Chapter 25 · Class prep
A printable handout for teaching this chapter. For each verse with Personal Guidance, you'll see Prabhupāda's translation, the essence, two or three practical applications, and a discussion prompt. Press ⌘P / Ctrl P to print as a handout.
BG 25.1
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.
Essence. 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.
BG 25.2-5
Mind and sense control, tolerance, discrimination, sticking to one’s prescribed duty, truthfulness, mercy, careful study of the past and future, satisfaction in any condition, generosity, renunciation of sense gratification, faith in the spiritual master, being embarrassed at improper action, charity, simplicity, humbleness and satisfaction within oneself are qualities of the mode of goodness. Material desire, great endeavor, audacity, dissatisfaction even in gain, false pride, praying for material advancement, considering oneself different and better than others, sense gratification, rash eagerness to fight, a fondness for hearing oneself praised, the tendency to ridicule others, advertising one’s own prowess and justifying one’s actions by one’s strength are qualities of the mode of passion. Intolerant anger, stinginess, speaking without scriptural authority, violent hatred, living as a parasite, hypocrisy, chronic fatigue, quarrel, lamentation, delusion, unhappiness, depression, sleeping too much, false expectations, fear and laziness constitute the major qualities of the mode of ignorance. Now please hear about the combination of these three modes.
Essence. A long list of qualities — sense control, tolerance, discrimination, duty, truth, mercy, study, satisfaction, generosity, renunciation, faith in guru, and more — are signs of goodness. The list is concrete.
BG 25.6
My dear Uddhava, the combination of all three modes is present in the mentality of “I” and “mine.” The ordinary transactions of this world, which are carried out through the agency of the mind, the objects of perception, the senses and the vital airs of the physical body, are also based on the combination of the modes.
Essence. The combination of all three modes is present in 'I' and 'mine' thinking; ordinary transactions of the world, through mind, senses, vital airs, run on the modes. Even the basic ego-frame is modal.
BG 25.7
When a person devotes himself to religiosity, economic development and sense gratification, the faith, wealth and sensual enjoyment obtained by his endeavors display the interaction of the three modes of nature.
Essence. When one pursues religiosity, economic development, and sense gratification, the faith, wealth, and enjoyment that result display the modes' interaction. Even the threefold goal of life expresses modal play.
BG 25.8
When a man desires sense gratification, being attached to family life, and when he consequently becomes established in religious and occupational duties, the combination of the modes of nature is manifest.
Essence. Desiring sense gratification, attached to family, and established in duties, one shows the combination of modes. The combined picture is most people's life.
BG 25.9
A person exhibiting qualities such as self-control is understood to be predominantly in the mode of goodness. Similarly, a passionate person is recognized by his lust, and one in ignorance is recognized by qualities such as anger.
Essence. Self-control marks predominance of goodness; lust marks passion; anger marks ignorance. Simple markers help diagnose mode.
BG 25.10
Any person, whether man or woman, who worships Me with loving devotion, offering his or her prescribed duties unto Me without material attachment, is understood to be situated in goodness.
Essence. Whoever — man or woman — worships the Lord with loving devotion, offering prescribed duties without material attachment, is in goodness. Devotion plus duty without attachment is the signature.
BG 25.11
When a person worships Me by his prescribed duties with the hope of gaining material benefit, his nature should be understood to be in passion, and one who worships Me with the desire to commit violence against others is in ignorance.
Essence. Worship with hope of material benefit is in passion; worship desiring to commit violence is in ignorance. The motive sorts the practice.
BG 25.12
The three modes of material nature — goodness, passion and ignorance — influence the living entity but not Me. Manifesting within his mind, they induce the living entity to become attached to material bodies and other created objects. In this way the living entity is bound up.
Essence. The three modes influence the living entity but not the Lord; manifesting in the mind, they cause attachment to bodies and objects, binding the soul. The Lord stays outside the trap He oversees.
BG 25.13
When the mode of goodness, which is luminous, pure and auspicious, predominates over passion and ignorance, a man becomes endowed with happiness, virtue, knowledge and other good qualities.
Essence. When goodness — luminous, pure, auspicious — predominates, a person has happiness, virtue, knowledge, and other good qualities. The harvest of goodness is rich.
BG 25.14
When the mode of passion, which causes attachment, separatism and activity, conquers ignorance and goodness, a man begins to work hard to acquire prestige and fortune. Thus in the mode of passion he experiences anxiety and struggle.
