Chapter 14 Verse 14-15
Guṇa Traya Vibhāg Yog
यदा सत्त्वे प्रवृद्धे तु प्रलयं याति देहभृत्।तदोत्तमविदां लोकानमलान्प्रतिपद्यते।।14.14।। रजसि प्रलयं गत्वा कर्मसङ्गिषु जायते।तथा प्रलीनस्तमसि मूढयोनिषु जायते।।14.15।।
yadā sattve pravṛiddhe tu pralayaṁ yāti deha-bhṛit tadottama-vidāṁ lokān amalān pratipadyate rajasi pralayaṁ gatvā karma-saṅgiṣhu jāyate tathā pralīnas tamasi mūḍha-yoniṣhu jāyate
Word Meanings
| yadā | when |
| sattve | in the mode of goodness |
| pravṛiddhe | when premodinates |
| tu | indeed |
| pralayam | death |
| yāti | reach |
| deha-bhṛit | the embodied |
| tadā | then |
| uttama-vidām | of the learned |
| lokān | abodes |
| amalān | pure |
| pratipadyate | attains |
| rajasi | in the mode of passion |
| pralayam | death |
| gatvā | attaining |
| karma-saṅgiṣhu | among people driven by work |
| jāyate | are born |
| tathā | likewise |
| pralīnaḥ | dying |
| tamasi | in the mode of ignorance |
| mūḍha-yoniṣhu | in the animal kingdom |
| jāyate | takes birth |
Translation
If the embodied one meets death when Sattva is predominant, then they attain the spotless worlds of the knowers of the Highest. Meeting death in Rajas, he is born among those who are attached to action; and dying in Tamas, he is born in the womb of the thoughtless.
Philosophical Significance
Core Meaning
The verse teaches that the state of your mind at the time of death follows from the habits and qualities you cultivate in life. If your mind is calm, clear, and pure (sattva) when you die, you move toward higher, peaceful spiritual realms.
If you die with a restless, desire-driven mind (rajas), you return into lives shaped by activity, work, and attachment. If you die in ignorance, dullness, or confusion (tamas), you fall into lower forms of life and remain trapped in unknowing.
In short, the moment of death reflects a lifetime of inner conditioning. What you practice daily becomes the natural state that carries you forward.
Life Application
- Build small daily habits that increase clarity and calm: simple meditation, honest self-reflection, and wholesome food and company.
- Act with attention rather than chasing constant excitement; do your work without clinging to results to reduce rajas.
- Learn, read, and spend time with wise people to dispel confusion and avoid slipping into tamas.
Reflection Question
What habit today will most gently shape the state of my mind when I die?