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CHAPTER XIV, 21.
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lence of) passion, he is born among those attached to action. Likewise, dying during (the prevalence of) darkness, he is born in the wombs of the ignorant! The fruit of meritorious action is said to be good, untainted; while the fruit of passion is misery; and the fruit of darkness ignorance. From goodness is produced knowledge, from passion avarice, and from darkness heedlessness and delusion and ignorance also. Those who adhere to (the ways of) goodness go up; the passionate remain in the middle; while those of the qualities of darkness, adhering to the ways of the lowest quality, go down. When a right-seeing person sees none but the qualities (to be) the doers (of all action), and knows what is above the qualities“, he enters into my essence. The embodied (self), who transcends these three qualities, from which bodies are produced', attains immortality, being freed from birth and death and old age and misery.
Arguna said: What are the characteristics, O lord! of one who has transcended these three qualities? What is his conduct, and how does, he transcend these three qualities?
* Lower creation, such as birds, beasts, &c. ' Cf. Sutra Nipata, p. 15.
• I.e. are born 28 gods, &c.; .middle,' as men, &c.; 'down,' us brutes, &c.
• I.e. what has been called Kshetragita before, the supervising principle within one.
• Bodies are developments of the qualitics, say the commenwators, which is not incompatible with the explanation of qualities given above. As to transcending qualities, cf. p. 48 supra.
• Cl. as to what follows what is said in chapter II about 'one wboxe mind is steady.'
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