Gita 14.6
Gunatraya Vibhaga Yoga
तत्र सत्त्वं निर्मलत्वात्प्रकाशकमनामयम् | सुखसङ्गेन बध्नाति ज्ञानसङ्गेन चानघ ||६||
tatra sattvaṁ nirmalatvāt prakāśakam anāmayam | sukha-saṅgena badhnāti jñāna-saṅgena cānagha ||6||
In essence: Sattva, being pure and illuminating, binds through attachment to happiness and knowledge.
A conversation between a seeker and guide to help you feel this verse deeply
Sadhak-Guru Dialogue
Sadhak: "I don't understand. Happiness and knowledge are good things. Why would attachment to them be a problem?"
Guru: "Attachment is the problem, not the thing attached to. When you're attached to happiness, what happens when sadness naturally arises?"
Sadhak: "I resist it, try to get back to happiness as quickly as possible."
Guru: "And in that resistance, are you at peace?"
Sadhak: "No, I'm struggling. But surely wanting to be happy is natural?"
Guru: "Wanting happiness is natural to the body-mind. But clinging to it, identifying as 'a happy person,' building your whole life around maintaining pleasant states - this is bondage. The free being welcomes happiness when it comes and releases it when it goes, without the suffering of attachment."
Sadhak: "And knowledge? I came to spirituality seeking wisdom. Now that's also a trap?"
Guru: "Knowledge that serves liberation is useful. Knowledge that becomes identity - 'I am the one who knows' - is a trap. The subtlest ego is the spiritual ego, the one that's proud of its non-attachment, wise about its wisdom. This is sattva binding through jnana-sanga."
Sadhak: "How do I have wisdom without being attached to it?"
Guru: "Let wisdom flow through you like water through a pipe. The pipe doesn't own the water. When insight arises, offer it. When it's gone, don't grasp. The liberated sage uses knowledge without being bound by it."
Did this resonate with you? Share it with someone who needs to hear this.
🌅 Daily Practice
Notice if you're attached to 'having a good morning.' Some days begin in sattva naturally; others don't. Can you accept a morning of dullness or restlessness without it ruining your day? The goal isn't forcing sattva but non-attachment to any particular state. Begin with equanimity toward whatever guna greets you.
Watch for identity-attachment to knowledge. When you explain something to someone, notice if you feel superior because you know more. When you're confused, notice if you feel diminished. True knowledge humbles because it reveals how much remains unknown. Practice 'beginner's mind' - holding even your deepest insights lightly.
Reflect: did you grasp at happy moments today, trying to extend them? Did you resist uncomfortable ones, trying to escape? Notice without judgment. The very act of clear seeing is sattva serving liberation rather than bondage. Appreciate clarity without clinging to it.