CHAPTER 14 THE THREE MODES OF MATERIAL

NATURE
VERSE 14.1:-

 Modes are the mechanism by which the soul is

bound in the material world.
 How the bondage take place is described in
the 14th chapter.
CCP:-

 Although the modes were not talked before

but lord is saying bhuya-againg as the
conclusion of the knowledge of the modes -
bhakti is talked about previously.
 This chapter talks how/ why the munis take
to the devotional service.
 Conclusion of this chapter is one should
practice the devotional service.
 By getting the knowledge one will take to
the devotional service out of the duty.
LINK:- Krishna glorifies this knowledge.
VERSE 14.2:-

 Knowledge which is not contaminated by the

three modes of nature is called
transcendental knowledge.
 To obtain such knowledge, one must develop
all the spiritual qualities.
 One who thus develops the spiritual
qualities is not affected either by the
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creation or by the destruction of the
material world.
 Tad viñëoù paramaà padaà sadä paçyanti
sürayaù: the devotees always see the supreme
form of Viñëu. (Åg Veda 1.22.20, Gopäla
Täpané Upaniñad)
CCP:-

 Philosophy should also be taken shelter of,

not to be approached in the mood of the
controlling.
 Krishna cannot be conquered by the
intellect.
 One studies to get the release and relief
from the material complexities.
 Spiritual knowledge should not be treated as
the crown but as the umbrella to protect
from the material suffering, crown cannot
protect from the rain but the umbrella can
protect so the spiritual knowledge is not
for the show off.
 We fall in love not conquer in love, we want
to love the Krishna not conquer him so by
the intellect we should surrender to the
Krishna not conquer him.
 Mama sadharmyam means attaining the same
nature, that is one will go beyond the
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bodily conception and so there will be no
suffering of the birth and the death.
VERSE 14.3:-

 In order to explain how the contact of the

jéva with the guëas through beginningless
ignorance creates bondage, the Lord speaks
about the method of appearance of the field
and knower of the field.
 My (Supreme Lord’s) place of impregnation is
prakåti, called mahat, because it extends
through all place and time continuously.
 It is called brahma because it is the cause
of increase (root is båh).
 brahma näma-rüpam annaà ca jäyate: this
brahma becomes name, form and food, (Muëòaka
Upaniñad 1.9)
 What was called dull prakåti with the words
bhumir apo ’nalo vayuù, described as earth,
water and other elements, is here called
mahad brahman. What was called conscious
prakåti with the word itas tv anyäm is here
called the garbha, since it is the seed of
all living entities.
CCP:-

 Here the word brahma refers to the material

nature.
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LINK; - same concept with the different
emphasis.
VERSE 14.4:-
CCP:-

 Difference in these two verses is that in

14.4 it is said that by the grace of the
lord all the living entities take birth and
in the 14.3 emphasis was to bring the lord
in the picture.
 BG gives the skeletal outline not the
details; here lord is talking about what
happens at the creation not about the
individual birth.
 Soul contacts the matter by the insemination
of the lord.
LINK:- how the modes bind the soul.
VERSE 14.5:-
CCP:-

 Three modes are born from the material

nature.
 They are eternal they don’t become old,
deteriorated.
 Modes are not just the concepts but they are
subtle things.
 They are ontological things.
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 We have to harmonize them by the
intellectual understanding.
 Their existence being subtle we have to
perceive them accordingly.
 They are the subtle reality which causes the
interaction of the consciousness and the
subtle matter.
 In passion one acts without thinking much,
in ignorance one shrinks.
 Staircase are the root by which the person
will go up and down but it is up to the
person where to go similarly the modes once
we choose the particular mode the n we are
helpless we have to decide which way to act.
LINK:- getting introduced to the modes.
VERSE 14.6:-

 The effect of developing the mode of

goodness in the material world is that one
becomes wiser than those otherwise
conditioned.
 This sense of happiness is due to
understanding that, in the mode of goodness,
one is more or less free from sinful
reactions.
 The difficulty here is that when a living
entity is situated in the mode of goodness
he becomes conditioned to feel that he is
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advanced in knowledge and is better than
others. In this way he becomes conditioned.
 The association of the jéva with happiness,
which is the product of peacefulness, and
the association of the jéva with knowledge,
which is the product of illumination
(prakäçakam), produce the mistaken identity
of “I am happy, I am learned.”
 prakäça-sukha-käraëaà sattvam: the cause of
illumination and happiness is sattva.

