14.9 What each one ties you to Krishna speaks
सत्त्वं सुखे सञ्जयति रजः कर्मणि भारत
ज्ञानमावृत्य तु तमः प्रमादे सञ्जयत्युत
sattvaṁ sukhe sañjayati rajaḥ karmaṇi bhārata
jñānam āvṛitya tu tamaḥ pramāde sañjayaty uta
Clarity binds to happiness, restlessness to action, Arjuna. Inertia, covering over knowledge, binds to heedlessness.
Explanation
The three, put side by side in one line.
- clarity binds to happiness
- restlessness binds to action
- inertia covers knowledge and binds to heedlessness
Summarised this compactly, the symmetry is the point: each has an object, each has a hold, and none of them is freedom. The chapter is a taxonomy of ropes.
Word by word
- sattvam
- mode of goodness
- sukhe
- to happiness
- sañjayati
- binds
- rajaḥ
- mode of passion
- karmaṇi
- toward actions
- bhārata
- Arjun, the son of Bharat
- jñānam
- wisdom
- āvṛitya
- clouds
- tu
- but
- tamaḥ
- mode of ignorance
- pramāde
- to delusion
- sañjayati
- binds
- uta
- indeed
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