Lord Krishna
Divine TeacherThe Supreme Lord, the charioteer and divine guide of Arjuna. Krishna delivers the eternal wisdom of the Gita, revealing the nature of the soul, duty, and the path to liberation.
Speaking: Chapter 14, Verse 10
Verse 10
The Yoga of the Three Gunas
Sometimes sattva prevails, having overcome rajas and tamas, O Bharata; sometimes rajas prevails over sattva and tamas; and sometimes tamas prevails over sattva and rajas.
Context & Meaning
The guṇas are not fixed in their relative proportions — they are in constant flux and competition. At any given time, one predominates over the other two. Sattva rises when it overcomes rajas and tamas; rajas prevails when it subdues sattva and tamas; tamas darkens when it overwhelms the other two. This is the dynamic landscape of human consciousness: the inner life as a shifting field where three great forces contend for dominance. Understanding this explains the variability of human mood, motivation, and capacity — and points to the possibility of deliberately cultivating sattva.
Scholar Commentaries
1 commentary · Public domainMadhvacharya
DvaitaThe constant fluctuation of the guṇas explains the inconsistency of ordinary human experience. The same person can be clear and compassionate in the morning (sattva) and irritable and driven in the afternoon (rajas) and dull and forgetful in the evening (tamas). Understanding this is not an excuse for inconsistency but a diagnostic tool: recognise which guṇa is operating, and respond accordingly — cultivating sattva through right food, right company, right practice.