त्रिभिर्गुणमयैर्भावैरेभिः सर्वमिदं जगत्। मोहितं नाभिजानाति मामेभ्यः परमव्ययम्।।7.13।।
tribhiguṇamayiḥ bhāvair ebhiḥ sarvam idaṁ jagat | mohitam nābhijānāti mām ebhyaḥ paramavyayam
Translation
Deluded by the three modes of Maya, people in this world do not know Me, the supreme inexhaustible.
Word Meanings
tribhih — three; guṇamayiḥ — consisting of the guṇas; bhāvaiḥ — by the states of being; ebhiḥ — all these; sarvam — whole; idaṁ — this; jagat — universe; mohitam — deluded; na — not; abhijānāti — knows; mām — Me; ebhyaḥ — above these; param — Supreme; avyayam — inexhaustible.
Understanding the Verse
In this verse, Lord Krishna points out the fundamental cause of ignorance that prevents souls from realizing the divine. The "three modes" (tri-bhih) refer to sattva, rajas, and tamas – the three gunas that permeate all of material nature. When these gunas are combined, they create "guṇamayi" – the very fabric of Maya, the veil of illusion that obscures the true nature of reality. By being "bhāvaiḥ ebhiḥ" – through the various states of existence generated by these modes, every living entity experiences the world as a mutable, temporary phenomenon.
Because of this entanglement, the created world "sarvam idaṁ jagat" appears as a single, cohesive entity, yet it is nothing but a projection of the gunas. The mind, conditioned by these qualities, becomes "mohitam" – deluded, and thus fails to perceive the underlying, unchanging reality. The verse emphasizes that this delusion is the chief obstacle to "abhijānāti" – true knowledge of the Self. Those who remain attached to the fleeting manifestations of the gunas cannot recognize "mām" – the Supreme Self, who is "paramavyayam" – beyond decay, beyond exhaustion, and beyond all change.
Krishna's statement also serves as a diagnostic tool for spiritual aspirants. By identifying the root cause – the three modes of material nature – seekers can begin the process of disentanglement. The path involves cultivating sattva, practicing discrimination (viveka), and developing devotion (bhakti) that gradually lifts the veil of Maya. As the gunas lose their grip, the heart becomes receptive to the divine light, allowing the knowledge of the Supreme to dawn. This transition from ignorance to wisdom is the essence of the Bhagavad Gita's teaching in Chapter 7, which systematically reveals the nature of the Divine and the means to attain union with Him.
Thus, this verse encapsulates a profound metaphysical truth: the world’s apparent unity is a Maya‑induced illusion created by the three gunas, and it is only through transcending this illusion that one can truly know "Me", the imperishable, inexhaustible source of all existence.