CCP:-

 As one chooses the particular mode then

accordingly the way is created- so the
goodness is said to be liberating, frees
from the sinful reactions.
 But negative side of the goodness is that it
binds by the knowledge and the happiness.
 This is bondage whether by the iron or the
golden chain.
VERSE 14.7:-

 Rajo-guëa binds up the soul (dehinam) by

attachment (saìgena) to actions, in quest of
present and future goals. Attachment to
action arises by desire and attachment
(tåñëa and saìga).
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 Rajas give rise to the desire for sense
objects (tåñëa) such as sound, and the
desire for association (saìga) with sons,
friends and others.
CCP:-

 Passion brings the attachment to what one

has and the trishna to what one doesn’t
have.
 One becomes bound as he has to work to
attain what he wants.
 Family is the primary impetus for the people
to work.
 The modes will give us the different
definition of the success, in passion the
success is enjoyment, possession but in the
goodness they think about the character,
knowledge.
 A devotee has to live in such society in
different understanding of the success.
VERSE 14.8:-
CCP:-

 This is self perpetuating vicious cycle when

we act in the ignorance then it produces
more ignorance- mode of ignorance is born of
ignorance-like trying to solve the
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difficulty by the drinking-ignorance leading
to the ignorance.
 Mohanam sarva dehinam- mode of ignorance
which affects everyone, necessary contact
with the ignorance but the aggravation with
the ignorance is not good.
LINK: - Krishna gives the summary.
VERSE 14.9:-
CCP:-

 In sattva one is bound by the happiness and

in the passion one is bound by the action
and in the ignorance one is bound in the
carelessness.
LINK: - how there is competition between the
modes.
VERSE 14.10:-

 The prominence of some certain mode of

nature is manifested in one's dealings, in
his activities, in eating, etc.
 if one wants, he can develop, by practice,
the mode of goodness and thus defeat the
modes of ignorance and passion.
 if one is determined he can be blessed by
the mode of goodness, and by transcending
the mode of goodness he can be situated in
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pure goodness, which is called the Väsudeva
state, a state in which one can understand
the science of God.
 By the manifestation of particular
activities, it can be understood in what
mode of nature one is situated.
 The nature of the guëas is that they appear
and disappear according to operation or
exhaustion of old karmas.
CCP:-

 Person feels unsteady as the modes are

acting in different way at the different
time.
 Modes are not static they change with the
time of the day.
 Mode of passion creates the restlessness.
 Mode of ignorance is characterized by the
lethargy.
 Spiritual life is for the relaxation by the
purification not by the
inaction/deactivation.
 The conflicts of the modes are the
underlying cause of the all conflicts the
people face.
 Thoughtfulness and the dragging of the thing
are not the same.
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 Goodness is contemplative and active;
passion is simply active, not very
contemplative ignorance not active and not
contemplative.
 Externally goodness and the ignorance may
look the same but internally they are
radically opposite.
 Sometime passion protects one from the
ignorance, walking, washing the face helps
one to avoid the ignorance.
 We will have to continuously choose the
goodness; accordingly our life will move
forward.
 Our feeling may change but we will have to
choose goodness consistently.
LINK: - when the particular mode is prominent
how the person behaves/acts.
VERSE 14.11:-

 In the mode of goodness, one can see things

in the right position, one can hear things
in the right position, and one can taste
things in the right position.
 One becomes cleansed inside and outside.
 In every gate there is development of the
symptoms of happiness, and that is the
position of goodness.
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 In every gate there is development of the
symptoms of happiness, and that is the
position of goodness.
CCP:-

 When there is light one can see the things

as they are.
 Knowledge illuminates the things; by the
goodness one can understand the things.
 When senses are illuminated one understands
how to act.
 In mode of passion one eats for the taste.
VERSE 14.12:-

 One in the mode of passion is never

satisfied with the position he has already
acquired; he hankers to increase his
position.
CCP:-

