Bhagavad Gita Chapter 14 Verse 20 Meaning
The embodied one, having crossed beyond these three Gunas from which the body is evolved, is freed from birth, death, decay, and pain, and attains immortality.
BG 14.20
गुणानेतानतीत्य त्रीन्देही देहसमुद्भवान्।जन्ममृत्युजरादुःखैर्विमुक्तोऽमृतमश्नुते
guṇān etān atītya trīn dehī deha-samudbhavān janma-mṛityu-jarā-duḥkhair vimukto ’mṛitam aśhnute
Meaning
The embodied one, having crossed beyond these three Gunas from which the body is evolved, is freed from birth, death, decay, and pain, and attains immortality.
Available in 27 languages
What Does Bhagavad Gita 14.20 Mean?
This verse carries the weight of lived truth. The embodied one, having crossed beyond these three Gunas from which the body is evolved, is freed from birth, death, decay, and pain, and attains immortality. In the context of how sattva, rajas, and tamas bind the soul and how to transcend them, these words illuminate the principle of the three qualities of nature from a perspective that complements the surrounding verses.
What distinguishes this verse is its integration of the three qualities of nature with the broader framework of the Gita's philosophy. Rather than treating spiritual life as separate from worldly engagement, Krishna shows how liberation can be realized through every aspect of human experience. Applied to contemporary life, this teaching asks us to examine our relationship with liberation. Not through self-judgment, but through honest observation that gradually shifts our center of gravity from reactive habit to conscious choice.
— Explained by the Nitya Team
What Is the Context of Bhagavad Gita 14.20?
The three qualities of material nature: goodness, passion, and ignorance.
Key themes in this chapter include Three gunas, Material nature, Transcendence.
How Can I Apply Bhagavad Gita 14.20 in Daily Life?
- •When you need steadiness while dealing with three gunas
- •When practicing material nature amid uncertainty
- •When applying transcendence to real-life choices
Verse FAQs
What is the main idea of Bhagavad Gita 14.20?
How can I apply Bhagavad Gita 14.20 in daily life?
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?"
Read in Other Languages
Build a daily reading habit with Nitya
Get the Free App