Third Skandha · Chapter 8
Sourceब्रह्मोवाच सर्गोऽयं कथितस्तात यत्पृष्टोऽहं त्वयाऽधुना । गुणानां रूपसंस्थां वै शृणुष्वैकाग्रमानसः ॥ १ ॥ सत्त्वं प्रीत्यात्मकं ज्ञेयं सुखात्प्रीतिसमुद्भवः । आर्जवं च तथा सत्यं शौचं श्रद्धा क्षमा धृतिः ॥ २ ॥ अनुकम्पा तथा लज्जा शान्तिः सन्तोष एव च । एतैः सत्त्वप्रतीतिश्च जायते निश्चला सदा ॥ ३ ॥ श्वेतवर्णं तथा सत्त्वं धर्मे प्रीतिकरः सदा । सच्छ्रद्धोत्पादकं नित्यमसच्छ्रद्धानिवारकम् ॥ ४ ॥ सात्त्विकी राजसी चैव तामसी च तथापरा । श्रद्धा तु त्रिविधा प्रोक्ता मुनिभिस्तत्त्वदर्शिभिः ॥ ५ ॥ रक्तवर्णं रजः प्रोक्तमप्रीतिकरमद्भुतम् । अप्रीतिर्दुःखयोगत्वाद्भवत्येव सुनिश्चिता ॥ ६ ॥ प्रद्वेषोऽथ तथा द्रोहो मत्सरः स्तम्भ एव च । उत्कण्ठा च तथा निद्रा श्रद्धा तत्र च राजसी ॥ ७ ॥ मानो मदस्तथा गर्वो रजसा किल जायते । प्रत्येतव्यं रजस्त्वेतैर्लक्षणैश्च विचक्षणैः ॥ ८ ॥ कृष्णवर्णं तमः प्रोक्तं मोहनं च विषादकृत् । आलस्यं च तथाऽज्ञानं निद्रा दैन्यं भयं तथा ॥ ९ ॥ विवादश्चैव कार्पण्यं कौटिल्यं रोष एव च । वैषम्यं वातिनास्तिक्यं परदोषानुदर्शनम् ॥ १० ॥ प्रत्येतव्यं तमस्त्वेतैर्लक्षणैः सर्वथा बुधैः । तामस्या श्रद्धया युक्तं परतापोपपादकम् ॥ ११ ॥ सत्त्वं प्रकाशयितव्यं नियन्तव्यं रजः सदा । संहर्तव्यं तमः कामं जनेन शुभमिच्छता ॥ १२ ॥ अन्योन्याभिभवाच्चैते विरुध्यन्ति परस्परम् । तथोऽन्योन्याश्रयाः सर्वे न तिष्ठन्ति निराश्रयाः ॥ १३ ॥ सत्त्वं न केवलं क्वापि न रजो न तमस्तथा । मिलिताश्च सदा सर्वे तेनान्योन्याश्रयाः स्मृताः ॥ १४ ॥ अन्योन्यमिथुनाच्चैव विस्तारं कथयाम्यहम् । शृणु नारद यज्ज्ञात्वा मुच्यते भवबन्धनात् ॥ १५ ॥ सन्देहोऽत्र न कर्तव्यो ज्ञात्वेत्युक्तं मया वचः । ज्ञातं तदनुभूतं यत्परिज्ञातं फले सति ॥ १६ ॥ श्रवणाद्दर्शनाच्चैव सपद्येव महामते । संस्कारानुभवाच्चैव परिज्ञातं न जायते ॥ १७ ॥ श्रुतं तीर्थं पवित्रञ्च श्रद्धोत्पन्ना च राजसी । निर्गतस्तत्र तीर्थे वै दृष्टं चैव यथाश्रुतम् ॥ १८ ॥ स्नातस्तत्र कृतं कृत्यं दत्तं दानं च राजसम् । स्थितस्तत्र कियत्कालं रजोगुणसमावृतः ॥ १९ ॥ रागद्वेषान्न निर्मुक्तः कामक्रोधसमावृतः । पुनरेव गृहं प्राप्तो यथापूर्वं तथा स्थितः ॥ २० ॥ श्रुतं च नानुभूतं वै तेन तीर्थं मुनीश्वर । न प्राप्तं च फलं यस्मादश्रुतं विद्धि नारद ॥ २१ ॥ निष्पापत्वं बलं विद्धि तीर्थस्य मुनिसत्तम । कृषेः फलं यथा लोके निष्पन्नान्नस्य भक्षणम् ॥ २२ ॥ पापदेहविकारा ये कामक्रोधादयः परे । लोभो मोहस्तथा तृष्णा द्वेषो रागस्तथा मदः ॥ २३ ॥ असूयेर्ष्याक्षमाशान्तिः पापान्येतानि नारद । न निर्गतानि देहात्तु तावत्पापयुतो नरः ॥ २४ ॥ कृते तीर्थे यदैतानि देहान्न निर्गतानि चेत् । निष्फलः श्रम एवैकः कर्षकस्य यथा तथा ॥ २५ ॥ श्रमेणापीडितं क्षेत्रं कृष्टा भूमिः सुदुर्घटा । उप्तं बीजं महार्घं च हिता वृत्तिरुदाहृता ॥ २६ ॥ अहोरात्रं परिक्लिष्टो रक्षणार्थं फलोत्सुकः । काले सुप्तस्तु हेमन्ते वने व्याघ्रादिभिर्भृशम् ॥ २७ ॥ भक्षितं शलभैः सर्वं निराशश्च कृतः पुनः । तद्वत्तीर्थश्रमः पुत्र कष्टदो न फलप्रदः ॥ २८ ॥ सत्त्वं समुत्कटं जातं प्रवृद्धं शास्त्रदर्शनात् । वैराग्यं तत्फलं जातं तामसार्थेषु नारद ॥ २९ ॥ प्रसह्याभिभवत्येव तद्रजस्तमसी उभे । रजः समुत्कटं जातं प्रवृत्तं लोभयोगतः ॥ ३० ॥ तत्तथाभिभवत्येव तमःसत्त्वे तथा उभे । तमस्तथोत्कटं भूत्वा प्रवृद्धं मोहयोगतः ॥ ३१ ॥ तत्सत्त्वरजसी चोभे सङ्गम्याभिभवत्यपि । विस्तरं कथयाम्यद्य यथाभिभवतीति वै ॥ ३२ ॥ यदा सत्त्वं प्रवृद्धं वै मतिर्धर्मे स्थिता तदा । न चिन्तयति बाह्यार्थं रजस्तमःसमुद्भवम् ॥ ३३ ॥ अर्थं सत्त्वसमुद्भूतं गृह्णाति च न चान्यथा । अनायासकृतं चार्थं धर्मं यज्ञं च वाञ्छति ॥ ३४ ॥ सात्त्विकेष्वेव भोगेषु कामं वै कुरुते तदा । राजसेषु न मोक्षार्थं तामसेषु पुनः कुतः ॥ ३५ ॥ एवं जित्वा रजः पूर्वं ततश्च तमसो जयः । सत्त्वं च केवलं पुत्र तदा भवति निर्मलम् ॥ ३६ ॥ यदा रजः प्रवृद्धं वै त्यक्त्वा धर्मान् सनातनान् । अन्यथाकुरुते धर्माच्छ्रद्धां प्राप्य तु राजसीम् ॥ ३७ ॥ राजसादर्थसंवृद्धिस्तथा भोगस्तु राजसः । सत्त्वं विनिर्गतं तेन तमसश्चापि निग्रहः ॥ ३८ ॥ यदा तमो विवृद्धं स्यादुत्कटं सम्बभूव ह । तदा वेदे न विश्वासो धर्मशास्त्रे तथैव च ॥ ३९ ॥ श्रद्धां च तामसीं प्राप्य करोति च धनात्ययम् । द्रोहं सर्वत्र कुरुते न शान्तिमधिगच्छति ॥ ४० ॥ जित्वा सत्त्वं रजश्चैव क्रोधनो दुर्मतिः शठः । वर्तते कामचारेण भावेषु विततेषु च ॥ ४१ ॥ एकं सत्त्वं न भवति रजश्चैकं तमस्तथा । सहैवाश्रित्य वर्तन्ते गुणा मिथुनधर्मिणः ॥ ४२ ॥ रजो विना न सत्त्वं स्याद्रजः सत्त्वं विना क्वचित् । तमो विना न चैवैते वर्तन्ते पुरुषर्षभ ॥ ४३ ॥ तमस्ताभ्यां विहीनं तु केवलं न कदाचन । सर्वे मिथुनधर्माणो गुणाः कार्यान्तरेषु वै ॥ ४४ ॥ अन्योन्यसंश्रिताः सर्वे तिष्ठन्ति न वियोजिताः । अन्योन्यजनकाश्चैव यतः प्रसवधर्मिणः ॥ ४५ ॥ सत्त्वं कदाचिच्च रजस्तमसी जनयत्युत । कदाचित्तु रजः सत्त्वतमसी जनयत्यपि ॥ ४६ ॥ कदाचित्तु तमः सत्त्वरजसी जनयत्युभे । जनयन्त्येवमन्योन्यं मृत्पिण्डश्च घटं यथा ॥ ४७ ॥ बुद्धिस्थास्ते गुणाः कामान्बोधयन्ति परस्परम् । देवदत्तविष्णुमित्रयज्ञदत्तादयो यथा ॥ ४८ ॥ यथा स्त्रीपुरुषश्चैव मिथुनौ च परस्परम् । तथा गुणाः समायान्ति युग्मभावं परस्परम् ॥ ४९ ॥ रजसो मिथुने सत्त्वं सत्त्वस्य मिथुने रजः । उभे ते सत्त्वरजसी तमसो मिथुने विदुः ॥ ५० ॥ नारद उवाच इत्येतत्कथितं पित्रा गुणरूपमनुत्तमम् । श्रुत्वाप्येतत्स एवाहं ततोऽपृच्छं पितामहम् ॥ ५१ ॥
brahmovāca sargo'yaṃ kathitastāta yatpṛṣṭo'haṃ tvayā'dhunā | guṇānāṃ rūpasaṃsthāṃ vai śṛṇuṣvaikāgramānasaḥ || 1 || sattvaṃ prītyātmakaṃ jñeyaṃ sukhātprītisamudbhavaḥ | ārjavaṃ ca tathā satyaṃ śaucaṃ śraddhā kṣamā dhṛtiḥ || 2 || anukampā tathā lajjā śāntiḥ santoṣa eva ca | etaiḥ sattvapratītiśca jāyate niścalā sadā || 3 || śvetavarṇaṃ tathā sattvaṃ dharme prītikaraḥ sadā | sacchraddhotpādakaṃ nityamasacchraddhānivārakam || 4 || sāttvikī rājasī caiva tāmasī ca tathāparā | śraddhā tu trividhā proktā munibhistattvadarśibhiḥ || 5 || raktavarṇaṃ rajaḥ proktamaprītikaramadbhutam | aprītirduḥkhayogatvādbhavatyeva suniścitā || 6 || pradveṣo'tha tathā droho matsaraḥ stambha eva ca | utkaṇṭhā ca tathā nidrā śraddhā tatra ca rājasī || 7 || māno madastathā garvo rajasā kila jāyate | pratyetavyaṃ rajastvetairlakṣaṇaiśca vicakṣaṇaiḥ || 8 || kṛṣṇavarṇaṃ tamaḥ proktaṃ mohanaṃ ca viṣādakṛt | ālasyaṃ ca tathā'jñānaṃ nidrā dainyaṃ bhayaṃ tathā || 9 || vivādaścaiva kārpaṇyaṃ kauṭilyaṃ roṣa eva ca | vaiṣamyaṃ vātināstikyaṃ paradoṣānudarśanam || 10 || pratyetavyaṃ tamastvetairlakṣaṇaiḥ sarvathā budhaiḥ | tāmasyā śraddhayā yuktaṃ paratāpopapādakam || 11 || sattvaṃ prakāśayitavyaṃ niyantavyaṃ rajaḥ sadā | saṃhartavyaṃ tamaḥ kāmaṃ janena śubhamicchatā || 12 || anyonyābhibhavāccaite virudhyanti parasparam | tatho'nyonyāśrayāḥ sarve na tiṣṭhanti nirāśrayāḥ || 13 || sattvaṃ na kevalaṃ kvāpi na rajo na tamastathā | militāśca sadā sarve tenānyonyāśrayāḥ smṛtāḥ || 14 || anyonyamithunāccaiva vistāraṃ kathayāmyaham | śṛṇu nārada yajjñātvā mucyate bhavabandhanāt || 15 || sandeho'tra na kartavyo jñātvetyuktaṃ mayā vacaḥ | jñātaṃ tadanubhūtaṃ yatparijñātaṃ phale sati || 16 || śravaṇāddarśanāccaiva sapadyeva mahāmate | saṃskārānubhavāccaiva parijñātaṃ na jāyate || 17 || śrutaṃ tīrthaṃ pavitrañca śraddhotpannā ca rājasī | nirgatastatra tīrthe vai dṛṣṭaṃ caiva yathāśrutam || 18 || snātastatra kṛtaṃ kṛtyaṃ dattaṃ dānaṃ ca rājasam | sthitastatra kiyatkālaṃ rajoguṇasamāvṛtaḥ || 19 || rāgadveṣānna nirmuktaḥ kāmakrodhasamāvṛtaḥ | punareva gṛhaṃ prāpto yathāpūrvaṃ tathā sthitaḥ || 20 || śrutaṃ ca nānubhūtaṃ vai tena tīrthaṃ munīśvara | na prāptaṃ ca phalaṃ yasmādaśrutaṃ viddhi nārada || 21 || niṣpāpatvaṃ balaṃ viddhi tīrthasya munisattama | kṛṣeḥ phalaṃ yathā loke niṣpannānnasya bhakṣaṇam || 22 || pāpadehavikārā ye kāmakrodhādayaḥ pare | lobho mohastathā tṛṣṇā dveṣo rāgastathā madaḥ || 23 || asūyerṣyākṣamāśāntiḥ pāpānyetāni nārada | na nirgatāni dehāttu tāvatpāpayuto naraḥ || 24 || kṛte tīrthe yadaitāni dehānna nirgatāni cet | niṣphalaḥ śrama evaikaḥ karṣakasya yathā tathā || 25 || śrameṇāpīḍitaṃ kṣetraṃ kṛṣṭā bhūmiḥ sudurghaṭā | uptaṃ bījaṃ mahārghaṃ ca hitā vṛttirudāhṛtā || 26 || ahorātraṃ parikliṣṭo rakṣaṇārthaṃ phalotsukaḥ | kāle suptastu hemante vane vyāghrādibhirbhṛśam || 27 || bhakṣitaṃ śalabhaiḥ sarvaṃ nirāśaśca kṛtaḥ punaḥ | tadvattīrthaśramaḥ putra kaṣṭado na phalapradaḥ || 28 || sattvaṃ samutkaṭaṃ jātaṃ pravṛddhaṃ śāstradarśanāt | vairāgyaṃ tatphalaṃ jātaṃ tāmasārtheṣu nārada || 29 || prasahyābhibhavatyeva tadrajastamasī ubhe | rajaḥ samutkaṭaṃ jātaṃ pravṛttaṃ lobhayogataḥ || 30 || tattathābhibhavatyeva tamaḥsattve tathā ubhe | tamastathotkaṭaṃ bhūtvā pravṛddhaṃ mohayogataḥ || 31 || tatsattvarajasī cobhe saṅgamyābhibhavatyapi | vistaraṃ kathayāmyadya yathābhibhavatīti vai || 32 || yadā sattvaṃ pravṛddhaṃ vai matirdharme sthitā tadā | na cintayati bāhyārthaṃ rajastamaḥsamudbhavam || 33 || arthaṃ sattvasamudbhūtaṃ gṛhṇāti ca na cānyathā | anāyāsakṛtaṃ cārthaṃ dharmaṃ yajñaṃ ca vāñchati || 34 || sāttvikeṣveva bhogeṣu kāmaṃ vai kurute tadā | rājaseṣu na mokṣārthaṃ tāmaseṣu punaḥ kutaḥ || 35 || evaṃ jitvā rajaḥ pūrvaṃ tataśca tamaso jayaḥ | sattvaṃ ca kevalaṃ putra tadā bhavati nirmalam || 36 || yadā rajaḥ pravṛddhaṃ vai tyaktvā dharmān sanātanān | anyathākurute dharmācchraddhāṃ prāpya tu rājasīm || 37 || rājasādarthasaṃvṛddhistathā bhogastu rājasaḥ | sattvaṃ vinirgataṃ tena tamasaścāpi nigrahaḥ || 38 || yadā tamo vivṛddhaṃ syādutkaṭaṃ sambabhūva ha | tadā vede na viśvāso dharmaśāstre tathaiva ca || 39 || śraddhāṃ ca tāmasīṃ prāpya karoti ca dhanātyayam | drohaṃ sarvatra kurute na śāntimadhigacchati || 40 || jitvā sattvaṃ rajaścaiva krodhano durmatiḥ śaṭhaḥ | vartate kāmacāreṇa bhāveṣu vitateṣu ca || 41 || ekaṃ sattvaṃ na bhavati rajaścaikaṃ tamastathā | sahaivāśritya vartante guṇā mithunadharmiṇaḥ || 42 || rajo vinā na sattvaṃ syādrajaḥ sattvaṃ vinā kvacit | tamo vinā na caivaite vartante puruṣarṣabha || 43 || tamastābhyāṃ vihīnaṃ tu kevalaṃ na kadācana | sarve mithunadharmāṇo guṇāḥ kāryāntareṣu vai || 44 || anyonyasaṃśritāḥ sarve tiṣṭhanti na viyojitāḥ | anyonyajanakāścaiva yataḥ prasavadharmiṇaḥ || 45 || sattvaṃ kadācicca rajastamasī janayatyuta | kadācittu rajaḥ sattvatamasī janayatyapi || 46 || kadācittu tamaḥ sattvarajasī janayatyubhe | janayantyevamanyonyaṃ mṛtpiṇḍaśca ghaṭaṃ yathā || 47 || buddhisthāste guṇāḥ kāmānbodhayanti parasparam | devadattaviṣṇumitrayajñadattādayo yathā || 48 || yathā strīpuruṣaścaiva mithunau ca parasparam | tathā guṇāḥ samāyānti yugmabhāvaṃ parasparam || 49 || rajaso mithune sattvaṃ sattvasya mithune rajaḥ | ubhe te sattvarajasī tamaso mithune viduḥ || 50 || nārada uvāca ityetatkathitaṃ pitrā guṇarūpamanuttamam | śrutvāpyetatsa evāhaṃ tato'pṛcchaṃ pitāmaham || 51 ||
English translation
1. Brahma said:--0 Narada! I have described to you what you asked me just now about the creation of this universe, etc. Now hear with attention the colour of the three qualities, as well their configuration and how they are seen to exist.
