Gita Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fourteen deal with the basic properties of humans, namely the three Gunas reflected by goodness, passion and nescience or ignorance. These influence the behavior of everything in the material existence. The Chapter illustrates the characteristics of the operation of the Gunas, their cause, the level of their potency, how they influence a living entity affected by them as well as the signs of one who has risen above them. The advise is to relinquish oneself from ignorance and passion and adopt the path of pure goodness until acquiring the ability to transcend all the Gunas.
Verses 14.1 - 14.20 This supreme wisdom outlined earlier, the best of all knowledge, is what enables the sages to attain perfection. Fixed in this knowledge, one is able to understand the transcendental nature of God and become unaffected by the appearance and disappearance of the body. Brahman the spirit that is beyond the material world however is the source of material substance that is impregnated by God to usher in the birth of all living beings. God provides the seed to father all species of life. The material nature of the three Gunas of goodness, passion and ignorance condition each living entity. The Guna of goodness being purer than the others is illuminating, and it frees one from all adverse reactions and helps develop knowledge conditioned by the concept of happiness. The Guna of passion is characterized by unlimited desires and longings and hence conditions one to activities in search of material benefits. The Guna of ignorance causes delusion in all living entities and conditions them to madness, indolence and sleep. The Guna of goodness conditions one to happiness, passion conditions one to the fruits of action, and ignorance to madness. Sometimes passion becomes prominent, overcoming the goodness, while sometimes goodness dominates passion, and at other times ignorance dominates goodness and passion. There is always competition for supremacy among the Gunas.
The manifestations of the Guna of goodness can be experienced when the body is illuminated by knowledge. An increase in the intensity of Guna of passion is reflected in greater attachment, uncontrollable desire, and intense endeavor to satisfy desire and lust. Higher impulse of the Guna of ignorance is identified with manifestation of laziness, madness, illusion, inertia and darkness. A person who dies in the mode of pure goodness Guna, the dweller leaves the body with an environment congenial to knowledge. Death in the state of the dominance of passion Guna, the self leaves the body in an environment congenial to strong desire to enjoy happiness, while death in the period of the dominance of ignorance Guna provides an environment of illusion faced by animals. Activities done under the influence of goodness Guna helps purification of mind and intellect. Activity under in the influence of passion Guna leads to disappointment and distress, while actions performed under the influence of the ignorance Guna shows up in foolishness and inefficiency. Goodness help develop real knowledge develops, passion leads to greed develops while ignorance fosters foolishness, madness and illusion.
When a person is able to understand that all activities are shaped only by one or more of influence of the three gunas imparted by nature, and God is independent and beyond the reach of these Gunas, the person acquires the knowledge of the spiritual nature of God. When the embodied being is able to transcend these three Gunas, it approaches the Godly state.
Verses 14.21- 14.28
Arjuna desired to know the symptoms and behavior of a person who has transcended beyond the three Gunas to those modes and how the person achieves this transcendence? Krishna replied that the transcendental person (a) does not hate or love illumination of knowledge or attachment to desire or delusion, (b) is indifferent to the existence or disappearance of these Gunas, (c) remains firmly unconcerned with and independent of the operation of the Gunas of nature, (d) perceives with equanimity and remains indifferent to different situations/ phenomenon or entities, whether pleasure or pain, a stone or a piece of gold, praise and criticism, honor or dishonor, friend or foe, (e) does not undertake any activity in search of the fruits of action, (f) engages in full devotional service, and (g) does not deviate from all the above under any circumstance. This is the exact state of the impersonal, immortal, imperishable and eternal Brahman.