14.17 What each one produces Krishna speaks
सत्त्वात्सञ्जायते ज्ञानं रजसो लोभ एव च
प्रमादमोहौ तमसो भवतोऽज्ञानमेव च
sattvāt sañjāyate jñānaṁ rajaso lobha eva cha
pramāda-mohau tamaso bhavato ’jñānam eva cha
From clarity arises knowledge; from restlessness, greed; from inertia, heedlessness, delusion and unknowing.
Explanation
What each one produces, upstream of the fruit.
From clarity, knowledge; from restlessness, greed; from inertia, heedlessness, delusion and unknowing.
Read against 14.16, the chapter is describing two chains — what the strands make and what they get. Both are given, and neither ends in freedom, which is the setup for 14.19.
Word by word
- sattvāt
- from the mode of goodness
- sañjāyate
- arises
- jñānam
- knowledge
- rajasaḥ
- from the mode of passion
- lobhaḥ
- greed
- eva
- indeed
- cha
- and
- pramāda
- negligence
- mohau
- delusion
- tamasaḥ
- from the mode of ignorance
- bhavataḥ
- arise
- ajñānam
- ignorance
- eva
- indeed
- cha
- and
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