A core teaching · reflective in mood · a little context helps
“What dominates the mind is temporary, not who you are.”
Arjuna, when rajas and tamas are subdued, sattva rises. When sattva and tamas are subdued, rajas rises. When sattva and rajas are subdued, tamas rises.
The verse in reading order — each Sanskrit word with its meaning beneath. Hover a word to focus on it.
Read literallypassion · inertia · and · having overpowered · purity, clarity · becomes · Arjuna · passion · purity, clarity · inertia · and · indeed · inertia · purity, clarity · passion · likewise
The three qualities keep replacing one another. When one becomes stronger, the others are pushed down.
Krishna speaks this verse, on the battlefield of Kurukshetra, in the chapter titled "Gunatraya Vibhaga Yoga" (The Three Modes of Material Nature).
Verse 10 sits in Chapter 14 of the Bhagavad Gita — Gunatraya Vibhaga Yoga, "The Three Modes of Material Nature". The chapter has 27 verses in total.
You wake up sharp, then drift into fog by noon, then feel restless at night. The mind is not one fixed mood — it keeps changing hands.
Did you like this verse?
It teaches you to notice which quality is currently leading, instead of mistaking a passing state for your nature.
What this verse means
The three qualities keep replacing one another. When one becomes stronger, the others are pushed down.
Context & commentary
On Kurukshetra, Arjuna is still frozen while Krishna explains how the three qualities shape every mind and action. This verse adds the moving pattern: one quality rises only by suppressing the others, showing that inner states are always in flux.
Why this verse still matters
You wake up sharp, then drift into fog by noon, then feel restless at night. The mind is not one fixed mood — it keeps changing hands.
“You can stop treating your moods as permanent. What dominates now will not stay forever.”
Explore related themes: gunas (47 verses), sattva (26 verses), rajas (21 verses)