ऊर्ध्वं गच्छन्ति सत्त्वस्था मध्ये तिष्ठन्ति राजसाः ।
जघन्यगुणवृत्तिस्था अधो गच्छन्ति तामसाः ॥
जघन्यगुणवृत्तिस्था अधो गच्छन्ति तामसाः ॥
Hindi · हिन्दी
सत्त्वगुणमें स्थित मनुष्य ऊर्ध्वलोकोंमें जाते हैं, रजोगुणमें स्थित मनुष्य मृत्युलोकमें जन्म लेते हैं और निन्दनीय तमोगुणकी वृत्तिमें स्थित मनुष्य अधोगतिमें जाते हैं ॥
English
Those established in sattva go upward; those in rajas remain in the middle; those in the lowest movement of tamas go downward.
What this verse means
People shaped by clarity rise to higher states. People ruled by restlessness stay in the middle. People sunk in dullness fall into lower states.
Context & commentary
On the battlefield, Arjuna is frozen between duty and fear. Krishna explains that the three qualities do not just color mood; they determine where a person naturally moves after life and what level of existence they keep returning to.
Why this verse still matters
You keep repeating the same late-night spiral, the same reactive argument, the same drained morning. The state you live from quietly decides the life you keep rebuilding.
The takeaway
Your dominant state shapes the kind of world you keep entering.
Word-by-word translation
ऊर्ध्वं (upward) / गच्छन्ति (go) / सत्त्वस्था (those established in sattva) / मध्ये (in the middle) / तिष्ठन्ति (remain) / राजसाः (those in rajas) / जघन्यगुणवृत्तिस्थाः (those established in the lowest quality’s movement) / अधः (downward) / गच्छन्ति (go) / तामसाः (those in tamas)
This verse is part of Bhagavad Gita Chapter 14: Gunatraya Vibhaga Yoga — The Three Modes of Material Nature, which contains 27 verses.
Explore related themes: gunas (47 verses), sattva (26 verses), rajas (21 verses)