Nature’s moods veil the Divine.
Krishna speaks to Arjuna
त्रिभिर्गुणमयैर्भावैरेभिः सर्वमिदं जगत् |मोहितं नाभिजानाति मामेभ्यः परमव्ययम् ||७-१३||
tribhirguṇamayairbhāvairebhiḥ sarvamidaṃ jagat . mohitaṃ nābhijānāti māmebhyaḥ paramavyayam ||7-13||
Use this verse when mood clouds devotion.
Meaning
Deluded by these three guna-made states, the whole world does not know Me, who am beyond them and imperishable.
Translation: Gita Guidance (original English rendering).
In plain words
The gunas can hide Krishna from perception.
Word-by-word meaning
Tap a word to see its meaning.
Explanation
When sattva, rajas, and tamas dominate awareness, the seeker may miss Krishna beyond changing mental states.
Read the traditional commentary
Krishna now names the great problem of human life: delusion (moha). Because the whole world is woven from the three gunas, beings become entranced by these qualities and mistake them for the whole of reality. Caught in the shifting play of purity, passion, and inertia, they fail to perceive the changeless Divine that lies beyond — 'higher than these' and avyaya, imperishable.
This is the spiritual predicament in a single verse. We become so absorbed in the textures of experience — our thoughts, urges, and moods — that we overlook the unchanging awareness behind them. The gunas are like coloured glass that tints the light; we see only the colour and forget the pure light itself.
Liberation begins when we recognise that we have been mesmerised, and turn our gaze from the changing forms toward the eternal that sustains them.
In daily life
Do not let mood decide truth.
When anxious, one may think Krishna is absent, but the anxiety is a guna-state.
Try this today
Pause and say: this is a state, not ultimate reality.
I look beyond moods to Krishna.Reflect
What mood is hiding truth from me?
Private — only you can see this
Quick check
What does ‘एभ्यः परम्’ mean in this verse?
Krishna on ignorance, in other chapters
- Verse 14.8The most dangerous bondage is the one that dulls you to its own presence — heedlessness, laziness, and stupor.
- Verse 5.15The Divine doesn't tally your sins and merits — your suffering comes from ignorance, and the cure is self-knowledge.
- Verse 18.32The darkest mind sees everything backwards, mistaking wrong for right and ruin for good.
- Verse 4.40Chronic, trustless doubt paralyzes the soul and steals all peace; sincere faith, not blind belief, is what allows us to move forward.
Swipe left for 7.14 · Surrender is the path beyond maya.
Questions about Bhagavad Gita 7.13
Who says Bhagavad Gita 7.13, and to whom?
Krishna speaks to Arjuna in verse 7.13, in Chapter 7, Jnana Vijnana Yoga (Jnana Vijnana Yoga).
What does Bhagavad Gita 7.13 mean?
Deluded by these three guna-made states, the whole world does not know Me, who am beyond them and imperishable. (Translation: Gita Guidance (original English rendering).)
What is the lesson of Bhagavad Gita 7.13 for daily life?
Do not let mood decide truth. When anxious, one may think Krishna is absent, but the anxiety is a guna-state.
What do the Sanskrit words in Bhagavad Gita 7.13 mean?
त्रिभिः गुणमयैः भावैः — by these states composed of the three gunas; एभिः — these; सर्वम् इदम् जगत् — all this world; मोहितम् — deluded; न अभिजानाति — does not know.
Where does verse 7.13 come in the Bhagavad Gita?
It is verse 13 of 30 in Chapter 7, Jnana Vijnana Yoga. The next verse is 7.14.