Gita 14.22
Gunatraya Vibhaga Yoga
श्रीभगवानुवाच | प्रकाशं च प्रवृत्तिं च मोहमेव च पाण्डव | न द्वेष्टि सम्प्रवृत्तानि न निवृत्तानि काङ्क्षति ||२२||
śrī-bhagavān uvāca | prakāśaṁ ca pravṛttiṁ ca moham eva ca pāṇḍava | na dveṣṭi sampravṛttāni na nivṛttāni kāṅkṣati ||22||
In essence: The transcendent one neither hates illumination, activity, or delusion when present, nor longs for them when absent.
A conversation between a seeker and guide to help you feel this verse deeply
Sadhak-Guru Dialogue
Sadhak: "This sounds like not caring about anything. If I don't prefer sattva, won't I just wallow in tamas?"
Guru: "Not caring and not preferring are different. The transcendent one responds appropriately but doesn't cling or push away. They might take action that shifts tamas toward sattva, but without the inner war of 'I hate this, I want that.'"
Sadhak: "But spiritual practice is about cultivating sattva. How can I not prefer it?"
Guru: "Earlier stages do cultivate sattva - that's appropriate and necessary. But there's a stage beyond cultivation where even that preference drops. You're not there yet if you're still preferring. When the preference naturally ceases, that's the sign you've transcended."
Sadhak: "What's wrong with preferring clarity over confusion?"
Guru: "Nothing wrong - but it's still being identified with gunas. The one who prefers clarity is the sattvic identity, still a guna-creature. True transcendence means you're no longer identified with any guna, even the best one. You're the awareness in which all gunas appear equally."
Sadhak: "This sounds almost impossibly advanced."
Guru: "It is advanced. But it's also natural when seen clearly. Right now, in awareness, can any guna really disturb you? Isn't awareness equally present in sattva, rajas, and tamas? The teaching points to what you already are, not what you must become."
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🌅 Daily Practice
When you wake, notice which guna greets you without immediately trying to change it. Practice moments of non-preference: 'This is what's here now.' Not passivity, but acceptance before response. Let action arise from clarity, not from aversion to the present state.
When sattva arises, notice any clinging ('May this last!'). When rajas or tamas arise, notice any aversion ('I hate feeling this way!'). These reactions are the markers of guna-identification. Simply noticing them begins to loosen their grip.
Review: did you hate any states today? Long for any? These preferences are natural at earlier stages but point to remaining identification. No judgment - just honest seeing. The seeing itself is the practice. Tomorrow, watch with even more curiosity.