Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 11.25.1
श्रीभगवानुवाच
गुणानामसम्मिश्राणां पुमान् येन यथा भवेत् ।
तन्मे पुरुषवर्येदमुपधारय शंसत: ॥ १ ॥
śrī-bhagavān uvāca
[shree-bhagavaan uvaacha]
guṇānām asammiśrāṇāṁ
[gunaanaam asammishraanaam]
pumān yena yathā bhavet
[pumaan yena yathaa bhavet]
tan me puruṣa-varyedam
[tan me purusha-varyedam]
upadhāraya śaṁsataḥ
[upadhaaraya shamsatah]
Word-for-word
śrī-bhagavān uvāca
—
the Supreme Personality of Godhead said
guṇānām
—
of the modes of nature
asammiśrāṇām
—
in their unmixed state
pumān
—
a person
yena
—
by which mode
yathā
—
how
bhavet
—
he becomes
tat
—
that
me
—
by Me
puruṣa-varya
—
O best among men
idam
—
this
upadhāraya
—
please try to understand
śaṁsataḥ
—
as I speak.
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
śrī-bhagavān uvāca
śrī-bhagavān uvāca
the Supreme Personality of Godhead said
guṇānām asammiśrāṇāṁ
guṇānām
of the modes of nature
asammiśrāṇām
in their unmixed state
pumān yena yathā bhavet
pumān
a person
yena
by which mode
yathā
how
bhavet
he becomes
tan me puruṣa-varyedam
tat
that
me
by Me
puruṣa-varya
O best among men
idam
this
upadhāraya śaṁsataḥ
upadhāraya
please try to understand
śaṁsataḥ
as I speak.
The Supreme Personality of Godhead said: O best among men, please listen as I describe to you how the living entity attains a particular nature by association with individual material modes.
Purport
The word asammiśra indicates that which is not mixed with anything else. Lord Kṛṣṇa now explains how each of the three material modes (goodness, passion and ignorance), acting separately, causes a conditioned soul to manifest a particular type of existence. The living entity is ultimately transcendental to the modes of nature, being part and parcel of Lord Kṛṣṇa, but in conditioned life he manifests material qualities. This is described in the following verses.
— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura
Gauḍīya
Translation
The Supreme Lord said: O best among men, please listen as I describe to you how the living entity attains a particular nature by association with individual guṇas in their unmixed forms.
In the Twenty-fifth Chapter, the functions of the guṇas and various objects affected by the guṇas, as well as objects beyond the guṇas are described in sequence.
The functions of the three guṇas are described because as long as one does not conquer the actions of the three guṇas one continues to identify with the body even if one can distinguish the body from the ātmā by Sāṅkhya. The guṇas are mixed but I will describe the guṇas not mixed with each other. Please understand as I speak (śaṁsataḥ) how a person is affected by each guṇa.
Related lectures
Personal Guidance
The Lord will describe how the living entity acquires a particular nature by association with individual material modes. Nature is something we contract through association, not something fixed.
Reflection Questions
- What modes have I been most associating with lately?
- What nature might be forming through that association?
My note
Source: vedabase.io