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Bhagavad-gītā 14.16

कर्मण: सुकृतस्याहु: सात्त्विकं निर्मलं फलम् । रजसस्तु फलं दु:खमज्ञानं तमस: फलम् ॥ १६ ॥
karmaṇaḥ sukṛtasyāhuḥ
[karmanah sukritasyaahuh]
sāttvikaṁ nirmalaṁ phalam
[saattvikam nirmalam phalam]
rajasas tu phalaṁ duḥkham
[rajasas tu phalam duhkham]
ajñānaṁ tamasaḥ phalam
[ajnaanam tamasah phalam]
Word-for-word
karmaṇaḥ — of work su - kṛtasya — pious āhuḥ — is said sāttvikam — in the mode of goodness nirmalam — purified phalam — the result rajasaḥ — of the mode of passion tu — but phalam — the result duḥkham — misery ajñānam — nonsense tamasaḥ — of the mode of ignorance phalam — the result .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
karmaṇaḥ sukṛtasyāhuḥ
karmaṇaḥ
of work
su - kṛtasya
pious
āhuḥ
is said
sāttvikaṁ nirmalaṁ phalam
sāttvikam
in the mode of goodness
nirmalam
purified
phalam
the result
rajasas tu phalaṁ duḥkham
rajasaḥ
of the mode of passion
tu
but
phalam
the result
duḥkham
misery
ajñānaṁ tamasaḥ phalam
ajñānam
nonsense
tamasaḥ
of the mode of ignorance
phalam
the result .
Important Words
  • su-kṛtasya — well-done, pious
    Sukṛta — literally 'well-made'. Used in the Vedas for action that is right both technically (procedure followed) and morally (intent clean). Such karma produces sattvic fruit. The verse is precise: only sukṛta karma yields nirmala phala. Mere busyness does not.
  • nirmalam phalam — purified result
    Nir-mala — stainless. The fruit of sattvic action carries no after-pollution; one is not contaminated by enjoying it. Compare with the rajasic fruit, duḥkham — built into the result is the misery.
  • duḥkham — misery
    The rajasic actor expects pleasure as the fruit; the verse cuts that promise. The actual fruit, the chapter testifies, is duḥkha. Even when the rajasic project succeeds, the success-tasted is misery-shaped. Built into the fruit is the after-taste.
  • ajñānam tamasaḥ phalam — the result of tamas is nonsense
    A-jñāna — not-knowing. The fruit of tamasic action is more tamas: deeper confusion, less light. A self-reinforcing loop. The verse names tamas's most cruel feature — its product feeds its cause.
The result of pious action is pure and is said to be in the mode of goodness. But action done in the mode of passion results in misery, and action performed in the mode of ignorance results in foolishness.
Classical Sanskrit analysis शास्त्रीय विश्लेषण
How Sanskrit scholars read this verse — split, rearranged, grammar-tagged. For the plain English distilled meaning, jump to Plain meaning below.
Auto-generated study layers — original analysis of the public-domain śloka. Review against a published edition for academic work.
Plain meaning (तात्पर्य · Tātparya)
Action is not karmically neutral — it inherits the texture of the guṇa under which it is done. Sattvic deeds yield clean satisfaction; rajasic deeds, however successful, leave a residue of pain; tamasic deeds deepen the very darkness that produced them.
Further notes (विवरण · Vivaraṇa)
Shifts from rebirth-destination (14.14–15) to immediate karmic harvest. The triad sukhaṁ/duḥkhaṁ/ajñānam tracks the felt fruits of action. Note that 'rajasaḥ phalaṁ duḥkham' subverts worldly intuition: rajas promises pleasure but delivers misery, because tṛṣṇā is never quenched. Cross-ref BG 5.22 ('saṁsparśajā ye bhogāḥ … duḥkha-yonayaḥ') and 18.7–9 (sāttvic/rājasa/tāmasa tyāga).
Prose order (अन्वय · Anvaya)
सुकृतस्य कर्मणः फलं सात्त्विकं निर्मलम् आहुः; रजसः तु फलं दुःखम्, तमसः फलम् अज्ञानम् ।
sukṛtasya karmaṇaḥ phalaṃ sāttvikaṃ nirmalam āhuḥ; rajasaḥ tu phalaṃ duḥkham, tamasaḥ phalam ajñānam |
(The wise) call the fruit of well-done action sāttvic and stainless; but the fruit of rajas is suffering, and the fruit of tamas is ignorance.
Word split (पदच्छेद · Padaccheda)
कर्मणः सुकृतस्य आहुः सात्त्विकं निर्मलं फलम् । रजसः तु फलं दुःखम् अज्ञानं तमसः फलम् ॥
karmaṇaḥ sukṛtasya āhuḥ sāttvikaṃ nirmalaṃ phalam | rajasaḥ tu phalaṃ duḥkham ajñānaṃ tamasaḥ phalam ||
Grammar (व्याकरण · Vyākaraṇa)
SanskritIASTGrammarMeaning
कर्मणः karmaṇaḥ कर्मन् (n.) gen.sg. (genitive singular), 'of action' of action
सुकृतस्य sukṛtasya सुकृत (adj., p.p.p. (past passive participle) of √कृ with सु-) gen.sg. (genitive singular)n., 'well-done' well-done
आहुः āhuḥ √अह्/ब्रू perf. (perfect) 3pl.par. (parasmaipada / active voice), 'they say, declare' they call
सात्त्विकम् sāttvikam सात्त्विक (adj.) acc.sg. (accusative singular)n., 'pertaining to sattva' sāttvic
निर्मलम् nirmalam निर्मल (adj.) acc.sg. (accusative singular)n., bahuvrīhi 'stainless' stainless
फलम् phalam फल (n.) acc.sg. (accusative singular), 'fruit' fruit
रजसः rajasaḥ रजस् (n.) gen.sg. (genitive singular), 'of rajas' of rajas
तु tu ind. (indeclinable), 'but' but
दुःखम् duḥkham दुःख (n.) nom.sg. (nominative singular), 'suffering' suffering
अज्ञानम् ajñānam अज्ञान (n.) nom.sg. (nominative singular), 'ignorance' ignorance
तमसः tamasaḥ तमस् (n.) gen.sg. (genitive singular), 'of tamas' of tamas
Purport

