Moksha Sanyasa Yoga · Verse 40

Bhagavad Gita 18.40

No state is free from the three qualities of nature.

Wisdom translation, edited by Ankur Shukla. Commentary AI-drafted, human-reviewed. Reviewed June 2026. Methodology →

न तदस्ति पृथिव्यां वा दिवि देवेषु वा पुनः ।
सत्त्वं प्रकृतिजैर्मुक्तं यदेभिः स्यात्ित्रभिर्गुणैः ॥
Hindi · हिन्दी
पृथ्वीमें या स्वर्गमें अथवा देवताओंमें तथा इनके सिवाय और कहीं भी वह ऐसी कोई वस्तु नहीं है, जो प्रकृतिसे उत्पन्न इन तीनों गुणोंसे रहित हो ॥
English
There is nothing on earth, in heaven, or among the radiant beings that is free from the three qualities born of nature.

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.

The takeaway

You stop idealising any place, person, or state as untouchable. Everything changing is still under the same laws.

Word-by-word translation

न (not) / तत् (that) / अस्ति (there is) / पृथिव्याम् (on earth) / वा (or) / दिवि (in heaven) / देवेषु (among the radiant beings) / वा (or) / पुनः (again) / सत्त्वम् (being) / प्रकृतिजैः (born of nature) / मुक्तम् (freed) / यत् (which) / एभिः (from these) / स्यात् (may be) / त्रिभिः (three) / गुणैः (qualities)

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