Bhagavad Gītā · Chapter 14, Verse 17
सत्त्वात्सञ्जायते ज्ञानं रजसो लोभ एव च।प्रमादमोहौ तमसो भवतोऽज्ञानमेव च।।
sattvāt sañjāyate jñānaṁ rajaso lobha eva ca
pramāda-mohau tamaso bhavato ’jñānam eva ca
also searched as "sattvat sanjayate jnanam rajaso lobha eva cha"
Translation
From Sattva arises knowledge, from Rajas arises greed, from Tamas arises negligence and delusion, and from it arises ignorance.
Vāṇi's rendering
From clarity, knowledge is born; from restlessness, greed; from darkness — carelessness, confusion, and ignorance.
Word by word
| Sanskrit & transliteration | Meaning |
|---|---|
| सत्त्वात्sattvāt | from sattva — clarity, lucidity |
| सञ्जायतेsañjāyate | is born, arises |
| ज्ञानम्jñānaṁ | knowledge, true knowing |
| रजसःrajaso | from rajas — restlessness, drive (sandhi: rajasaḥ before l) |
| लोभःlobha | greed, the wanting of more (sandhi: lobhaḥ before eva) |
| एवeva | indeed, none other |
| चca | and |
| प्रमादमोहौpramāda-mohau | carelessness and confusion — the two together |
| तमसःtamaso | from tamas — darkness, inertia (sandhi: tamasaḥ before bh) |
| भवतःbhavato | the two come to be (sandhi: bhavataḥ before the elided a) |
| अज्ञानम्’jñānam | ignorance — the initial a elided after bhavato |
| एवeva | indeed |
| चca | and |
Frequently asked
What does Bhagavad Gita Chapter 14 Verse 17 mean?
It gives each guṇa its fruit. Sattva bears knowledge, rajas bears greed, tamas bears carelessness, confusion and ignorance. Krishna is not describing moods but harvests — what a state of mind actually leaves behind. You learn which guṇa is dominant not by introspecting on how you feel, but by looking at what your hours have yielded.
What does sattvat sanjayate jnanam rajaso lobha eva cha mean?
From clarity, knowing is born; from restlessness, greed. The line pairs each state with its inevitable product. Sattva is transparent, so knowledge passes through it. Rajas is hungry, so it multiplies wanting. Nothing moral is being announced here — only cause and effect, stated plainly enough that you can check it against yesterday.
How can I tell which guna is ruling me right now?
Read the output, not the mood. If understanding is settling and things are becoming clear, sattva holds. If you are reaching, comparing, needing one more thing, that is rajas. If you feel foggy, forgetful, unsure why you did what you did, that is tamas. The evidence is in the day, not the self-image.
Why does Krishna group carelessness, confusion and ignorance together under tamas?
Because they are one movement seen at three depths. Pramāda is missing what is in front of you. Moha is mistaking one thing for another. Ajñāna is no longer knowing there was anything to see. Tamas does not attack knowledge; it simply thickens until knowledge stops arriving. Notice the first slip, and the rest never gathers.
Themes in this verse
Read every verse this way, held — inside Vāṇi.
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Commentary
Krishna is naming what each state of mind produces, not what it feels like. Clarity does not merely feel pleasant — it yields knowing. Restlessness does not merely feel urgent — it yields wanting more. Darkness yields the fog where you cannot tell what you did or why. This is diagnostic. When greed shows up in you, it is news: rajas is running. When you cannot remember why you agreed to something, that is tamas, not bad luck. Arjuna wants to know what he is made of; Krishna hands him a way to read the output. Watch what your day produces, and you will know which guṇa held the reins.