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BG 14.9 — 14.9 Sattva attaches to happiness, Rajas to action, O Arjuna, while Tamas verily shrouding knowledge attaches to heedlessness.
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सत्त्वं सुखे सञ्जयति रजः कर्मणि भारत |
ज्ञानमावृत्य तु तमः प्रमादे सञ्जयत्युत ||१४-९||

sattvaṃ sukhe sañjayati rajaḥ karmaṇi bhārata . jñānamāvṛtya tu tamaḥ pramāde sañjayatyuta ||14-9||


14.9 Sattva attaches to happiness, Rajas to action, O Arjuna, while Tamas verily shrouding knowledge attaches to heedlessness.

Word-by-word meanings

14.9 सत्त्वम् purity? सुखे to happiness? सञ्जयति attaches? रजः active force? कर्मणि to action? भारत O Bharata? ज्ञानम् knowledge? आवृत्य shrouding? तु verily? तमः inertia? प्रमादे to heedlessness? सञ्जयति attaches? उत but.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.

Commentaries

Non-dualism. The individual self and Brahman are one. The world is appearance (maya). Liberation through knowledge.

Sri Shankaracharya

14.9 O scion of the Bharata dynasty, sattva, sanjayati, attaches one; sukhe, to happiness; rajas (-attaches is understood-) karmani, to action; tu, while; tamas, avrtya, covering up, veiling; jnanam, knowledge, the discrimination produced by sattva; sanjayati, leads pramade, to inadvertence; uta, also. Pramada means non-performance of a duty on hand. When do the alities produce the effects stated above? That is being answered:

Swami Gambirananda

14.9 O scion of the Bharata dynasty, sattva attaches one to happiness, rajas to action, while tamas, covering up knowledge, leads to inadvertence also.

This interpretation draws on the Advaita tradition and may not represent the view of any single school. For authoritative guidance within a specific tradition, seek a qualified teacher.

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