In this chapter Bhagavan Krishna said to Arjuna that I will declare to you that supreme knowledge by which everyone attains liberation.

Bhagavan said that Lord Brahma is the universal womb in which all the seeds are present.  I placed the seed in the womb of Brahma.

Purity, passion and inertia are the three qualities of prakriti.  They are said as Sattva, Rajas and Tamas. These three qualities are present in the mind; a person’s nature is the combination of these three gunas.

Among the three qualities sattva binds a person to happiness and knowledge.  A Person with dominant sattva nature is attached to knowledge. The attachment to happiness is an illusion. Any happiness or joy is temporary.

Rajas binds a person to passion.  It binds the Jiva to do action.  Rajas induces the Jiva to perform action and it gives desires. A Rajasic man is never content.  He involves himself in endless activities.

Tamas is born of ignorance. It deludes the Jiva.  It induces indolence and sleep.  A tamasic person’s actions are not based on reason; but instinctive.  He never thinks before he acts.

Only one guna will be dominant in a Jiva at a time when sattva is dominant the other two gunas will be submissive.  When a particular quality becomes dominant it reveals its distinctive character.

Sattvic diet, japa, meditation, reading and listening to the holy scripture will increase the sattva in a Person.

Greed, activity, restlessness will arise when Rajas is dominant.

Darkness, inertia, heedlessness arises when Tamas is dominant.

If the embodied Jiva meets with death when the sattva is dominant then he attains the higher realm.  If he meets with death when Rajas is dominant then he will take rebirth in a place where work is always given importance.  It he dies when tamas is dominant then he will take rebirth in lower creatures like birds, animals etc.

As the result of sattvic guna one performs good actions.  The result of Rajasic Guna is pain and suffering.  The fruit of tamas is ignorance.  From sattva arises knowledge, from Rajas arises greed, heedlessness. From tamas arises delusion and ignorance.  Those who have sattva guna are born as devas. Those who have Rajasic Guna are born as human beings. Those who have Tamo guna are born as beasts.  When a person overcomes the gunas, then he attains my realm, which is free from birth, death, pain suffering and attains immortality says Bhagavan Krishna.

The Jiva is identical with the Atma however, the Jiva (soul) identifies with the body and mind and limits itself.  As a result of it the Jiva takes rebirth.

Now, Arjuna asks Bhagavan that what are the marks of a person who has transcended the three gunas?  How does he conduct life?

Bhagavan says, a Person who has transcended the gunas (jnani), neither hates nor long for anything. The Sattva, Rajas and tamas makes no impact on him.  These gunas are for the body and mind.  A Jnani or yogi is not aware of the body and mind. He is only aware of the Atman so the gunas of prakriti makes no impact on him.  He is well aware that the prakriti, or the evolutes of prakriti are inactive. It is The Atma which makes it active.  He is free from likes and dislikes.  He is the pure witness for his own body and mind.  He remains same in pleasure and pain.  He values equally a clod of earth and a diamond. He values only the Atma and not any worldly objects.  He remains same in honor and dishonor, towards a friend and a foe etc One who has unswerving devotion towards me and serves me will cross over the gunas.

Bhagavan concludes this chapter by saying,” I am the abode of Brahman, the immortal and the immutable, of everlasting Dharma and of absolute bliss”