18.40 No one is free of the three Krishna speaks
न तदस्ति पृथिव्यां वा दिवि देवेषु वा पुनः
सत्त्वं प्रकृतिजैर्मुक्तं यदेभिः स्यात्ित्रभिर्गुणैः
na tad asti pṛithivyāṁ vā divi deveṣhu vā punaḥ
sattvaṁ prakṛiti-jair muktaṁ yad ebhiḥ syāt tribhir guṇaiḥ
There is no being on earth, nor among the gods in heaven, that is free from these three strands born of nature.
Explanation
No one is free of the three.
Not on earth, nor among the gods in heaven.
The taxonomy closes by universalising itself. Which is also the reason 14.20 gave for going past all three rather than winning with one: there is nowhere the scheme does not apply.
Word by word
- na
- no
- tat
- that
- asti
- exists
- pṛithivyām
- on earth
- vā
- or
- divi
- the higher celestial abodes
- deveṣhu
- amongst the celestial gods
- vā
- or
- punaḥ
- again
- sattvam
- existence
- prakṛiti-jaiḥ
- born of material nature
- muktam
- liberated
- yat
- that
- ebhiḥ
- from the influence of these
- syāt
- is
- tribhiḥ
- three
- guṇaiḥ
- modes of material nature
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