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Bhagavad-gītā 14.17

सत्त्वात्सञ्जायते ज्ञानं रजसो लोभ एव च । प्रमादमोहौ तमसो भवतोऽज्ञानमेव च ॥ १७ ॥
sattvāt sañjāyate jñānaṁ
[sattvaat sanjaayate jnaanam]
rajaso lobha eva ca
[rajaso lobha eva cha]
pramāda-mohau tamaso
[pramaada-mohau tamaso]
bhavato ’jñānam eva ca
[bhavato ’jnaanam eva cha]
Word-for-word
sattvāt — from the mode of goodness sañjāyate — develops jñānam — knowledge rajasaḥ — from the mode of passion lobhaḥ — greed eva — certainly ca — also pramāda — madness mohau — and illusion tamasaḥ — from the mode of ignorance bhavataḥ — develop ajñānam — nonsense eva — certainly ca — also .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
sattvāt sañjāyate jñānaṁ
sattvāt
from the mode of goodness
sañjāyate
develops
jñānam
knowledge
rajaso lobha eva ca
rajasaḥ
from the mode of passion
lobhaḥ
greed
eva
certainly
ca
also
pramāda-mohau tamaso
pramāda
madness
mohau
and illusion
tamasaḥ
from the mode of ignorance
bhavato ’jñānam eva ca
bhavataḥ
develop
ajñānam
nonsense
eva
certainly
ca
also .
Important Words
  • sattvāt sañjāyate jñānam — from sattva, knowledge is born
    Ablative — sattva is the source, not merely the companion. The Gītā keeps this causal direction firmly: cultivate sattva and jñāna arrives. The reverse path (acquire jñāna and you'll be sattvic) is not how it works.
  • lobhaḥ — greed
    Same word as verse 12, now revisited as a product. Verse 12 said: rajas grown produces lobha. Verse 17 says: from rajas, lobha. The teaching repeats deliberately. Greed is the diagnostic sign of rajas in fruit form.
  • pramāda mohau — madness and illusion
    A dvandva — a pair. Tamas produces these two together. Pramāda (the missed) and moha (the mis-seen) feed each other: if one mis-sees, one will miss; if one keeps missing, one will mis-see. The two-headed fruit of the tamasic tree.
  • ajñānam — nonsense, ignorance
    And the fully ripe fruit: ajñāna itself. Tamas grown does not merely yield foolish acts; it yields a-jñāna as such — a positive state of not-knowing that resists correction. Hence the chapter's urgency.
From the mode of goodness, real knowledge develops; from the mode of passion, greed develops; and from the mode of ignorance develop foolishness, madness and illusion.
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)
A psychological yield-table per guṇa: sattva births clear understanding, rajas births grasping, tamas births a triad of carelessness, confusion, and benighted un-knowing. Each mood plants a recognizable crop in the mind.
Further notes (विवरण · Vivaraṇa)
Companion to 14.16: 14.16 listed the fruits of action; 14.17 lists the fruits in cognition itself. Together they say guṇas determine both what you do and what you understand. The ablatives (sattvāt, rajasaḥ, tamasaḥ) frame each guṇa as the etiological source. Cross-ref BG 14.6–8 for the binding mechanism; 18.20–22 for threefold jñāna; 18.30–32 for threefold buddhi.
Prose order (अन्वय · Anvaya)
सत्त्वात् ज्ञानं सञ्जायते, रजसः लोभः एव च (सञ्जायते), तमसः प्रमाद-मोहौ अज्ञानम् एव च भवतः ।
sattvāt jñānaṃ sañjāyate, rajasaḥ lobhaḥ eva ca (sañjāyate), tamasaḥ pramāda-mohau ajñānam eva ca bhavataḥ |
From sattva knowledge is born, and from rajas greed; from tamas arise heedlessness, delusion, and ignorance.
Word split (पदच्छेद · Padaccheda)
सत्त्वात् सञ्जायते ज्ञानं रजसः लोभः एव च । प्रमाद-मोहौ तमसः भवतः अज्ञानम् एव च ॥
sattvāt sañjāyate jñānaṃ rajasaḥ lobhaḥ eva ca | pramāda-mohau tamasaḥ bhavataḥ ajñānam eva ca ||
Grammar (व्याकरण · Vyākaraṇa)
SanskritIASTGrammarMeaning
सत्त्वात् sattvāt सत्त्व (n.) abl.sg. (ablative singular), 'from sattva' from sattva
सञ्जायते sañjāyate सम्+√जन् pres. (present) 3sg.ātm. (ātmanepada / middle voice), 'arises, is produced' is born
ज्ञानम् jñānam ज्ञान (n.) nom.sg. (nominative singular), 'knowledge' knowledge
रजसः rajasaḥ रजस् (n.) abl.sg. (ablative singular), 'from rajas' from rajas
लोभः lobhaḥ लोभ (m.) nom.sg. (nominative singular), 'greed' greed
एव eva ind. (indeclinable), emphatic indeed
च ca ind. (indeclinable), 'and' and
प्रमाद-मोहौ pramāda-mohau प्रमाद (m.) + मोह (m.) nom.du. (nominative dual), dvandva cpd. (compound), 'heedlessness and delusion' heedlessness and delusion
तमसः tamasaḥ तमस् (n.) abl.sg. (ablative singular), 'from tamas' from tamas
भवतः bhavataḥ √भू pres. (present) 3du.par. (parasmaipada / active voice), 'the two arise' arise
अज्ञानम् ajñānam अज्ञान (n.) nom.sg. (nominative singular), 'ignorance' ignorance
Purport