 In passion there is greed which is most

prominent, wanting more when directed to the
opposite sex it is lust when directed to the
things it is greed.
 Modes are the matter of both the imposition
and the disposition.
 We are forced to act as we choose to desire.
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 We have the choice to choose but once
selected then we will be carried by the
selected mode.
 Mode of passion will make us agitated
whatever the situation may be.
 Certain places have particular influence.
 Today’s world people have the one-
dimensional existence they become
workaholics and don’t have the time for the
other aspect of the life, spiritual life.
 Work holism indicates that the person is
gripped by the mode of passion.
 Sometime the passion is required but it
should not be common practice.
 In the mode of passion a person is never
satisfied with what he has.
 Things should be planned, not just doing
things randomly at the whims of the mind.
VERSE 14.13:-
CCP:-

 Kurunandan is used to tell that though you

have strong connection but these modes can
affect anyone.
 Sadism is causing the pain to others and
masochism is inflicting pain to oneself.
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 In the ignorance even the sex gets
perverted.
 In ignorance there is not only the mohah
about ones spiritual identity but about the
material things also.
LINK: - Krishna describes the different deaths
the people go through and the destination one
attains thereafter.
Effects of the binding by the modes
14- Long term effect.
15- Medium term effect.
16- Immediate effect.
VERSE 14.14:-


CCP:-

 Pralaya can refer to final destruction at

the end of Brahmas life and it also can mean
the death of the individual person.
 Those who live in knowledge in this life
gain further knowledge in the next life.
 Devatas are in the goodness as compared to
the earthly planets but they are not in the
goodness as compared to the transcendence.
CHAPTER 14 THE THREE MODES OF MATERIAL
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 Within goodness also there are levels; it is
not homogeneous but the spectrum.
LINK: - what happens when one lives in the
passion and the ignorance.
VERSE 14.15:-
CCP:-

 There are thoughts about the population

increase as they think that the life is only
on the earth planet but life is everywhere.
 Souls may go from one planet to others so
increase in the population is not the
creation of the new soul.
 Passion is the spectrum the Ksatriya are in
the passion but in the upper side of the
passion.
 Reverse transmigration- the soul from the
human being can degrade to the animal
species, but there is opinion that it
doesn’t happen due to some people tried to
integrate with the understanding of the
other religion.
 Reincarnation harmonizes with the idea of
the merciful god, single life and then
permanent hell is harsh understanding.
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 There is no intrinsic connection in the body
and the soul but there is intrinsic
connection in the soul and the lord.
 To integrate the understanding of the
Christianity and the Hinduism some people
came up with the idea of the progressive
reincarnation that the soul doesn’t go back
to low specie once it comes to the human
form but that is not true.
 They cite the evidence that no has
remembered the past life as the animal but
they have remembered as being the human
always but “the absence of the truth is not
the proof of the absence”.
 Changing from animal or lower species to the
human is radical change so they may not
remember the past.
 Vedic view spiritualizes the all living
being but in the abrahmic world view they
just spiritualizes the human existence and
all other are regarded as not having soul,
the central idea of the Christian view is
that they try to get that the only Jesus
will redeem.
LINK ;- Krishna gives the intermediate result
of living in the various modes.
VERSE 14.16:-
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 Brähmaëas are the symbol of spiritual
education, and cows are the symbol of the
most valuable food; these two living
creatures, the brähmaëas and the cows, must
be given all protection—that is real
advancement of civilization.
 In modern human society, spiritual knowledge
is neglected, and cow killing is encouraged.
It is to be understood, then, that human
society is advancing in the wrong direction
and is clearing the path to its own
condemnation. A civilization which guides
the citizens to become animals in their next
lives is certainly not a human civilization.
CCP:-

 One attains the purification by the action

in the mode of the goodness.
 The result of one’s action in the particular
mode can even be seen in this life also.
 There is no question of the spiritual
advancement in the mode of the passion and
the mode of ignorance.
 As passion causes the increased bodily
identification and hankering for the
happiness outside.
 Killing the cows is the most sinful life.
CHAPTER 14 THE THREE MODES OF MATERIAL
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 Question is not what one belief but how one
lives.
LINK: - now lord talks about the immediate
result.
VERSE 14.17:-