The result of pious activities in the mode of goodness is pure. Therefore the sages, who are free from all illusion, are situated in happiness. But activities in the mode of passion are simply miserable. Any activity for material happiness is bound to be defeated. If, for example, one wants to have a skyscraper, so much human misery has to be undergone before a big skyscraper can be built. The financier has to take much trouble to earn a mass of wealth, and those who are slaving to construct the building have to render physical toil. The miseries are there. Thus Bhagavad-gītā says that in any activity performed under the spell of the mode of passion, there is definitely great misery. There may be a little so-called mental happiness – “I have this house or this money” – but this is not actual happiness. As far as the mode of ignorance is concerned, the performer is without knowledge, and therefore all his activities result in present misery, and afterwards he will go on toward animal life. Animal life is always miserable, although, under the spell of the illusory energy, māyā, the animals do not understand this. Slaughtering poor animals is also due to the mode of ignorance. The animal killers do not know that in the future the animal will have a body suitable to kill them. That is the law of nature. In human society, if one kills a man he has to be hanged. That is the law of the state. Because of ignorance, people do not perceive that there is a complete state controlled by the Supreme Lord. Every living creature is a son of the Supreme Lord, and He does not tolerate even an ant’s being killed. One has to pay for it. So indulgence in animal killing for the taste of the tongue is the grossest kind of ignorance. A human being has no need to kill animals, because God has supplied so many nice things. If one indulges in meat-eating anyway, it is to be understood that he is acting in ignorance and is making his future very dark. Of all kinds of animal killing, the killing of cows is most vicious because the cow gives us all kinds of pleasure by supplying milk. Cow slaughter is an act of the grossest type of ignorance. In the Vedic literature ( Ṛg Veda 9.46.4) the words gobhiḥ prīṇita-matsaram indicate that one who, being fully satisfied by milk, is desirous of killing the cow is in the grossest ignorance. There is also a prayer in the Vedic literature that states: namo brahmaṇya-devāya go-brāhmaṇa-hitāya ca jagad-dhitāya kṛṣṇāya govindāya namo namaḥ “My Lord, You are the well-wisher of the cows and the brāhmaṇas, and You are the well-wisher of the entire human society and world.” ( Viṣṇu Purāṇa 1.19.65) The purport is that special mention is given in that prayer for the protection of the cows and the brāhmaṇas. Brāhmaṇas are the symbol of spiritual education, and cows are the symbol of the most valuable food; these two living creatures, the brāhmaṇas and the cows, must be given all protection – that is real advancement of civilization. In modern human society, spiritual knowledge is neglected, and cow killing is encouraged. It is to be understood, then, that human society is advancing in the wrong direction and is clearing the path to its own condemnation. A civilization which guides the citizens to become animals in their next lives is certainly not a human civilization. The present human civilization is, of course, grossly misled by the modes of passion and ignorance. It is a very dangerous age, and all nations should take care to provide the easiest process, Kṛṣṇa consciousness, to save humanity from the greatest danger.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
16. The result of sattvic work is purity and absence of distress. The result of rajas is sorrow. The result of tamas is ignorance.
Commentary

