Bhagavad Gita Chapter 14 Verse 18 Meaning
Those seated in Sattva ascend; those of Rajasic nature dwell in the middle; and those of Tamasic nature, abiding in the function of the lowest Guna, descend.
BG 14.18
ऊर्ध्वं गच्छन्ति सत्त्वस्था मध्ये तिष्ठन्ति राजसाः।जघन्यगुणवृत्तिस्था अधो गच्छन्ति तामसाः
ūrdhvaṁ gachchhanti sattva-sthā madhye tiṣhṭhanti rājasāḥ jaghanya-guṇa-vṛitti-sthā adho gachchhanti tāmasāḥ
Meaning
Those seated in Sattva ascend; those of Rajasic nature dwell in the middle; and those of Tamasic nature, abiding in the function of the lowest Guna, descend.
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Explanation & Life Application
This verse from Chapter 14 of the Bhagavad Gita highlights a practical insight: Those seated in Sattva ascend; those of Rajasic nature dwell in the middle; and those of Tamasic nature, abiding in the function of the lowest Guna, descend.
In The Yoga of the Three Gunas (Gunatraya Vibhaga Yoga), Krishna explains The three qualities of material nature: goodness, passion, and ignorance.
— Explained by the Nitya Team
Chapter Context
The three qualities of material nature: goodness, passion, and ignorance.
Key themes in this chapter include Three gunas, Material nature, Transcendence.
When to Apply This Verse
- •When you need steadiness while dealing with three gunas
- •When practicing material nature amid uncertainty
- •When applying transcendence to real-life choices
Verse FAQs
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Related Verses
BG 14.5
These qualities, O Arjuna, born of Nature, bind fast in the body of the embodied, the indestructible: purity, passion, and inertia.
BG 14.17
From Sattva arises knowledge, and greed from Rajas; heedlessness and delusion arise from Tamas, and also ignorance.
BG 1.1
Dhritarashtra said, "What did my people and the sons of Pandu do when they had assembled together, eager for battle, on the holy plain of Kurukshetra, O Sanjaya?"
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