Bhagavad Gita Chapter 7, Verse 12

Chapter 7 – Jnana Vijnana Yoga · Speaker: Krishna

Sanskrit verse

ये चैव सात्त्विका भावा राजसास्तामसाश्च ये ।
मत्त एवेति तान्विद्धि न त्वहं तेषु ते मयि ॥

Transliteration

ye caiva sāttvikā bhāvā rājasāstāmasāśca ye .
matta eveti tānviddhi na tvahaṃ teṣu te mayi ॥

Meaning

Whatever states of being there are — sattvic, rajasic and tamasic — know that they proceed from Me alone. Yet I am not in them; they are in Me.

Word meanings

ये – whatever
च – and
एव – indeed
सात्त्विकाः – born of sattva
भावाः – states, entities
राजसाः – born of rajas
तामसाः – born of tamas
मत्तः – from Me
इति – thus
तान् – them
विद्धि – know
न – not
तु – but
अहम् – I
तेषु – in them
ते – they
मयि – in Me

Anvaya (word order)

ये च एव सात्त्विकाः भावाः, ये च राजसाः तामसाः च, तान् मत्तः एव इति विद्धि; तु अहं तेषु न, ते मयि ।

Explanation

So far Krishna has given specific examples; in this verse He lays down a general principle. All states, moods and entities in the world are made of the three gunas — sattva, rajas and tamas. Sattvic states include knowledge, peace and clarity; rajasic states include activity, desire and agitation; tamasic states include inertia, sloth and delusion. Krishna says: all of these proceed from Me.

But immediately He adds a subtle and profound point: na tv aham teshu te mayi — I am not in them; they are in Me. What does this mean? The gunas depend on the Lord, but the Lord does not depend on the gunas. Clouds, dust and smoke come and go in the sky; they are in the sky, but the sky is neither stained by them nor dependent on them. Shankara says that the Lord is not under the control of the gunas as worldly beings are; rather, the gunas are under His control.

Ramanuja explains that all entities are the Lord's body and depend on Him, while the Lord's existence depends on no entity. It is like the scenes of a dream, which exist in the dreamer's mind while the dreamer does not depend on them.

The verse also resolves a serious doubt: if the Lord is the source of all, are tamasic and evil states His fault? The answer is no; they are the play of the gunas, arising from the Lord's power, while the Lord remains untouched by them.

Context

In 7.8–11 Krishna gave examples of His glories; here He says that all states of the three gunas come from Him, yet He transcends them. In the next verse (7.13) He explains that the world, deluded by these very gunas, does not recognise Him.

Life lesson

Every kind of state — good and bad, calm and turbulent — comes in life, yet your true nature, like the Lord's, lies beyond them all. As the sky is untouched by clouds, keep the inner witness steady amid your emotions.

Key terms

Sattvika: born of sattva — knowledge, peace, clarity
Rajasa: born of rajas — activity, desire, agitation
Tamasa: born of tamas — inertia, sloth, delusion
Bhava: state, entity, mental condition