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 7, Verse 12
Verse 12
Hard VerseThe Yoga of Knowledge and Realization
All states of being — be they of goodness, passion or ignorance — are manifested by My energy. I am, in one sense, everything, but I am independent. I am not under the modes of material nature, for they, on the contrary, are within Me.
Context & Meaning
The three guṇas — sattva, rajas, and tamas — arise from Krishna, but He is not bound by them. He is their source, not their product. The world is in God, but God is not confined to the world. This is the paradox of divine immanence and transcendence held simultaneously.
Scholar Commentaries
1 commentary · Public domainAdi Shankaracharya
AdvaitaThe guṇas do not condition Brahman; Brahman is unconditioned. The world of the three guṇas is an apparent projection in Brahman, not a modification of Brahman itself. The witnessing Self is untouched.