Bhagavad Gītā · Chapter 7, Verse 12
ये चैव सात्त्विका भावा राजसास्तामसाश्च ये।
मत्त एवेति तान्विद्धि नत्वहं तेषु ते मयि।।
मत्त एवेति तान्विद्धि नत्वहं तेषु ते मयि।।
ye caiva sāttvikā bhāvā rājasās tāmasāś ca ye
matta eveti tān viddhi na tvahaṁ teṣu te mayi
also searched as "ye chaiva sattvika bhava rajasas tamasash cha ye"
Translation
Know that all those states of Sattva, Rajas, and Tamas are from Me alone; however, I am not in them; rather, they are in Me.
Vāṇi's rendering
Every state of being — bright, restless, or dark — comes from me. They are in me; I am not in them.
Word by word
| Sanskrit & transliteration | Meaning |
|---|---|
| येye | whatever, those which |
| चca | and |
| एवeva | indeed (sandhi: ca + eva → caiva) |
| सात्त्विकाःsāttvikā(ḥ) | of the bright, clear quality |
| भावाःbhāvā(ḥ) | states of being, moods, conditions |
| राजसाःrājasā(ḥ) | of the restless, driving quality |
| तामसाःtāmasā(ḥ) | of the dark, inert quality |
| चca | and |
| येye | those which |
| मत्तःmatta(ḥ) | from me |
| एवeva | alone, only |
| इतिiti | thus, in this way (sandhi: eva + iti → eveti) |
| तान्tān | them |
| विद्धिviddhi | know |
| नna | not |
| तुtu | but, however |
| अहम्ahaṁ | I (sandhi: tu + ahaṁ → tvahaṁ) |
| तेषुteṣu | in them |
| तेte | they |
| मयिmayi | in me |
Frequently asked
What does Bhagavad Gita Chapter 7 Verse 12 mean?
It means nothing in you originates outside Krishna — not the clear moods, not the driven ones, not the heavy ones. All three qualities issue from him. But the second half is the weight of the verse: they rest in him, he does not rest in them. Source is not the same as substance. He is not stained by what he sends out.
What is the meaning of ye chaiva sattvika bhava rajasas tamasash cha ye?
Every condition of mind and matter, bright or restless or dark, is being named at once so that none can be left out. Krishna refuses a universe with an ownerless corner. Sattva does not belong to him more than tamas does. He is the origin of the whole spectrum and the captive of none of it.
If Krishna is the source of tamas, is he responsible for evil?
He is the source, not the sufferer. The guṇas move within him the way weather moves within sky; the sky is not made cloudy by cloud. Responsibility for how a state is met stays where it always was — with the one meeting it. Origin explains where dullness comes from, never whether you must obey it.
How do I use this verse when I am in a dark mood?
Stop treating the mood as an intruder or a verdict. It arose from the same source as your clearest hour and it is held inside something it cannot touch. You do not have to argue with it or approve of it. Sit where the holding happens rather than where the mood happens, and act from there.
Read every verse this way, held — inside Vāṇi.
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Commentary
Krishna has just claimed the strength of the strong and desire that keeps within dharma. Now he widens it past the flattering half. The dull states, the restless ones, the ones you would rather not sign your name to — they come from him too. And then the line turns: they are in me, I am not in them. The ocean holds the wave; the wave does not hold the ocean. Your agitation this morning arose in something vast and wholly untouched by it. Watch it long enough and you will see the darkness is contained — and what contains it is not dark.