Chapter 14 · Shloka 22— The Yoga of the Division of the Three Gunas

śhrī-bhagavān uvācha prakāśhaṁ cha pravṛittiṁ cha moham eva cha pāṇḍava na dveṣhṭi sampravṛittāni na nivṛittāni kāṅkṣhati

śhrī-bhagavān uvācha

— the Supreme Divine Personality said

prakāśham

— illumination

cha

— and

pravṛittim

— activity

cha

— and

moham

— delusion

eva

— even

cha

— and

pāṇḍava

— Arjun, the son of Pandu

na dveṣhṭi

— do not hate

sampravṛittāni

— when present

na

— nor

nivṛittāni

— when absent

kāṅkṣhati

— longs

Krishna begins answering: 'He does not hate illumination, activity, or delusion when they arise, O Pandava, nor long for them when they cease.' Krishna begins describing the one who has transcended the gunas (answering Arjuna's questions in 14.21). 'Prakasam ca pravrttim ca moham eva ca pandava' — illumination/light (prakasa, the effect of sattva), activity (pravrtti, the effect of rajas), and delusion (moha, the effect of tamas), O Pandava. 'Na dveshti sampravrttani na nivrttani kankshati' — he neither hates (na dveshti) them when they arise/are present (sampravrtta), nor longs for / craves (na kankshati) them when they have ceased/departed (nivrtta). Shankaracharya explains the first and key mark of the one beyond the gunas: a profound EVEN-MINDEDNESS toward all three qualities as they come and go. When sattva's clarity (prakasa) is present, he doesn't grasp at it; when it leaves, he doesn't pine for it. When rajas's activity arises, he doesn't resent it; when it passes, he doesn't miss it. When tamas's delusion descends, he doesn't hate it; when it lifts, he doesn't long to be rid of having had it. He has the same equanimity toward ALL the states — not even craving the 'good' state (sattva) or hating the 'bad' state (tamas). This is the freedom of the witness: watching all three come and go with equal, unattached acceptance. This verse gives the first mark of one beyond the gunas: even-mindedness toward all three qualities — neither hating nor craving any of them as they come and go. The insight worth drawing out is the remarkable freedom of NOT being at war with your own states — neither grasping at the good ones nor hating the bad ones, but letting all of them come and go with equanimity. This is subtler than it first appears. We're used to the idea of cultivating good states (sattva) and avoiding bad ones (tamas). But Krishna describes something deeper: the liberated one doesn't even crave the good states or hate the bad states. When clarity is present, no clinging; when it goes, no pining. When the fog descends, no hatred of it; when it lifts, no fixation on having been in it. This is a profound shift in your relationship to your own inner weather. Most of our suffering around our states comes not just from the states themselves but from our REACTIONS to them — our desperate grasping at the good ones (and the anxiety of trying to keep them) and our hatred and resistance toward the bad ones (which, paradoxically, makes them worse and stickier). When you're caught in a low mood AND hating yourself for being in it, you suffer doubly. When you're in a good mood AND anxiously clutching it, you taint it with the fear of loss. The liberated one drops this whole war: they let the states come and go like weather, without grasping or resisting, and in that non-resistance, they're free. The lesson: stop being at war with your own inner states. When a difficult state arises (low mood, restlessness, fog), don't add hatred and resistance to it — that just makes it worse and stickier. When a good state arises, enjoy it but don't desperately clutch it. Practice the deep equanimity of letting your states come and go like weather, without grasping the pleasant or fighting the unpleasant. This non-resistance is itself a profound freedom — often the difficult state passes more easily precisely when you stop fighting it. Make peace with your inner weather; don't wage war on it. That peace is the mark of real freedom.

