Chapter 14The Three Qualities of Material NatureVerse 7

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Anvaya

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Commentaries of the Four Authorized Vaisnava Sampradayas

as confirmed in the Garga Samhita Canto 10, Chapter 61, Verses 23, 24, 25, 26
Rudra Vaisnava Sampradaya:


Visnuswami

Sridhara Swami's Commentary

The binding nature of rajas or mode of passion and its characteristics are now stated by Lord Krishna. It should be understood that rajas is the root of sense gratification and lust. Therefore rajas is the source of desire and attachment. Desire is hankering for that which is yet to be experienced and attachment is the obsession to have that which has been experienced already. By instigating and increasing the propensity to continuously perform actions rajas binds the jiva or embodied being tightly in samsara the perpetual cycle of birth and death due to accute desire and attachment to enjoy apparent and inapparent results.

Brahma Vaisnava Sampradaya:


Madhvacarya

Madhvacarya's Commentary

Because of attraction the attachment to craving binds by becoming incessant and insatiable.

Sri Vaisnava Sampradaya:


Ramanuja

Ramanuja's Commentary

Lord Krishna explains that the mode of passion is known as rajas and is the cause of sexual desires known as carnal lust. From rajas arises trishna which is desire for all forms of sensual enjoyments through the medium of the senses such as seeing, hearing, tasting, smelling and feeling. Also arising from rajas is sanga or desire to be in the association of family, friends and loved ones. Thus rajas encourages desires and promotes activities to enjoy such desires which binds one to the reactions of merits or demerits and keeps the jiva or embodied being incessantly revolving in samsara or the perpetual cycle of birth and death. This propensity for constantly performing actions is inherent and also causes the jiva to take birth at a specific place with a particular body suitable to enjoy the rewards of previous actions. Hence by instigating the desire for performing works one is kept in bondage. In this way rajas is known to be the root cause of lust, sensual desires and attachment.

Kumara Vaisnava Sampradaya:


Nimbaditya

Kesava Kasmiri's Commentary

Here Lord Krishna explains raja guna or the mode of passion and describes how it binds the jiva or embodied being to material existence. The quality of passion gives the impetus to perform activities for the desire of sense gratification and identifying in the mind such sense objects to be enjoyed by the senses. Desire is the hankering for the acquisition of objects to be acquired and attachment is obsession for objects that have already been acquired. This rajas tightly binds the jiva through incessant readiness to perform actions to satisfy desires and attachment to the lure of perceived and unperceived results for such actions.

Thus ends commentaries of chapter 14, verse 7 of the Srimad Bhagavad-Gita.

Verse 7


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