Krishna transcends the gunas.
Krishna speaks to Arjuna
ये चैव सात्त्विका भावा राजसास्तामसाश्च ये |मत्त एवेति तान्विद्धि न त्वहं तेषु ते मयि ||७-१२||
ye caiva sāttvikā bhāvā rājasāstāmasāśca ye . matta eveti tānviddhi na tvahaṃ teṣu te mayi ||7-12||
Use this verse for guna self-awareness.
Meaning
Know that all states of sattva, rajas, and tamas arise from Me; yet I am not in them, they are in Me.
Translation: Gita Guidance (original English rendering).
In plain words
The gunas arise from Krishna, but He transcends them.
Word-by-word meaning
Tap a word to see its meaning.
Explanation
Krishna is the source of all qualities of nature, yet not limited by them. This helps seekers observe moods without mistaking them for the Divine Self.
Read the traditional commentary
Every state of being arises from the interplay of the three gunas — sattva (purity, harmony), rajas (passion, activity), and tamas (inertia, darkness). Krishna affirms that all three proceed from Him; nothing in creation lies outside the Divine. Yet He adds a crucial qualification: 'they are in Me, but I am not in them.' The Absolute pervades all, yet remains untouched and unbound by the qualities of the world.
The sun illumines clean and dirty things alike without becoming either. So the Divine sustains the play of the gunas while transcending it. For the seeker, this is liberating. We need not be enslaved by our passing moods of clarity, restlessness, or dullness; like God, we can learn to be the witnessing awareness in which these states arise and pass, neither defined nor diminished by them.
In daily life
Observe sattva, rajas, and tamas without identifying completely.
A lazy day may be tamas, not your true identity.
Try this today
Name your current guna and choose one balancing action.
I observe the gunas and remember Krishna beyond them.Reflect
Which guna is active in me now?
Private — only you can see this
Quick check
What does ‘ये च एव सात्त्विकाः भावाः’ mean in this verse?
Krishna on nature, in other chapters
- Verse 3.27Much of your stress comes from the ego's claim 'I am the doer' — see that nature works through you and release the burden of false authorship.
- Verse 14.23Stand as the witness who knows 'it is only the qualities at play' — then nothing in the mind's movement can shake you.
- Verse 13.20All your changing moods and traits belong to nature, not to the unchanging witness that you truly are.
- Verse 17.2Your faith takes the colour of your inner nature — examine the guna behind your belief, and you begin to refine it.
Swipe left for 7.13 · Nature’s moods veil the Divine.
Questions about Bhagavad Gita 7.12
Who says Bhagavad Gita 7.12, and to whom?
Krishna speaks to Arjuna in verse 7.12, in Chapter 7, Jnana Vijnana Yoga (Jnana Vijnana Yoga).
What does Bhagavad Gita 7.12 mean?
Know that all states of sattva, rajas, and tamas arise from Me; yet I am not in them, they are in Me. (Translation: Gita Guidance (original English rendering).)
What is the lesson of Bhagavad Gita 7.12 for daily life?
Observe sattva, rajas, and tamas without identifying completely. A lazy day may be tamas, not your true identity.
What do the Sanskrit words in Bhagavad Gita 7.12 mean?
ये च एव सात्त्विकाः भावाः — whatever states are of the nature of sattva (purity); राजसाः तामसाः च ये — and those that are of rajas (activity) and tamas (inertia); मत्तः एव इति — from Me alone, thus; तान् विद्धि — know them; न तु अहम् तेषु — but I am not in them.
Where does verse 7.12 come in the Bhagavad Gita?
It is verse 12 of 30 in Chapter 7, Jnana Vijnana Yoga. The next verse is 7.13.