131. Transcending Illusions

Krishna mentioned about three gunas (characteristics) which are born of prakriti (nature) and all of us are made to perform different karmas (actions) by them (3.5). In reality, all karmas are performed by gunas (3.27) and these are nothing but the interactions between gunas. Satva guna is the attachment to knowledge; rajo guna is the attachment to action and tamas leads to ignorance and laziness. In this regard, Krishna further says, “All the manifestations of satva, tamo and rajo gunas emerge from Me. Though they are in Me, I am not in them” (7.12).

This paradoxical verse can be understood with the metaphor of clouds and sky where the clouds are in the sky, but the sky is not in the clouds, and the clouds can’t exist without the sky. It’s like waves being in the ocean but the ocean is not in the waves.

He further elaborates that deluded by the three modes of nature, mortal beings are unable to know Me as eternal and beyond all gunas (7.13). Krishna earlier cautioned that these gunas also can hypnotise us (3.29).

The general impression is that one should attain satva guna by shedding rajo and tamo gunas. A point to be noted is that each guna has a unique spell and thus, we should be aware of them to transcend all these gunas to attain the eternal state.

Krishna says, “My divine maya (illusion), made of gunas is difficult to overcome. But those who surrender unto Me, transcend this maya” (7.14). Essentially, we can choose the life of surrender (samarpan) to Paramatma to transcend the maya to lead a life of joy. Otherwise, it would be a life of struggle (sangharsh) under the influence of maya leading to misery.