Essence. When passion — attachment, separatism, activity — conquers ignorance and goodness, one works hard for prestige and fortune, feeling anxiety and struggle. Passion productively suffers.
BG 25.15
When the mode of ignorance conquers passion and goodness, it covers one’s consciousness and makes one foolish and dull. Falling into lamentation and illusion, a person in the mode of ignorance sleeps excessively, indulges in false hopes, and displays violence toward others.
Essence. When ignorance conquers, consciousness is covered, the person is foolish and dull, sleeps excessively, indulges false hopes, and displays violence to others. The signs are bleak.
BG 25.16
When consciousness becomes clear and the senses are detached from matter, one experiences fearlessness within the material body and detachment from the material mind. You should understand this situation to be the predominance of the mode of goodness, in which one has the opportunity to realize Me.
Essence. Clear consciousness, detached senses, fearlessness in the body, detachment from mind — these are signs of goodness predominance. The body senses goodness too.
BG 25.17
You should discern the mode of passion by its symptoms — the distortion of the intelligence because of too much activity, the inability of the perceiving senses to disentangle themselves from mundane objects, an unhealthy condition of the working physical organs, and the unsteady perplexity of the mind.
Essence. Passion shows in distorted intelligence from too much activity, senses unable to disengage from objects, unhealthy condition of working organs, and restless mind. Diagnosis is precise.
BG 25.18
When one’s higher awareness fails and finally disappears and one is thus unable to concentrate his attention, his mind is ruined and manifests ignorance and depression. You should understand this situation to be the predominance of the mode of ignorance.
Essence. When higher awareness fails and one cannot concentrate, the mind manifests ignorance and depression — that is ignorance's predominance. The fog is named.
BG 25.19
With the increase of the mode of goodness, the strength of the demigods similarly increases. When passion increases, the demoniac become strong. And with the rise of ignorance, O Uddhava, the strength of the most wicked increases.
Essence. Goodness rising strengthens demigods; passion rising strengthens demons; ignorance rising strengthens the wicked. Cosmic alliances follow our internal modal shifts.
BG 25.20
It should be understood that alert wakefulness comes from the mode of goodness, sleep with dreaming from the mode of passion, and deep, dreamless sleep from the mode of ignorance. The fourth state of consciousness pervades these three and is transcendental.
Essence. Alert wakefulness comes from goodness, dreaming sleep from passion, deep dreamless sleep from ignorance; the fourth state pervades all and is transcendental. The states of consciousness are modally indexed.
BG 25.21
Learned persons dedicated to Vedic culture are elevated by the mode of goodness to higher and higher positions. The mode of ignorance, on the other hand, forces one to fall headfirst into lower and lower births. And by the mode of passion one continues transmigrating through human bodies.
Essence. Goodness elevates to higher positions, ignorance forces falldown to lower births, passion continues human transmigration. Each mode has its trajectory.
BG 25.22
Those who leave this world in the mode of goodness go to the heavenly planets, those who pass away in the mode of passion remain in the world of human beings, and those dying in the mode of ignorance must go to hell. But those who are free from the influence of all modes of nature come to Me.
Essence. Death in goodness leads to heavenly planets, in passion to human world, in ignorance to hell; freedom from all three leads to the Lord. The death-state matters because the modal state shapes the destination.
BG 25.23
Work performed as an offering to Me, without consideration of the fruit, is considered to be in the mode of goodness. Work performed with a desire to enjoy the results is in the mode of passion. And work impelled by violence and envy is in the mode of ignorance.
Essence. Work offered to Me without considering fruit is in goodness; work for enjoyment is in passion; work impelled by violence and envy is in ignorance. The same outward act has different inward addresses.
BG 25.24
Absolute knowledge is in the mode of goodness, knowledge based on duality is in the mode of passion, and foolish, materialistic knowledge is in the mode of ignorance. Knowledge based upon Me, however, is understood to be transcendental.
Essence. Absolute knowledge is in goodness, dualistic knowledge in passion, foolish material knowledge in ignorance; knowledge about the Lord is transcendental. Knowledge too has a mode.
BG 25.25
Residence in the forest is in the mode of goodness, residence in a town is in the mode of passion, residence in a gambling house displays the quality of ignorance, and residence in a place where I reside is transcendental.