2-3. The Sattva Guna is the source of pleasure and happiness; and when happiness comes, everything seems delightening. When integrity, truthfulness, cleanliness, faith, forgiveness, fortitude, mercy, bashfulness, peace and contentment arise in one's heart, know certainly that there has arisen firmly the Sattva Guna in that man.
4. The colour of the Sattva quality is white; it makes one always like religion, and have faith towards good purposes and discard one's tendencies towards bad objects.
5. The Risis, the seers of truth classify Sraddha (faith) under the three headings: Sattvik, Rajasik and Tamasik.
6. The quality Rajas is of red colour, wonderful and is not pleasant; it is the source of all troubles; there is no doubt in this.
7-8. The intelligent should understand that Rajas has certainly arisen in him, when his mind is filled with hatred, enmity, quarrelsome feeling, pride, stupification, uneasiness, sleeplessness, want of faith, egoism, vanity and arrogance.
9-11. The quality Tamas is of black colour. From Tamas arises laziness, ignorance, sleep, poverty, fear, quarrels, miserliness, insincerity, anger, aberration of intellect, violent atheism, and finding fault with others. The wise should think that Tamas has overpowered him when the above qualities are found to possess him. When this Tamas quality is attended with the Tamasi faith, then it becomes the source of pain to others.
12. The well wishers should manifest in themselves the Sattva qualities, control the Rajasic qualities, and destroy the Tamasic qualities.
13. These three qualities are always found to remain intermingled with another, and each of them has always an inherent tendency to overcome the others; and therefore they are always, as it were, at war with another. They never have a separate existence from one another.
14. Never is found anywhere only one Sattva quality to the exclusion of others, the Rajas and Tamas; similar is the case with the Rajas or Tamas. They remain intermingled and depend on one another.
15. O Narada! Now hear, in detail, which two qualities remain in twins, knowing which, one is freed from this ocean of the transmigration of existence.
16. I have realised these; therefore you ought not to have any uncertainties on these points. The reality of these is especially felt, when it is really understood and when its effects begin to manifest themselves.
17. O high-minded! No one is able to realise these at once; it requires be heard, and then meditated upon. It also depends on one's natural capability and merits, due to the past actions.
18-21. Suppose one hears of the sacred places of pilgrimages and is filled with the Rajasic devotion. He goes out to those places and sees what he had heard before. There he performs his ablutions, makes offerings and the Rajasic gifts, stays there for some time; but all this he does under the influence of the Rajasic quality. And when he returns home, he finds himself not free from lust, anger, love and hatred; he remains the same that he was before. Therefore, in this case, O Narada! man hears but he does not realise the purifying effects of those holy places. O best of Munis! And when he does not find any benefit from the holy place of pilgrimage, it is equivalent to his not at all hearing of the place.
22. O best of Munis! The effect of visiting the sacred places of pilgrimages is then said to accrue to any individual, when he becomes freed from his sins, just as the fruit of cultivating fields is then said to occur, when the cultivator gets the ripened harvest out of his labour and enjoys the produce of his fields.
23. O Narada! Lust, anger, covetousness, delusion, thirst, hatred, love, vanity, malice, jealousy, non-forgiveness, unrest all these indicate that there is sin; and until these are purged out of one's body and mind, man lives in sin. If the visiting of the sacred places of pilgrimages does not enable one to overcome the above passions, then the labours in going to those places are in vain, i.e., those labours merely are the results just as the toil only undergone by the cultivator is his only result, and is not met with any reward when there is no harvest at all.
24-28. Lo! The cultivator takes hard labour to clear his fields and cultivate the hard soil; he then sows the valuable seeds, because this is considered as doing good. Next, in expectation of the harvest, he undergoes a good deal of pains, day and night, to protect his fields and goes down to sleep, in the cold season, in the forest surrounded by tigers and other dangerous animals; but alas! locusts coming eat away and destroy all the crops, to the utter disappointment of the cultivator. All his labours are spent in vain. So, O Narada! The labour taken by one in going to the holy places yields pains, and pains only, instead of success and happiness.