The result of sattvic (sukrtṛsya) work is purity without distress (nirmalam). The result of rajas work is sorrow. The result of tamasic work is senselessness or unconsciousness (ajñānam).

Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa Gauḍīya
Translation
16. The result of sattvika work is pure happiness without distress. The result of rajas is sorrow. The result of tamas is ignorance.
Commentary

The Lord then describes the various results by actions according to the various guṇas. The sages knowledgeable of the nature of the guṇas say that the result of work in sattva (sukṛtasya) is pure happiness (sāttvikam nirmalam). That means happiness devoid of the results of tajas and tamas, devoid of sorrow, illusion and impurity. Sāttvikam means the bliss arising from sattva guṇa. The result of actions in rajas is a little happiness with abundance of grief. This is according to the cause, which produces the effect. [Note: There is a mixture of puṇya and papa in raja guṇa, and thus the result is mixed happiness and distress. The amount of distress will depend on the amount of sin.] The result of actions in tamas, such as violent actions, is grief alone in which there is almost totally ignorant consciousness. By the words rajas and tamas in the verse, the activities in rajas and tamas are meant, as in the example gobhiḥ prīṇita-matsaram, which, though literally meaning “pleased with the cows.” (Ṛg Veda 9.4.64), actually means “pleased with the cow milk.” The characteristics of work in the three modes will be described in the eighteenth chapter, starting with the words niyataṁ saṅga-rahitam. (BG 18.23)

Bhūrijana Dāsa Gauḍīya
Commentary

Sometimes we crank ourselves up into the mode of passion, to do our service, and we get it done, but after a while we get some reaction because we did it in passion and there is some miserable reaction because we didn't do it perfectly. Also when we do some service but in ignorance then we suffer the results. But if we do it in goodness the result is knowledge for ourselves and for others.

Study Notes — Gauranga Priya Dāsa
Gauranga Priya Dāsa Study
Bhakti-śāstrī Notes, ISKCON Chowpatty (2009)
Theme

While developing our Kṛṣṇa consciousness, we must attempt to perform our services in at least the

mode of goodness. Service tinged by passion and ignorance adversely affects our consciousness.

How can we aspiring devotees become purified enough to serve in goodness?

