तत्त्ववित्तु महाबाहो गुणकर्मविभागयोः।
गुणा गुणेषु वर्तन्त इति मत्वा न सज्जते।।3.28।।
3.28 But, O mighty-armed one, the one who is a knower of the facts about the varieties of the gunas (alities) and actions does not become attached, thinking thus: The organs rest (act) on the objects of the organs.
3.28 But he who knows the Truth, O mighty-armed (Arjuna), about the divisions of the alities and (their) functions, knowing that the Gunas as senses move amidst the Gunas as the sense-objects, is not attached.
3.28. But, O mighty-armed one, the knower of the real nature of the divisions of the Strands and of their [respective] divisions of work, realises : The Strands are at their [respective] purposes And hence he is not attached.
3.28 तत्त्ववित् the knower of the Truth? तु but? महाबाहो O mightyarmed? गुणकर्मविभागयोः of the divisions of alities and functions? गुणाः the alities (in the shape of senses)? गुणेषु amidst the alities (in the shape of objects)? वर्तन्ते remain? इति thus? मत्वा knowing? न not? सज्जते is attached.Commentary He who knows the truth that the Self is entirely distinct from the three Gunas and actions does not become attached to the actions. He who knows the truth about the classification of the Gunas and their respective functions understands that the alities as senseorgans move amidst the alities as senseobjects. Therefore he is not attached to the actions. He knows? I am Akarta -- I am not the doer. (Cf.XIV.23).
3.28 Tu, but, on the other hand; he who is a knower, tattva-vit, a knower of the facts;-knower of what kinds of facts?-guna-karma-vibhagayoh, about the varieties of the gunas and actions, i.e. a knower of the diversity of the gunas and the diversity of acitons; [Guna-vibhaga means the products of Prakrti which consists of the three gunas. They are the five subtle elements, mind, intellect, ego, five sensory organs, five motor organs and five objects (sound etc.) of the senses. Karma-vibhaga means the varieties of inter-actions among these.-Tr.] na sajjate, does not become attached; iti matva, thinking thus; Gunah, the gunas in the form of organs;-not the Self-vartante, rest (act); gunesu, on the gunus in the form of objects of the organs.
3.28 Tattvavit tu etc. On the other hand, the knower of the real nature of divisions of the Strands and of their actions, sets himself free by viewing The Prakrti acts; what comes to men ? The ignorant men have been described as being attached to action (above III, 26). That attachment [of theirs, the Lord] demonstrates :
3.28 But he who knows the truth about the divisions of the Gunas and their actions - namely, about the division among Sattva etc., on the one hand, and the divisions among their respective functionings on the other hand - it is he who, realising that Gunas, i.e., Sattva etc., are operating on their own products, is not attached to the actions of the Gunas, being convinced, I am not the doer.
The intelligent person, however, knows the truth (tattva vit) about the divisions of gunas and actions (guna karma vibhagayoh). The divisions of the gunas are sattva, rajas and tamas. The divisions of action are divided according the effects of the gunas: devata (sattva), senses (rajas), and sense objects (tamas). One who knows the nature of these two is called tattva vit. The senses such as the eye (gunah) administered by their devatas are engaged with the sense objects such as form (gunesu). The intelligent person is not attached, knowing this. He thinks, “I am not at all the senses, nor the sense objects There is no relation between me and the senses or the sense objects at all.”
Lord Krishna is explaining that the person situated in Vedic wisdom knows that the atma or soul is not the same as the physical body and the senses. Such a person knows the distinction between the two and realises the actions performed are not of the atma and knowing they are only the temporary manifestation of prakriti or material nature, does not become attached to the actions or there results. Such a person comprehends that the senses reside in the mind and are transferred to the sense objects by thought impulses and are connected to the atma.
Knowing the difference between prakriti or material nature and the gunas being the modes of goodness, passion and nescience and their influence of the senses, Lord Krishna declares is a tattva-vit or a person of Vedic knowledge. The word gunesu is referring to the sense objects and their attributes such as form. The attributes that arise from the impulses of the atma or soul are known as primary and they are without reactions and do not bind one to samsara the cycle of birth and death.
In respect of the three gunas or modes of material nature being sattva or goodness, rajas or passion and tamas or ignorance. That person who is blinded by false ego and bewildered by material nature believes they themselves are the root cause and sole determining factor of all actions they engage in. In the previous verse the word ahankara means bewildered by ego identification or misidentifying the body to be the atma or soul. Such a person is situated in nescience thinking that the interactions of the three gunas in the physical body are the actions of the atma, such a one foolishly considers that they are the doer of their actions. But the tattva- vit or knower of the truth is competent in discerning in all activities the properties and influences of the three gunas as they manifest themselves through ones actions. Whoever becomes proficient in discerning the manifestation of the three gunas in all actions will not commit the error of thinking that they through their body are the doer.
In respect of the three gunas or modes of material nature being sattva or goodness, rajas or passion and tamas or ignorance. That person who is blinded by false ego and bewildered by material nature believes they themselves are the root cause and sole determining factor of all actions they engage in. In the previous verse the word ahankara means bewildered by ego identification or misidentifying the body to be the atma or soul. Such a person is situated in nescience thinking that the interactions of the three gunas in the physical body are the actions of the atma, such a one foolishly considers that they are the doer of their actions. But the tattva- vit or knower of the truth is competent in discerning in all activities the properties and influences of the three gunas as they manifest themselves through ones actions. Whoever becomes proficient in discerning the manifestation of the three gunas in all actions will not commit the error of thinking that they through their body are the doer.
Tattwavittu mahaabaaho gunakarma vibhaagayoh; Gunaa guneshu vartanta iti matwaa na sajjate.
tattva-vit—the knower of the Truth; tu—but; mahā-bāho—mighty-armed one; guṇa-karma—from guṇas and karma; vibhāgayoḥ—distinguish; guṇāḥ—modes of material nature in the shape of the senses, mind, etc; guṇeṣhu—modes of material nature in the shape of objects of perception; vartante—are engaged; iti—thus; matvā—knowing; na—never; sajjate—becomes attached
