Bhagavad Gītā · Chapter 14, Verse 6
तत्र सत्त्वं निर्मलत्वात्प्रकाशकमनामयम्।सुखसङ्गेन बध्नाति ज्ञानसङ्गेन चानघ।।
tatra sattvaṁ nirmalatvāt prakāśakam anāmayam
sukha-saṅgena badhnāti jñāna-saṅgena cānagha
also searched as "tatra sattvam nirmalatvat prakashakam anamayam"
Translation
Of these, sattva, being without impurity, is luminous and free from morbidity. It binds, O Arjuna, through attachment to pleasure and knowledge.
Vāṇi's rendering
Clarity, being stainless, gives light and health — yet binds you too, with the sweetness of joy and knowing.
Word by word
| Sanskrit & transliteration | Meaning |
|---|---|
| तत्रtatra | among these three |
| सत्त्वम्sattvam | sattva — clarity, the strand of light and balance |
| निर्मलत्वात्nirmalatvāt | because it is stainless, free of any clouding |
| प्रकाशकम्prakāśakam | illuminating, showing things as they are |
| अनामयम्anāmayam | free of disease or affliction; healthy |
| सुख-सङ्गेनsukha-saṅgena | by clinging to happiness |
| बध्नातिbadhnāti | it binds, ties down |
| ज्ञान-सङ्गेनjñāna-saṅgena | by clinging to knowing |
| चca | and (joined in sandhi as cānagha) |
| अनघanagha | O faultless one — Krishna's name for Arjuna here |
Frequently asked
What does Bhagavad Gita Chapter 14 Verse 6 mean?
Krishna describes sattva, the strand of clarity. It is clean, it lights things up, it brings ease. And it still ties you down — through attachment to the happiness it gives and to the knowing it grants. The quality is good. The gripping of it is the bond.
What does tatra sattvam nirmalatvat prakashakam anamayam teach?
That purity is not the last step. Sattva is stainless and healthy, and Krishna praises it plainly — then names its rope. When calm and understanding become things you possess, they hold you where you are. What frees you is not losing clarity but loosening your claim on it.
If sattva is good, why does Krishna say it binds?
Because binding here is not about the quality's nature but about your grip. Sukha-saṅga and jñāna-saṅga — the sweetness of feeling well and the pride of understanding — make you want to stay. Anything you refuse to leave has become a room, however bright its windows.
How do I notice sattva binding me in daily life?
Look at the moments you feel most settled and most insightful. Then notice the quiet sentence underneath: this is mine, I have arrived. That sentence is the knot. Keep the clarity, drop the ownership, and the same day passes through you instead of holding you.
Themes in this verse
Read every verse this way, held — inside Vāṇi.
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Commentary
The chain that binds best is the one that feels like freedom. Krishna has just named three strands, and he begins with the finest — sattva, stainless and luminous, the very state every seeker works toward. Then he says it binds. Not through darkness but through sweetness: I am happy, I am one who knows. The pleasure is real. The insight is real. The trouble is the small hook of mine sunk into both. Arjuna is being warned about the peace he is being led toward. Watch your good days closely. They are the hardest to walk out of.