Classical Ācāryas
Śrī Śaṅkarācārya Classical
Translation
14.16 Ahuh, they, the wise persons, say; that phalam, the result; sukrtasya, of good; karmanah, work, i.e. acts having the sattva ality; is verily nirmalam, pure; and is sattvikam, born of sattva. Tu, but; phalam, the result; rajasah, of rajas, i.e. of acts that have the alitty of rajas-for the topic relates to actions; is duhkham, sorrow. In accordance with its cause, the result too is indeed sorrow, a product of rajas. So also ajnanam, ignorance; is, as before, (the result) tamasah, of tamas, of unrighteous acts that have the ality of tamas. What else results from the alities?
Śrī Rāmānujācārya Classical
Translation
14.16 Thus, the 'fruit of a good deed,' namely, disinterested work in the form of My worship, performed by one who dies when Sattva prevails - is birth in the family of those who know the self. There he acires more Sattva than before and the self becomes more pure, namely, devoid of the slightest vestige of suffering. So say those who know about the development of Sattva. But the 'fruit of Rajas,' dominating at the time of death, is 'suffering in Samsara.' In consists in successive births in families attached to actions for the sake of fruits. Rirth of this type increases Rajas further, resulting in actions for gaining their fruits. So say those who know about the developments of this Guna. 'Ignorance' is the result of Tamas. The fruit of Tamas dominating at the time of death, is successive conditions of ignorance. What are the results derived from Sattva etc.? To this, He answers:
Śrī Abhinavagupta Classical
Translation
14.16 See Comment under 14.20
Swami Sivananda Classical
Translation
14.16 The fruit of good action, they say, is Sattvic and pure, verily the fruit of Rajas is pain, and ignorance is the fruit of Tamas.
Commentary

14.16 कर्मणः of action? सुकृतस्य (of) good? आहुः (they) say? सात्त्विकम् Sattvic? निर्मलम् pure? फलम् the fruit? रजसः of Rajas? तु verily? फलम् the fruit? दुःखम् pain? अज्ञानम् ignorance? तमसः of inertia? फलम् the fruit.Commentary Good action Sattvic action. The fruit of good action is both happiness and,knowledge.They The wise.Rajas means Rajasic action as this verse deals with action. The fruit of Rajasic action is bitter. Rajasic action brings pain? disappointment and dissatisfaction. Rajasic activity leads to greed. When the Rajasic man tries to gratify his original desires? new desires crop up. This opens the door to greed.Tamas Tamasic action? unrighteous deeds or sin (Adharma). There is no knowledge within and no foresight.

Swami Gambhīrānanda Classical
Translation
14.16 They say that the result of good work is pure and is born of sattva. But the result of rajas is sorrow; the result of tamas is ignorance.
Shri Purohit Swami Classical
Translation
14.16 They say the fruit of a meritorious action is spotless and full of purity; the outcome of Passion is misery, and of Ignorance darkness.
Related values & verses
Related values
Tyaga (Renunciation / Letting Go)Karuna (Kindness / Compassion)Ahimsa (Non-violence / Compassion)Tapas (Austerity / Discipline)Atma Nigraha (Self-control)Daksya (Resourcefulness / Skill)Abhaya (Fearlessness)
Related verses
BG 17.21 BG 18.23 BG 18.26 SB 11.25.23 SB 3.32.32 SB 1.2.25 CC Madhya 19.149 CC Madhya 24.49 CC Madhya 22.141 Īśa Upaniṣad 2 Muṇḍaka Upaniṣad 1.2.7
Concepts
Maya
Study Q&A referencing this verse
Related lectures
Personal Guidance
The result of pious action is pure, in the mode of goodness; rajas yields misery; tamas yields foolishness.
Practical Applications
  • Trace recent results back to which mode produced them.
  • Recognize that not all results are equal — they reflect their origin.
  • Choose mode of action by anticipating its result.
Reflection Questions
  • What recent result was rajas-born or tamas-born?
  • What practice would shift the mode?
Analogy

Three different seeds planted in three different fields. The fruit on the branch tells you which seed was sown and in which soil. Look at your recent results — the mode that produced them is signing its name on each one.

📝 My note

Source: vedabase.io

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