Word meanings
- sattvam
- mode of goodness
- sukhe
- to happiness
- sañjayati
- binds
- rajaḥ
- mode of passion
- karmaṇi
- toward actions
- bhārata
- Arjun, the son of Bharat
- jñānam
- wisdom
- āvṛtya
- clouds
- tu
- but
- tamaḥ
- mode of ignorance
- pramāde
- to delusion
- sañjayati
- binds
- uta
- indeed
Translations
Sattva attaches to happiness, Rajas to action, O Arjuna, while Tamas, verily shrouding knowledge, attaches to heedlessness.
Purity brings happiness, passion brings commotion, and ignorance, which obscures wisdom, leads to a life of failure.
O scion of the Bharata dynasty, sattva attaches one to happiness, rajas to action, while tamas, obscuring knowledge, leads to inadvertence as well.
हे भरतवंशोद्भव अर्जुन ! सत्त्वगुण सुखमें और रजोगुण कर्ममें लगाकर मनुष्यपर विजय करता है तथा तमोगुण ज्ञानको ढककर एवं प्रमादमें भी लगाकर मनुष्यपर विजंय करता है।Commentary
Just as a dark cloud enshrouds the sun, so also Tamas envelops knowledge or the light of the Self. Tamas creates an attachment for heedlessness, that is, ignorance or forgetfulness of duty or the nonperformance of necessary (obligatory) duties.