Freedom begins with non-reactive observation.
Krishna speaks to Arjuna
श्रीभगवानुवाच |प्रकाशं च प्रवृत्तिं च मोहमेव च पाण्डव |न द्वेष्टि सम्प्रवृत्तानि न निवृत्तानि काङ्क्षति ||१४-२२||
śrībhagavānuvāca . prakāśaṃ ca pravṛttiṃ ca mohameva ca pāṇḍava . na dveṣṭi sampravṛttāni na nivṛttāni kāṅkṣati ||14-22||
Use this verse when your mood changes.
Meaning
The Lord said: O Pandava, one who does not hate illumination, activity, or delusion when they arise, nor long for them when they cease.
Translation: Gita Guidance (original English rendering).
In plain words
The gunatita neither hates nor craves the movements of the gunas.
Word-by-word meaning
Tap a word to see its meaning.
Explanation
Krishna’s first sign of transcendence is non-reactivity. The wise person observes sattva, rajas, and tamas arising and passing without clinging or aversion.
Read the traditional commentary
Krishna begins his answer by describing the inner poise of one who has transcended the guṇas. He names them by their effects — prakāśa (the light of sattva), pravṛtti (the activity of rajas), and moha (the delusion of tamas). The liberated soul's mark is a profound evenness toward all three: when they arise, he does not resent them; when they pass, he does not crave their return.
This is subtle and beautiful. The guṇātīta does not pretend the qualities have stopped operating — light, activity, and even dullness still come and go in his nature, for he still wears a body. What has changed is his relationship to them.
He no longer pushes the unpleasant away or clutches at the pleasant, because he no longer identifies with any passing state. Freedom is not the absence of the guṇas but the absence of attachment and aversion toward them. He watches the weather of the mind with the same calm, whether it shines or darkens.
In daily life
Do not hate your low states or cling to your high states.
A person can notice laziness without self-hatred and clarity without ego-pride.
Try this today
Observe one state today without judging or craving it.
I observe the gunas without hatred or craving.Reflect
Do I hate certain states and cling to others?
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Quick check
What does ‘न द्वेष्टि सम्प्रवृत्तानि’ mean in this verse?
Krishna on non attachment, in other chapters
- Verse 13.10Love your people and possessions with open hands, keeping an even mind through both fortune and loss.
- Verse 7.12All your shifting moods arise within the Divine, yet the Divine remains untouched — learn to witness your states rather than be ruled by them.
- Verse 4.14It is not action that binds us but craving for its fruits; act fully while letting go of the outcome, and you stay free.
- Verse 9.9Action binds us only through attachment; work fully yet rest inwardly as a witness, and you remain free.
Swipe left for 14.23 · The witness is not shaken by guna activity.
Questions about Bhagavad Gita 14.22
Who says Bhagavad Gita 14.22, and to whom?
Krishna speaks to Arjuna in verse 14.22, in Chapter 14, Gunatraya Vibhaga Yoga (Gunatraya Vibhaga Yoga).
What does Bhagavad Gita 14.22 mean?
The Lord said: O Pandava, one who does not hate illumination, activity, or delusion when they arise, nor long for them when they cease. (Translation: Gita Guidance (original English rendering).)
What is the lesson of Bhagavad Gita 14.22 for daily life?
Do not hate your low states or cling to your high states. A person can notice laziness without self-hatred and clarity without ego-pride.
What do the Sanskrit words in Bhagavad Gita 14.22 mean?
श्रीभगवान् उवाच — the Blessed Lord said; प्रकाशम् च — light (sattva) and; प्रवृत्तिम् च — activity (rajas) and; मोहम् एव च — delusion (tamas) also; पाण्डव — O son of Pandu (Arjuna).
Where does verse 14.22 come in the Bhagavad Gita?
It is verse 22 of 27 in Chapter 14, Gunatraya Vibhaga Yoga. The next verse is 14.23.