The insight worth drawing out is the remarkable freedom of NOT being at war with your own inner states — neither grasping at the good ones nor hating the bad ones, but letting all of them come and go with genuine equanimity. This is subtler and deeper than it first appears. We're all used to the basic idea of cultivating good states (sattva) and trying to avoid bad ones (tamas). But Krishna describes something deeper here: the truly liberated one doesn't even crave the good states or hate the bad states. When clarity is present, no anxious clinging; when it goes, no pining or grief. When the fog descends, no hatred of it; when it lifts, no fixation on having been stuck in it. This is a profound shift in your whole relationship to your own inner weather. Here's the key realization: most of our suffering around our states comes not just from the states themselves, but from our REACTIONS to them — our desperate grasping at the good ones (and the constant anxiety of trying to keep them) and our hatred and resistance toward the bad ones (which, paradoxically, tends to make them worse and stickier and last longer). When you're caught in a low mood AND simultaneously hating yourself for being in it, you suffer twice over. When you're in a good mood AND anxiously clutching it, you poison it with the fear of losing it. The liberated one drops this entire exhausting war: they let the states come and go like weather, without grasping or resisting, and in that very non-resistance, they're genuinely free. The lesson: stop being at war with your own inner states. When a difficult state arises (a low mood, restlessness, mental fog), don't pile hatred and resistance on top of it — that reaction just makes it worse, stickier, and longer-lasting. When a good state arises, enjoy it fully but don't desperately clutch at it. Practice the deep equanimity of letting your states come and go like passing weather, without grasping the pleasant or fighting the unpleasant. This non-resistance is itself a profound freedom — and here's the practical bonus: the difficult state often passes more easily precisely when you stop fighting it and just let it be. Make peace with your inner weather instead of waging constant war on it. That peace with whatever arises is itself the mark of real freedom.

The insight worth drawing out is the remarkable freedom of NOT being at war with your own inner states — neither grasping at the good ones nor hating the bad ones, but letting all of them come and go with genuine equanimity. This is subtler and deeper than it first appears. We're all used to the basic idea of cultivating good states (sattva) and trying to avoid bad ones (tamas). But Krishna describes something deeper here: the truly liberated one doesn't even crave the good states or hate the bad states. When clarity is present, no anxious clinging; when it goes, no pining or grief. When the fog descends, no hatred of it; when it lifts, no fixation on having been stuck in it. This is a profound shift in your whole relationship to your own inner weather. Here's the key realization: most of our suffering around our states comes not just from the states themselves, but from our REACTIONS to them — our desperate grasping at the good ones (and the constant anxiety of trying to keep them) and our hatred and resistance toward the bad ones (which, ironically, tends to make them worse, stickier, and last way longer). When you're caught in a low mood AND simultaneously hating yourself for being in it, you suffer twice over. When you're in a good mood AND anxiously clutching it, you poison it with the fear of losing it. The liberated one drops this entire exhausting war: they let the states come and go like weather, without grasping or resisting, and in that very non-resistance, they're genuinely free. The lesson: stop being at war with your own inner states. When a difficult state arises (a low mood, restlessness, mental fog), don't pile hatred and resistance on top of it — that reaction just makes it worse, stickier, and longer-lasting. When a good state arises, enjoy it fully but don't desperately clutch at it. Practice the deep equanimity of letting your states come and go like passing weather, without grasping the pleasant or fighting the unpleasant. This non-resistance is itself a profound freedom — and here's the practical bonus: the difficult state often passes way more easily precisely when you stop fighting it and just let it be. Make peace with your inner weather instead of waging constant war on it. That peace with whatever arises is itself the mark of real freedom.

Krishna starts answering Arjuna's questions, beginning with the FIRST sign of a truly free person! Here it is: a free person doesn't fight with their feelings and energies! When the bright energy comes, they enjoy it but don't grab it tightly. When it leaves, they don't cry for it. When the foggy energy comes, they don't hate it. When it leaves, they don't fuss about having had it. They're peaceful with ALL the energies coming and going! Here's a really helpful idea: a lot of our unhappiness comes not from our feelings, but from FIGHTING our feelings! Think about it: when you feel sad AND you get mad at yourself for feeling sad, you feel doubly bad! When you feel happy AND you worry about losing the happy feeling, you ruin the happiness! But a peaceful person just lets the feelings come and go, like clouds passing in the sky, without fighting them! And here's the magic: when you STOP fighting a yucky feeling and just let it be, it often passes more quickly! So here's the lesson: don't be at war with your own feelings! When a bad feeling comes, don't pile on extra hating-it — just let it be there, and it'll pass. When a good feeling comes, enjoy it, but hold it gently. Be peaceful with all your feelings coming and going, like a calm sky watching clouds. That peace with whatever you're feeling is a sign of real freedom and happiness!