The witness is not shaken by guna activity.
Krishna speaks to Arjuna
उदासीनवदासीनो गुणैर्यो न विचाल्यते |गुणा वर्तन्त इत्येवं योऽवतिष्ठति नेङ्गते ||१४-२३||
udāsīnavadāsīno guṇairyo na vicālyate . guṇā vartanta ityevaṃ yo.avatiṣṭhati neṅgate ||14-23||
Use this verse as a witness mantra.
Meaning
One who remains like a neutral witness and is not disturbed by the gunas, knowing the gunas are acting, remains steady and does not move.
Translation: Gita Guidance (original English rendering).
In plain words
The gunatita remains steady by seeing the gunas acting.
Word-by-word meaning
Tap a word to see its meaning.
Explanation
This verse gives a practical mantra: the gunas are moving. Instead of saying I am angry, I am restless, I am dull, the seeker observes that a guna pattern is active.
Read the traditional commentary
Krishna deepens the portrait with the luminous image of udāsīna — one who sits like a detached, unconcerned witness. The transcended soul is not driven this way and that by the guṇas; he is na vicālyate, unshaken by them. Resting in the simple knowledge that 'it is the qualities that are operating,' he remains established in himself and does not waver.
The word udāsīna does not mean cold indifference to life, but the serene neutrality of a witness who knows he is not the actor. Imagine watching a play with full attention yet without being swept into believing oneself one of the characters. So the sage observes the guṇas dance through his own mind and body, fully aware, yet inwardly still.
'The qualities are merely turning in their round' — this quiet recognition is his anchor. Rooted in the changeless Self, he neither resists nor is dragged; he simply abides, unmoved.
In daily life
Say: the gunas are moving, and I remain aware.
During work stress, a person can identify rajas moving instead of becoming the stress.
Try this today
Repeat three times: gunas are acting; I witness.
I remain steady while the gunas move.Reflect
Which guna is moving right now?
Private — only you can see this
Quick check
What does ‘उदासीनवत् आसीनः’ mean in this verse?
Krishna on witness, in other chapters
- 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 3.28When you see life as nature engaging with itself, you can participate fully yet remain inwardly free and unattached.
- Verse 6.22Once you find the inner treasure, nothing seems more valuable and no sorrow, however heavy, can shake you.
- Verse 12.19Treat praise and blame alike, rest content and unattached, steady in mind and full of devotion.
Swipe left for 14.24 · Equanimity is the fragrance of transcendence.
Questions about Bhagavad Gita 14.23
Who says Bhagavad Gita 14.23, and to whom?
Krishna speaks to Arjuna in verse 14.23, in Chapter 14, Gunatraya Vibhaga Yoga (Gunatraya Vibhaga Yoga).
What does Bhagavad Gita 14.23 mean?
One who remains like a neutral witness and is not disturbed by the gunas, knowing the gunas are acting, remains steady and does not move. (Translation: Gita Guidance (original English rendering).)
What is the lesson of Bhagavad Gita 14.23 for daily life?
Say: the gunas are moving, and I remain aware. During work stress, a person can identify rajas moving instead of becoming the stress.
What do the Sanskrit words in Bhagavad Gita 14.23 mean?
उदासीनवत् आसीनः — seated like one indifferent / unconcerned; गुणैः — by the gunas; यः न विचाल्यते — who is not moved; गुणाः वर्तन्ते — the gunas operate; इति एवम् — thus knowing.
Where does verse 14.23 come in the Bhagavad Gita?
It is verse 23 of 27 in Chapter 14, Gunatraya Vibhaga Yoga. The next verse is 14.24.