Ask for signs, conduct, and method.
Arjuna speaks to Krishna
अर्जुन उवाच |कैर्लिङ्गैस्त्रीन्गुणानेतानतीतो भवति प्रभो |किमाचारः कथं चैतांस्त्रीन्गुणानतिवर्तते ||१४-२१||
arjuna uvāca . kairliṅgaistrīnguṇānetānatīto bhavati prabho . kimācāraḥ kathaṃ caitāṃstrīnguṇānativartate ||14-21||
Use this verse to define your freedom goal.
Meaning
Arjuna said: O Lord, by what signs is one who has gone beyond these three gunas known? What is his conduct, and how does he transcend them?
Translation: Gita Guidance (original English rendering).
In plain words
Arjuna asks how to recognize and become gunatita, beyond the gunas.
Word-by-word meaning
Tap a word to see its meaning.
Explanation
Arjuna makes the teaching practical. He does not only ask what the gunas are; he asks how a transcendent person behaves and how one reaches that state.
Read the traditional commentary
Arjuna, ever the practical seeker, responds to Krishna's lofty promise with three down-to-earth questions. First, by what liṅgas — outward signs — can one recognise a person who has transcended the guṇas? Second, what is his ācāra, his actual conduct and way of living? Third, how does he accomplish this transcendence — by what means is it reached?
This is the Gita's characteristic movement, and Arjuna here is our representative. Abstract attainment must be made recognisable and reachable. It is not enough to be told that the liberated soul is 'beyond the guṇas'; the disciple wants to know what such a person looks like, how he behaves among others, and what road leads there.
By asking, Arjuna draws from Krishna the beautiful portrait of the guṇātīta — the one beyond the qualities — that fills the verses to come, turning a metaphysical ideal into a living, imitable example.
In daily life
Turn spiritual concepts into observable practice.
A person learning about gunas can ask: what does freedom from mood swings look like in behavior?
Try this today
Write one sign of freedom you want to develop.
I seek not only knowledge, but transformation.Reflect
What would being beyond my dominant pattern look like?
Private — only you can see this
Quick check
What does ‘कैः लिङ्गैः’ mean in this verse?
The Gita on inquiry, in other chapters
- Verse 17.1 · ArjunaSincere faith deserves understanding, not quick judgement — but faith still needs the guidance of wisdom to bear true fruit.
- Verse 10.32Of all knowledge, the science of the Self is supreme — it alone liberates and ends all sorrow.
- Verse 3.2 · ArjunaWhen a teaching overwhelms you, ask sincerely for the one clear next step instead of drowning in every possibility.
- Verse 4.4 · ArjunaSincere questioning, free of both blind acceptance and cynical dismissal, is the doorway to deeper understanding.
Swipe left for 14.22 · Freedom begins with non-reactive observation.
Questions about Bhagavad Gita 14.21
Who says Bhagavad Gita 14.21, and to whom?
Arjuna speaks to Krishna in verse 14.21, in Chapter 14, Gunatraya Vibhaga Yoga (Gunatraya Vibhaga Yoga).
What does Bhagavad Gita 14.21 mean?
Arjuna said: O Lord, by what signs is one who has gone beyond these three gunas known? What is his conduct, and how does he transcend them? (Translation: Gita Guidance (original English rendering).)
What is the lesson of Bhagavad Gita 14.21 for daily life?
Turn spiritual concepts into observable practice. A person learning about gunas can ask: what does freedom from mood swings look like in behavior?
What do the Sanskrit words in Bhagavad Gita 14.21 mean?
अर्जुन उवाच — Arjuna said; कैः लिङ्गैः — by what marks / signs; त्रीन् गुणान् एतान् अतीतः — transcended these three gunas; भवति प्रभो — does one become, O Lord; किम् आचारः — what is his conduct.
Where does verse 14.21 come in the Bhagavad Gita?
It is verse 21 of 27 in Chapter 14, Gunatraya Vibhaga Yoga. The next verse is 14.22.