A declaration · expansive in mood · builds on earlier teachings
“No state is free from the three qualities of nature.”
There is nothing on earth, in heaven, or among the radiant beings that is free from the three qualities born of nature.
The verse in reading order — each Sanskrit word with its meaning beneath. Hover a word to focus on it.
Read literallynot · that · there is · on earth · or · in heaven · among the radiant beings · or · again · being · born of nature · freed · which · from these · may be · three · qualities
Everything in the world is shaped by the three qualities of nature. Nothing in the material order is completely free from them.
Krishna speaks this verse, on the battlefield of Kurukshetra, in the chapter titled "Moksha Sanyasa Yoga" (Liberation through Renunciation).
Verse 40 sits in Chapter 18 of the Bhagavad Gita — Moksha Sanyasa Yoga, "Liberation through Renunciation". The chapter has 78 verses in total.
You meet someone who seems effortlessly calm, then catch their irritation under pressure. The verse cuts through the fantasy that any person or status is beyond temperament, habit, and conditioning.
Did you like this verse?
It shifts attention from judging appearances to seeing the forces that shape every response.
What this verse means
Everything in the world is shaped by the three qualities of nature. Nothing in the material order is completely free from them.
Context & commentary
On the battlefield, Krishna is explaining the structure behind human behavior just before the final teaching on duty. Arjuna needs to see that no being or realm is outside the play of the three qualities, because that insight prepares him for the next verse on social roles.
Why this verse still matters
You meet someone who seems effortlessly calm, then catch their irritation under pressure. The verse cuts through the fantasy that any person or status is beyond temperament, habit, and conditioning.
“You stop idealising any place, person, or state as untouchable. Everything changing is still under the same laws.”
Explore related themes: prakriti (31 verses)