 Even if the majority of the people aren't

happy and prosperous, if a certain
percentage of the population develops Kåñëa
consciousness and becomes situated in the
mode of goodness, then there is the
possibility for peace and prosperity all
over the world.
 If one wants happiness at all, his money
will not help him; he has to elevate himself
to the mode of goodness by practicing Kåñëa
consciousness.
CCP:-

 Krishna is not saying that by the study one

gets the knowledge study is not all in all
the goodness helps to cultivate knowledge,
if we want knowledge then we have to develop
the goodness.
 Passion causes the agitation,
dissatisfaction, hankering, greed.
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 If one is in the passion then money will not
make him happy, as there is no satisfaction,
always looking for the things others have.
 Devotee need not give up the money but the
illusion that the money will make him happy.
LINK :-Krishna gives the generic understanding.
VERSE 14.18:-

 In the mode of passion, there is also the

chance of becoming mad in the next life.
CCP:-

 Krishna doesn’t even call the ignorance but

refers as the jaghanya guna vritti,
abominable mode.
 “Up “here refers to the higher planets and
also to the higher consciousness.
 Down refers to the lower planets and also
the lower species of life.
VERSE 14.19:-

 One can transcend all the activities of the

modes of material nature simply by
understanding them properly by learning from
the proper souls.
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 For one who is able to see things as they
are, the influence of material nature
gradually ceases.
CCP:-

 If one understands that the mode are like

the rope which are making the person act
like the ropes in the puppeteer strings then
he can get liberated.
 We have to protect ourselves by
understanding that the actions are because
of the modes, like getting attracted to the
opposite sex one has to understand that this
is due to passion not me the spirit soul.
LINK: - Krishna describes the further element in
this.
VERSE 14.20:-

 Although one is within this material body,

by his advancement in spiritual knowledge he
can be free from the influence of the modes
of nature.
 Devotional service in Kåñëa consciousness is
the sign of liberation from material
entanglement.
CCP:-
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 When one goes beyond the modes then he goes
beyond the miseries of the birth, death, old
age and disease which with the body.
 Amritam here refers to the eternality,
immortality.
 Heavenly nector increases the life span but
it doesn’t make one immortal.
 By transcending the modes one will attain
the immortality.
LINK; - Arjuna is asking how one can transcend
the modes and attain the destination beyond the
modes.
VERSE 14.21:-
CCP:-

 Linga means characteristics/ gender here

first meaning applies.
 Linga is internal characteristics and the
acarah is the external behavior.
 Q. characteristics of one transcended the
modes/ his behavior/how one can transcend
the modes.
VERSE 14.22-25:-

 Kåñëa first indicates that a person

transcendentally situated has no envy and
does not hanker for anything.
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 When one is conscious of the material body,
he acts only for sense gratification, but
when one transfers the consciousness to
Kåñëa, sense gratification automatically
stops.
CCP:-

 Verses 23and the 24 answers the

characteristics of one who has transcended
the modes.
 The person beyond the modes doesn’t resent
the effect of the modes when they are
present and don’t hanker when they are not
present.
 One observes and understand the appearance
of the modes but doesn’t get affected.
 Krishna is telling to observe our thoughts,
to observe inner world.
 Everything inner doesn’t mean spiritual so a
devotee can have the bad thoughts due to
previous conditioning.
 Only when we get excited by the thought then
the thought can overcome us, we should just
observe the thoughts and say no to them.
 Just observe the thoughts and let them go
with the time they will stop coming.
 Way to observe our thoughts is to cultivate
some goodness.
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 By observing the thoughts and the internal
status and avoiding the unfavorable we can
move forward in the spiritual life.
 Like observing the external world we can
train ourselves to observe the inner world.
 Observing the thoughts should not lead to
the depression, spiritual principles are
meant to for flying not to burden ourselves.
 We should observe the sequence of the
thoughts in particular incident, what lead
to commit the mistake.
 If not at the moment we can be observer at
later time.
 To know how the mind is cheating us we
should observe thoughts.
 Observe the thoughts in retrospection if not
in the action, we practice we can do it in
the action also.
 Becoming conscious of our thoughts is very
helpful, it is being the conscious of our
conscious.
 Ninda and the stuti is what others are
speaking and man and apaman is what we
perceive.
 All the duality is created by the material
nature and the person beyond the modes is
not affected and one who wants to be not
affected should try to go beyond the modes.
CHAPTER 14 THE THREE MODES OF MATERIAL
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VERSE 14.26:-

 niraïjanaù paramaà sämyam upaiti: being free

of contamination, he attains similarity with
the supreme (Muëòaka Upaniñad 3.1.3)
CCP:-

 here vyabhichar means distraction.