Since the present civilization is not very congenial to the living entities, Kṛṣṇa consciousness is recommended. Through Kṛṣṇa consciousness, society will develop the mode of goodness. When the mode of goodness is developed, people will see things as they are. In the mode of ignorance, people are just like animals and cannot see things clearly. In the mode of ignorance, for example, they do not see that by killing one animal they are taking the chance of being killed by the same animal in the next life. Because people have no education in actual knowledge, they become irresponsible. To stop this irresponsibility, education for developing the mode of goodness of the people in general must be there. When they are actually educated in the mode of goodness, they will become sober, in full knowledge of things as they are. Then people will be happy and prosperous. Even if the majority of the people aren’t happy and prosperous, if a certain percentage of the population develops Kṛṣṇa consciousness and becomes situated in the mode of goodness, then there is the possibility for peace and prosperity all over the world. Otherwise, if the world is devoted to the modes of passion and ignorance, there can be no peace or prosperity. In the mode of passion, people become greedy, and their hankering for sense enjoyment has no limit. One can see that even if one has enough money and adequate arrangements for sense gratification, there is neither happiness nor peace of mind. That is not possible, because one is situated in the mode of passion. If one wants happiness at all, his money will not help him; he has to elevate himself to the mode of goodness by practicing Kṛṣṇa consciousness. When one is engaged in the mode of passion, not only is he mentally unhappy, but his profession and occupation are also very troublesome. He has to devise so many plans and schemes to acquire enough money to maintain his status quo. This is all miserable. In the mode of ignorance, people become mad. Being distressed by their circumstances, they take shelter of intoxication, and thus they sink further into ignorance. Their future in life is very dark.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
17. Knowledge arises from sattva. Greed arises from rajas. Inattention, confusion and ignorance arise from tamas.
Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa Gauḍīya
Translation
17. Knowledge arises from sattva. Greed arises from rajas. Inattention, confusion and ignorance arise from tamas.
Commentary

Having described the various results of the guṇas, the guṇas are described as causes. From sattva is born knowledge characterized by revelation or knowledge. Thus, happiness [Note: The previous verse mentioned that sattva resulted in pure happiness. The present verse says sattva results in knowledge. There is no contradiction, since both are the results of sattva. One will include the other.] with an abundance of knowledge is the result of activities in sattva. From rajas comes greed, a particular thirst, which cannot be satisfied by indulgence in millions of sense objects. Because that is a cause of sorrow, the result is a little happiness with plenty of grief from doing those activities. From tamas arise inattention, illusion and ignorance. The result of doing such activities is sorrow with almost total unconsciousness. [Note: The results of rajas and tamas are correlated with the statements of the previous verse.]

