Srimad-Bhagavatam: Canto 10 - Chapter 1 - Verse 22

Sanskrit:

सत्त्वं रजस्तम इति स्थित्युत्पत्त्यन्तहेतव: । रजसोत्पद्यते विश्वमन्योन्यं विविधं जगत् ॥ २२ ॥

ITRANS:

sattvaṁ rajas tama itisthity-utpatty-anta-hetavaḥrajasotpadyate viśvamanyonyaṁ vividhaṁ jagat

Translation:

The causes of creation, maintenance and destruction are the three modes of nature — namely goodness, passion and ignorance. In particular, the mode of passion creates this universe and through sexual combination causes it to become full of variety.

Purport:

Anticipating the possible objection that a livelihood based on cows certainly depends on Lord Indra, who supplies rain, Lord Kṛṣṇa here introduces a mechanistic theory of existence known as atheistic Sāṅkhya. The tendency to attribute exclusive causality to the apparently mechanistic functions of nature is an old tendency indeed. Five thousand years ago Lord Kṛṣṇa referred to a doctrine already well known in human society.