 This is the only verse in the BG which
directly mentions bhakti yoga.
 This refers to the uninterrupted bhakti but
not the bhakti which is unmotivated.
 For the devotee Krishna is not just the
object of the meditation but also the
objective of the meditation.
 For the jnana Krishna is the object of the
meditation and the bhakti is the tool to
attain the goal.
 Modes don’t shackle us completely they give
some leverage.
 We may not be able to practice the
unbreakable bhakti now only but we can
practice as much uninterrupted as possible.
LINK: - we are not just meant to attain the
understanding of the Brahman but ultimately of
the bhagavan
VERSE 14.27:-
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 the Viñëu Dharmottara, concerning the
subject of Naraka Dvädaçé, it is said:
prakåtau puruñe caiva brahmaëyäpi ca sa
prabhuù
yathaika eva puruño väsudevo vyavasthitaù

 The Lord, one person, Väsudeva is situated

in prakåti, the jéva and the Brahman.
yathäcyutas tvam parataù parasmät sa
brahmabhütät parataù parätmä

 Just as Acyuta, Paramätmä is superior to all

others, he is superior to Brahman. Viñëu
Dharma 26.13.
 The Lord speaks to Arjuna in relation to
bringing back the children of the brähmaëa
in Hari Vaàça, Viñëu Parvä 114:
tat param paramam brahma sarvam vibhajate
jagat
mamaiva tad ghanam tejo jnätum arhasi bhärata.
yasya prabhä prabhavato jagad-aëòa-koöi-
koöéñv açeña-vasudhädi-vibhüti-bhinnam
tad brahma niñkalam anantam açeña-bhütaà
govindam ädi-puruñaà tam ahaà bhajämi
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 I serve the Supreme Personality of Godhead
Govinda, the primeval Lord, whose
transcendental bodily effulgence, known as
the brahmajyoti, which is unlimited,
unfathomed and all-pervasive, is the cause
of the creation of unlimited numbers of
planets, etc., with varieties of climates
and specific conditions of life. Brahma
Saàhitä 5.40
madéyaà mahimänaàc ca para-brahmeti çabditam
vetsyasy anugåhétaà me sampraçnair vivåtaà
hådi

 You will be thoroughly advised and favored

by Me, and because of your inquiries,
everything about My glories, which are
known as param brahma, will be manifest
within your heart. Thus you will know
everything about Me. SB 8.24.38
 Madhusüdana Sarasvaté offers his praise to
Kåñëa:
paräkåta-mano-dvandvaà paraà brahma naräkåti
saundarya-sära-sarvasvaà vande nandätmajaà
mahaù

 I offer my respects to the son of Nanda,

joy personified, the very essence of all
CHAPTER 14 THE THREE MODES OF MATERIAL
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beauty in human form, the supreme Brahman,
devoid of dualities of the mind.
raso vai saù, rasaà hy eväyaà labdhvänandé
bhavati

 The Lord is rasa. Attaining Him, the

embodiment of rasa, one becomes blissful.
Taittiréya Upaniñad 2.7.1
CCP:-

 Pratishta- means foundation here; lord is

saying that he is the foundation of the
Brahman.
 Here Krishna is clearly explaining that the
personal reality is higher than the Brahman
reality.
 Bhaktyanand is higher than the brahmanand as
it is the platform of the emotional
fulfillment on the level of the
transcendence.
 We don’t just have to know that I’m Brahman
but we have to act on that platform and that
acting on that platform is devotional
service.
 By coming on the platform of the brahman one
understands that I’m spirit.

END OF THE CHAPTER 14

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