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

While text 16 describes the results of action in each of the three modes of nature, this text explains

the intermediate causes of those results. Action in goodness results in knowledge, which brings

about proper action resulting in purity. Action in passion produces misery because it is caused by

unlimited desires and insatiable greed. Action in ignorance brings about madness and illusion, which

cause one to act foolishly.

Classical Ācāryas
Śrī Śaṅkarācārya Classical
Translation
14.17 Sattvat, from sattva, when it predominates; sanjayate, is born; jnanam, knowledge; and rajasah, from rajas; is verily born lobhah, avarice. Tamasah, from tamas; bhavatah, are born; both pramada-mohau, in-advertence and delusion; as also ajnanam, ignorance [Absence of discrimination.]; eva ca, to be sure. Further,
Śrī Rāmānujācārya Classical
Translation
14.17 From the increase of Sattva, knowledge i.e., 'true and direct knowledge' of the self arises. From Rajas develops likewise 'intense desire' for heaven etc. From Tamas similarly develops 'negligence' leading to evil deeds; and from this, delusion, i.e., erroneous knowledge; and from that still more Tamas; and thence ignorance, namely absence of knowledge.
Śrī Abhinavagupta Classical
Translation
14.17 See Comment under 14.20
Swami Sivananda Classical
Translation
14.17 From Sattva arises knowledge, and greed from Rajas; heedlessness and delusion arise from Tamas, and also ignorance.
Commentary

14.17 सत्त्वात् from purity? सञ्जायते arises? ज्ञानम् knowledge? रजसः from activity? लोभः greed? एव even? च and? प्रमादमोहौ heedlessness and delusion? तमसः from inertia? अज्ञानम् ignorance? एव even? च and.Commentary From Sattva When Sattva becomes predominant. Sattva awakesn knowledge just as the sun causes daylight. Sattva enlightens the intellect.Greed is insatiable like fire. Greed brings misery and pain. Greed is born of Rajas. Rajas creates insatiable desire. Rajas makes one blind to the interests and the feelings of others. A Rajasic man treats others as tools to be utilised for his own selfadvancement or selfaggrandisement.Tamas produces shortsightedness? torpor and ignorance. A Tamasic man does not think a bit of the future conseences. He completely identifies himself with the body and begins to fight with people if they injure his body or speak ill of him. He is ready to do any sinful act in retaliation. He has no sense of proportion and no sense of balance or poise.

Swami Gambhīrānanda Classical
Translation
14.17 From sattva is born knowledge [Knowledge acired through the sense-organs.], and from rajas, verily, avarice. From tamas are born inadvertence and delusion as also ignorance, to be sure.
Shri Purohit Swami Classical
Translation
14.17 Purity engenders Wisdom, Passion avarice, and Ignorance folly, infatuation and darkness.
Related values & verses
Related values
Ahimsa (Non-violence / Compassion)Atma Nigraha (Self-control)Daksya (Resourcefulness / Skill)Abhaya (Fearlessness)
Related verses
BG 4.38 BG 16.21 BG 18.20 SB 11.25.13 SB 3.26.21 SB 1.2.24 CC Madhya 22.101 CC Madhya 24.32 CC Madhya 19.152 Muṇḍaka Upaniṣad 3.1.8Kaṭha Upaniṣad 1.2.23
Related lectures
Personal Guidance
From sattva, knowledge develops; from rajas, greed; from tamas, illusion, madness, ignorance.
Practical Applications
  • Recognize knowledge, greed, illusion as products of specific modes.
  • Track which is most active in you.
  • Cultivate the mode that produces the desired fruit.
Reflection Questions
  • Which fruit (knowledge / greed / illusion) is most active in me?
  • What mode-shift would change it?
Analogy

Three orchards: from one tree, fruits of knowledge; from another, fruits of greed; from a third, fruits of confusion. The orchard's mode determines the species of every fruit hanging from its branches.

📝 My note

Source: vedabase.io

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