunas — sattva, rajas, tamas — are maya-atmaka (constituted of maya) and serve as the seed-causes of bodily birth. The jnani transcends them by tattva-jnana (knowledge of reality) which sublates (badhitva) them while still alive; he becomes entirely empty of their association (tat-sambandha-shunya) even now. At the end (ante) he attains amrita — moksha, mad-bhavam. Madhusudana's synthesis: jivan-mukta through Advaita-jnana, but the final fruition (ante) resonates with devotional consummation in Krishna's own nature.

Sūtrakṛt-Gītā · v1.0 · gita.ekrasworks.com