29-32. When the Sattva quality grows in abundance, as a consequence of reading the Vedanta and the other S'astras, dispassion comes towards the Rajasic and the Tamasic qualities and things, and the Sattva quality overpowers the Rajas and Tamas. Similarly when the Rajasic quality grows in abundance, as a natural consequence of greed and avarice, then it overpowers Sattva and Tamas; so, by delusion, when the Tamasic quality grows in abundance, it overpowers the Sattva and the Rajasic qualities. O Narada! I will now speak to you, in detail, about the overpowering of these qualities by one another.
33-35. When the Sattva quality grows in preponderance, the mind rests in religious ideas and things; it no more thinks of those external things, the products of the Rajas and Tamas qualities. Rather it wants to enjoy the Sattvic things; wealth, religious affairs, sacrifices that can be acquired or performed without any trouble. Then that individual yearns after salvation and renounces his pursuits after the Rajasic and Tamasic objects.
36. Thus, O Narada! first try to conquer the Rajas and then the Tamas; then the Sattva becomes pure.
37. When the Rajasic quality grows in preponderance, the individual imbibes the Rajasic faith, abandons his own Sanatan Dharma (settled eternal religion) and practises against his religious instructions.
38. Under the Rajasic propensities, one is eager to amass wealth and enjoy the Rajasic things. The Rajas drives away the Sattva and curbs the Tamas.
39-41. Narada! So when the Tamasic quality grows in preponderance, the faith in the Vedas and in the religious S'astras entirely disappears. Imbibing the Tamasic faith, the individual squanders away his wealth and is always engaged in quarrels, and party feelings, envy, violence and never enjoys peace. The individual with the Tamasic quality in excess overpowers the Rajasic and Sattvic qualities and becomes angry, wicked, and a great cheat and does everything as he likes, without any regard to his superiors.
42. Narada! Thus you see that, of these three qualities, no one can remain entirely alone, free from the other qualities. These remain always in twos or threes.
43-44. The Sattva can never exist without the Rajas; the Rajas can never exist without the Tamas; and these two qualities can never exist without Tamas. Again Tamas cannot exist without Rajas and Sattva. These qualities act and react always in twos or threes.
45-47. They never exist separately; they live in pairs or threes and are the originators of each other; these qualities are of the nature of procreating things; in other words, Sattva originates the Rajas or Tamas; again the Rajas originates sometimes Sattva and Tamas. Again the Tamas sometimes originates Sattva and Rajas. Thus they generate each other as the earthen pots and earth are their mutual causes.
48-49. Deva Datta, Visnu Mitra, and Yajha Datta these three united perform any action, so these three qualities united reside in the buddhi (intellect) of the Jivas and generate their sense perceptions.
Just as the husband and wife get into a couple, the qualities get into couples.
50. The Sattva with Rajas forms the couple Rajas Sattva; so Sattva Rajas forms another couple, where the Sattva predominates. So Sattva end Rajas forms each with Tamas the other couples.
51. Narada said! O Dvaipayana! Hearing thus about these three qualities from my father, I asked him again these questions.
Thus ends the eighth chapter of the Maha Puranam S'rimad Devi Bhagavatam containing the description of the Gunas, of 18,000 verses by Maharsi Veda Vyasa.
Complete chapter-aligned witnesses. Sanskrit Wikisource page 24734, revision 75587 (2016-08-03T11:38:43Z). English is Swami Vijñanananda’s complete 1921–23 public-domain translation, controlled against the archival OCR and its chapter page at https://sacred-texts.com/hin/db/bk03ch08.htm. Historic spelling and transliteration are lightly normalized; no verse-by-verse alignment is asserted.