Shloka
कर्मणः सुकृतस्याहुः सात्त्विकं निर्मलं फलम् |
रजसस्तु फलं दुःखमज्ञानं तमसः फलम् ||१४-१६||Transliteration
karmaṇaḥ sukṛtasyāhuḥ sāttvikaṃ nirmalaṃ phalam .
rajasastu phalaṃ duḥkhamajñānaṃ tamasaḥ phalam ||14-16||Translations
Dr.S.Sankaranarayan
14.16. The fruit of good action, they say, is spotless and is of the Sattva; but the fruit of the Rajas is pain, and the fruit of the Tamas is ignorance.
Shri Purohit Swami
14.16 They say the fruit of a meritorious action is spotless and full of purity; the outcome of Passion is misery, and of Ignorance darkness.
Sri Abhinav Gupta
14.16 See Comment under 14.20
Sri Ramanuja
14.16 Thus, the ‘fruit of a good deed,’ namely, disinterested work in the form of My worship, performed by one who dies when Sattva prevails - is birth in the family of those who know the self. There he acires more Sattva than before and the self becomes more pure, namely, devoid of the slightest vestige of suffering. So say those who know about the development of Sattva. But the ‘fruit of Rajas,’ dominating at the time of death, is ‘suffering in Samsara.’ In consists in successive births in families attached to actions for the sake of fruits. Rirth of this type increases Rajas further, resulting in actions for gaining their fruits. So say those who know about the developments of this Guna. ‘Ignorance’ is the result of Tamas. The fruit of Tamas dominating at the time of death, is successive conditions of ignorance.
What are the results derived from Sattva etc.? To this, He answers:
Sri Shankaracharya
14.16 Ahuh, they, the wise persons, say; that phalam, the result; sukrtasya, of good; karmanah, work, i.e. acts having the sattva ality; is verily nirmalam, pure; and is sattvikam, born of sattva. Tu, but; phalam, the result; rajasah, of rajas, i.e. of acts that have the alitty of rajas-for the topic relates to actions; is duhkham, sorrow. In accordance with its cause, the result too is indeed sorrow, a product of rajas. So also ajnanam, ignorance; is, as before, (the result) tamasah, of tamas, of unrighteous acts that have the ality of tamas. What else results from the alities?
Swami Adidevananda
14.16 The fruits of a good deed, they say, is pure and is of the nature of Sattva. But the fruit of Rajas is pain; and the fruit of Tamas is ignorance.
Swami Gambirananda
14.16 They say that the result of good work is pure and is born of sattva. But the result of rajas is sorrow; the result of tamas is ignorance.
Swami Sivananda
14.16 The fruit of good action, they say, is Sattvic and pure, verily the fruit of Rajas is pain, and ignorance is the fruit of Tamas.
Commentaries
Swami Sivananda
14.16 कर्मणः of action? सुकृतस्य (of) good? आहुः (they) say? सात्त्विकम् Sattvic? निर्मलम् pure? फलम् the fruit? रजसः of Rajas? तु verily? फलम् the fruit? दुःखम् pain? अज्ञानम् ignorance? तमसः of inertia? फलम् the fruit.Commentary Good action Sattvic action. The fruit of good action is both happiness and,knowledge.They The wise.Rajas means Rajasic action as this verse deals with action. The fruit of Rajasic action is bitter. Rajasic action brings pain? disappointment and dissatisfaction. Rajasic activity leads to greed. When the Rajasic man tries to gratify his original desires? new desires crop up. This opens the door to greed.Tamas Tamasic action? unrighteous deeds or sin (Adharma). There is no knowledge within and no foresight.