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Adhyāyas / Guṇatraya-Vibhāga Yogaḥ / verse 18

Mūla — the verse

Gita Press numbering
ऊर्ध्वं गच्छन्ति सत्त्वस्था मध्ये तिष्ठन्ति राजसाः। जघन्यगुणवृत्तिस्था अधो गच्छन्ति तामसाः
ūrdhvaṁ gachchhanti sattva-sthā madhye tiṣhṭhanti rājasāḥ jaghanya-guṇa-vṛitti-sthā adho gachchhanti tāmasāḥ
Anuṣṭubh

Translation

Swami Gambhīrānanda · follows Śaṅkara-bhāṣya

People who conform to sattva go higher up; those who conform to rajas stay in the middle; those who conform to tamas, who conform to the actions of the lowest quality, go down.

हिन्दी अनुवाद — Swami Tejomayānanda

सत्त्वगुण में स्थित पुरुष उच्च (लोकों को) जाते हैं; राजस पुरुष मध्य (मनुष्य लोक) में रहते हैं और तमोगुण की अत्यन्त हीन प्रवृत्तियों में स्थित तामस लोग अधोगति को प्राप्त होते हैं।।

Pronunciation — Vaamshii

from Vaamshii
ऊर् ध्वङ्‌गच् छन्ति सत् त्वस् थाः
मध्ये तिष्ठन्ति राजसाः
जघन्य गुण वृत् तिस्थाः
अधो गच् छन्ति तामसाः
॥ १८ ॥
Read each split group as one breath-unit; hyphens join pādas kept whole for the meter or a compound word. Symbols: # upadhmānīya (visarga before p/ph), % jihvāmūlīya (visarga before k/kh), ऽ avagraha (an elided a). Full method →

Word by word

padārtha
ūrdhvamupward
gachchhantirise
sattva-sthāḥthose situated in the mode of goodness
madhyein the middle
tiṣhṭhantistay
rājasāḥthose in the mode of passion
jaghanyaabominable
guṇaquality
vṛitti-sthāḥengaged in activities
adhaḥdown
gachchhantigo
tāmasāḥthose in the mode of ignorance

Themes

from The Thematic Companion to the Bhagavad Gītā
GuṇaLaw of KarmanSādhana

Meaning — Questions & Solutions

from Q&A with KnA
14.18What is the use of such classification? The effect of the aspects.

“The sattvic go upward; the rajasic stay in the middle; the tamasic, abiding in the function of the lowest strand, go downward (jaghanya-guṇa-vṛtti-sthā adho gacchanti tāmasāḥ).” Here is the practical payoff of the whole taxonomy. It is not idle labelling; it is a map of trajectory. The guṇa one lives in determines the direction one moves — up towards light and freedom, level in the round of action, or down into deeper delusion. Knowing this, one can choose to cultivate sattva (by right food, company, study, practice — canto 17) as a deliberate ascent, while remembering (14.5) that even sattva is a stage to be passed, not a terminus. The classification is a compass, not a caste.