Bhagavad Gita 14.17
सत्त्वात्सञ्जायते ज्ञानं रजसो लोभ एव च । प्रमादमोहौ तमसो भवतोऽज्ञानमेव च ॥ १७ ॥
sattvāt sañjāyate jñānaṁ rajaso lobha eva ca | pramāda-mohau tamaso bhavato 'jñānam eva ca ||17||
Translation
From sattva arises knowledge, from rajas greed, and from tamas carelessness, delusion, and ignorance.
Reflection
What has the dominant guna of this past month grown in you that you can name?
Read this verse in its chapter: Chapter Fourteen
The previous verses traced binding and fruit. This one traces what each guna grows. Sattva grows jnana, real knowing. Rajas grows lobha, the appetite for more. Tamas grows three weeds at once: pramada, moha, ajnana. The asymmetry is instructive. Sattva is generative in one clean direction; tamas multiplies trouble in three. The pilgrim who has been keeping watch on his moods can now also watch what each mood grows in him. A rajasic week tends to leave behind a wider lobha than it began with. A tamasic week leaves behind compounded fog. The garden is honest about its seasons.