संत साहित्य
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संत साहित्य · Jñāneśvarī · Adhyāya 14

Cluster 0503 — BG-14.17 — *sattvāt sañjāyate jñānam rajaso lobha eva ca — pramāda-mohau tamaso bhavato'jñānam eva ca*

BG-14.17

Sanskrit

सत्त्वात्संजायते ज्ञानं रजसो लोभ एव च। प्रमादमोहौ तमसो भवतोऽज्ञानमेव च॥१७॥

Translation

FROM SATTVA (sattvāt) arises (sañjāyate) JÑĀNA (jñānam) — FROM RAJAS (rajasaḥ) LOBHA (lobhaḥ eva ca) — FROM TAMAS (tamasaḥ) arise BOTH PRAMĀDA-MOHA (pramāda-mohau bhavataḥ) and AJÑĀNA (ajñānam eva ca).

Function

BG-14.17 IS THE ICONIC PSYCHIC-PRODUCTION RECAP of adhyāya-14's guṇa-doctrine. The verse's pedagogical-architecture is precise:

  • SATTVA → JÑĀNA (one effect — the discrimination-faculty itself).
  • RAJAS → LOBHA (one effect — the appetitive-grasping-faculty).
  • TAMAS → PRAMĀDA + MOHA + AJÑĀNA (three effects — the iconic TAMAS-tripled signature).

The 1+1+3 asymmetric-distribution names TAMAS as the most-productive of inner-distortions — the heaviest catalog. The verse follows BG-14.16's KARMA-PHALA-distribution (sāttvika-karma → nirmala-phala / rājasa-karma → duḥkha-phala / tāmasa-karma → ajñāna-phala) by pivoting from OUTER-PHALA-of-action to INNER-PSYCHIC-EFFECTS of each guṇa — completing the BG-14.6-17 progression with the precise PSYCHIC-PRODUCTION condensate before the directional-trajectory pivot of BG-14.18.

Jñāneśvar's 6-ovi Treatment

Jñāneśvar's treatment (14.265-14.270) renders the verse with compact Marathi pedagogical-architecture (3+1+1+1):

(i) 14.265-14.267 — The 1+1+3 PSYCHIC-PRODUCTION Catalog (3 ovis)

  • 14.265 — SATTVA→JÑĀNA as SUN-PRODUCES-DAYLIGHT — mhaṇauni bā rē arjunā — yetha sattvachi hētu jñānā — jaisā kām dinamānā — sūrya hai paim (THEREFORE O ARJUNA — HERE SATTVA-ITSELF is the CAUSE of JÑĀNA — LIKE the SUN for DAYLIGHT).

  • 14.266 — RAJAS→LOBHA as FORGETTING-ADVAITA — āṇi taisēmci hēm jāṇa — lobhāsi raja kāraṇa — āpulēm vismaraṇa — advaitā jevīm (AND KNOW THIS LIKEWISE — LOBHA-S CAUSE IS RAJA — LIKE the FORGETTING of OWN-ADVAITA).

  • 14.267 — TAMAS→MOHA-AJÑĀNA-PRAMĀDA as MAILAYĀ-DOṢA-VRNDA — moha ajñāna pramādā — yayām mailayā doṣavrndā — puḍhatī puḍhatī prabuddhā — tamachi mūḷa (MOHA AJÑĀNA PRAMĀDA — this STAINED DOṢA-VRNDA — OVER-AND-OVER O PRABUDDHĀ — TAMAS-ITSELF is the ROOT).

(ii) 14.268 — The ĀNVAḶĀ-on-PALM Clarity-Simile (1 ovi)

  • 14.268 — aisēm vicārāchyā ḍōḷām — tinhī guṇa hē vegaḷavegaḷām — dāvilē jaisā āmvaḷā — taḷahātīmcā (BY THE EYE OF VICĀRA the THREE GUṆAS shown SEPARATELY — LIKE an ĀNVAḶĀ on the PALM). The iconic ĀNVAḶĀ-on-PALM clarity-simile names the just-completed 1+1+3 catalog as PERFECTLY-LEGIBLE.

(iii) 14.269 — RAJAS-TAMAS as PRAUḌHA-PATANĪṂ + SATTVA-INDISPENSABLE-for-JÑĀNA (1 ovi)

  • 14.269 — tava rajatamēm dōnhīm — dēkhilīm prauḍha patanīm — sattvāvāmcūni nāṇī — jñānākaḍē (RAJAS-TAMAS BOTH SEEN as PRAUḌHA-PATANĪṂ PROUD-FALLINGS — WITHOUT SATTVA NO LEADING TOWARD JÑĀNA). The iconic doctrinal-conclusion anticipating BG-14.18's ūrdhva-madhya-adhaḥ directional-trajectory.

(iv) 14.270 — SĀTTVIKA-VRTTI as JANMA-VRATĪ + CHATURTHĪ-BHAKTI Closing-Bridge (1 ovi)

  • 14.270 — mhaṇauni sāttvika vrttī — eka jālē gā janma vratī — sarvatyāgēm caturthī — bhakti jaisī (THEREFORE SĀTTVIKA-VRTTI becomes a JANMA-VRATĪ LIFE-LONG-VOW — LIKE the FOURTH-BHAKTI of SARVA-TYĀGA). The iconic bridge linking adhyāya-14's guṇa-doctrine with BG-7.16's CHATURTHĪ-BHAKTI taxonomy — naming the sāttvika-disposition as equivalent to the supreme jñāni-bhakta of BG-7.17-18.

The cluster delivers BG-14.17's PSYCHIC-PRODUCTION recap with three iconic Marathi pedagogical-elevations: (a) the SUN-PRODUCES-DAYLIGHT natural-causation simile for SATTVA→JÑĀNA; (b) the FORGETTING-ADVAITA Vedāntic simile for RAJAS→LOBHA (locating LOBHA as the PSYCHIC-SHADOW of LOST-ADVAITA); (c) the explicit cross-reference to the CHATURTHĪ-BHAKTI of BG-7.16 closing the cluster — establishing the equivalence between the sāttvika-disposition and the supreme jñāni-bhakta.