Bhagavad Gita BG 18.21
Chapter 18, Verse 21 — Meaning, Translation & Explanation
पृथक्त्वेन तु यज्ज्ञानं नानाभावान्पृथग्विधान् । वेत्ति सर्वेषु भूतेषु तज्ज्ञानं विद्धि राजसम् ॥
prthaktvena tu yaj jnanam nana-bhavan prthag-vidhan vetti sarveshu bhuteshu taj jnanam viddhi rajasam
Meaning
But that knowledge which sees, through the lens of separateness (prthaktvena), different existences of varied kinds (nana-bhavan prthag-vidhan) in all beings — know that knowledge to be rajasic.
Understanding
Rajasic jnana is defined by its fundamental assumption: prthaktvena (through separateness, with separateness as the basic lens). It sees nana-bhavan prthag-vidhan (various different existences of distinct kinds) in all beings. This is not empirical plurality (which is true at the phenomenal level) but the metaphysical assumption that the differences are ultimate — that the individual beings are irreducibly separate, that there is no underlying unity. The rajasic knower sees people, situations, and the world as fundamentally fragmented: each thing is its own separate reality. This produces a consciousness oriented around competition, comparison, and the management of a fundamentally fractured world. Contrast with sattvic (18.20, already covered): seeing the imperishable One in all divided beings — sarva-bhuteshu yenaikam bhavam avyayam ikshate.
Word by Word
| Word | IAST | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| पृथक्त्वेन | prthaktvena | through separateness, by means of division (prthak = separate, tva = abstract noun) |
| नानाभावान् | nana-bhavan | various existences, different modes of being (nana = various, many) |
| पृथग्विधान् | prthag-vidhan | of different kinds, of varied sorts |
| वेत्ति | vetti | knows, perceives, understands |
| सर्वेषु भूतेषु | sarveshu bhuteshu | in all beings (sarva = all, bhuta = existing being) |
| पृथक्त्वेन | pṛthaktvena tu | but by separateness |
| यत् | yat | which |
| ज्ञानम् | jñānam | knowledge |
| नाना-भावान् | nānā-bhāvān | various beings |
| पृथग्-विधान् | pṛthag-vidhān | of different kinds |
| सर्वेषु | sarveṣu | in all |
| भूतेषु | bhūteṣu | beings |
| तत् | tat | that |
| ज्ञानम् | jñānam | knowledge |
| विद्धि | viddhi | know |
| राजसम् | rājasam | in passion |
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