Essence. Forest residence is goodness, town residence is passion, gambling house is ignorance — but residence where the Lord lives is transcendental. Geography too is mode-laden.
BG 25.26
A worker free of attachment is in the mode of goodness, a worker blinded by personal desire is in the mode of passion, and a worker who has completely forgotten how to tell right from wrong is in the mode of ignorance. But a worker who has taken shelter of Me is understood to be transcendental to the modes of nature.
Essence. An unattached worker is in goodness, a desire-blinded worker in passion, a worker who can't tell right from wrong in ignorance; a worker who has taken shelter of Me is transcendental. Shelter changes everything.
BG 25.27
Faith directed toward spiritual life is in the mode of goodness, faith rooted in fruitive work is in the mode of passion, faith residing in irreligious activities is in the mode of ignorance, but faith in My devotional service is purely transcendental.
Essence. Faith toward spiritual life is goodness, faith in fruitive work is passion, faith in irreligion is ignorance; faith in devotional service to Me is transcendental. Even faith has a target.
BG 25.28
Food that is wholesome, pure and obtained without difficulty is in the mode of goodness, food that gives immediate pleasure to the senses is in the mode of passion, and food that is unclean and causes distress is in the mode of ignorance.
Essence. Wholesome, pure, easily obtained food is goodness; immediate-pleasure food is passion; unclean, distress-causing food is ignorance. The plate participates in mode.
BG 25.29
Happiness derived from the self is in the mode of goodness, happiness based on sense gratification is in the mode of passion, and happiness based on delusion and degradation is in the mode of ignorance. But that happiness found within Me is transcendental.
Essence. Self-happiness is goodness, sense-pleasure happiness is passion, delusion-and-degradation happiness is ignorance; happiness found in Me is transcendental. Joy too has a sourcing.
BG 25.30
Therefore material substance, place, result of activity, time, knowledge, work, the performer of work, faith, state of consciousness, species of life and destination after death are all based on the three modes of material nature.
Essence. Substance, place, result, time, knowledge, work, performer, faith, consciousness, species, destination — all are based on the three modes. The Lord names twelve axes of mode-influence.
BG 25.31
O best of human beings, all states of material being are related to the interaction of the enjoying soul and material nature. Whether seen, heard of or only conceived within the mind, they are without exception constituted of the modes of nature.
Essence. All states of material being arise from the interaction of enjoying soul and material nature; whatever is seen, heard, or conceived is mode-constituted. No phenomenon is exempt.
BG 25.32
O gentle Uddhava, all these different phases of conditioned life arise from work born of the modes of material nature. The living entity who conquers these modes, manifested from the mind, can dedicate himself to Me by the process of devotional service and thus attain pure love for Me.
Essence. All conditioned phases arise from mode-born work; one who conquers the modes manifesting from the mind can dedicate himself to the Lord by devotional service and attain Him. Conquest plus dedication is the key.
BG 25.33
Therefore, having achieved this human form of life, which allows one to develop full knowledge, those who are intelligent should free themselves from all contamination of the modes of nature and engage exclusively in loving service to Me.
Essence. Having achieved human form, which allows full knowledge, the intelligent free themselves from mode-contamination and engage in loving service. The verse names the highest leverage.
BG 25.34
A wise sage, free from all material association and unbewildered, should subdue his senses and worship Me. He should conquer the modes of passion and ignorance by engaging himself only with things in the mode of goodness.
Essence. The wise sage, free from association and unbewildered, subdues the senses and worships the Lord, conquering passion and ignorance by engaging only with goodness-mode things. The remedy is structured.
BG 25.35
Then, being fixed in devotional service, the sage should also conquer the material mode of goodness by indifference toward the modes. Thus pacified within his mind, the spirit soul, freed from the modes of nature, gives up the very cause of his conditioned life and attains Me.
Essence. Fixed in devotional service, the sage conquers even goodness by indifference toward the modes; pacified, freed from modes, he gives up the cause of conditioned life. Even goodness is to be transcended eventually.
BG 25.36
Freed from the subtle conditioning of the mind and from the modes of nature born of material consciousness, the living entity becomes completely satisfied by experiencing My transcendental form. He no longer searches for enjoyment in the external energy, nor does he contemplate or remember such enjoyment within himself.
Essence. Freed from mind-conditioning and mode-born consciousness, the living entity is fully satisfied experiencing the Lord's transcendental form, no longer seeking enjoyment in external energy. Satisfaction is final and located.