Shloka
तत्त्ववित्तु महाबाहो गुणकर्मविभागयोः |
गुणा गुणेषु वर्तन्त इति मत्वा न सज्जते ||३-२८||Transliteration
tattvavittu mahābāho guṇakarmavibhāgayoḥ .
guṇā guṇeṣu vartanta iti matvā na sajjate ||3-28||Translations
Dr.S.Sankaranarayan
3.28. But, O mighty-armed one, the knower of the real nature of the divisions of the Strands and of their [respective] divisions of work, realises : ‘The Strands are at their [respective] purposes’ And hence he is not attached.
Shri Purohit Swami
3.28 But he, O Mighty One, who understands correctly the relation of the Qualities to action, is not attached to the act for he perceives that it is merely the action and reaction of the Qualities among themselves.
Sri Abhinav Gupta
3.28 Tattvavit tu etc. On the other hand, the knower of the real nature of divisions of the Strands and of their actions, sets himself free by viewing ‘The Prakrti acts; what comes to men ?’ The ignorant men have been described as being attached to action (above III, 26). That attachment [of theirs, the Lord] demonstrates :
Sri Ramanuja
3.28 But he who knows the truth about the divisions of the Gunas and their actions - namely, about the division among Sattva etc., on the one hand, and the divisions among their respective functionings on the other hand - it is he who, realising that Gunas, i.e., Sattva etc., are operating on their own products, is not attached to the actions of the Gunas, being convinced, ‘I am not the doer.’
Sri Shankaracharya
3.28 Tu, but, on the other hand; he who is a knower, tattva-vit, a knower of the facts;-knower of what kinds of facts?-guna-karma-vibhagayoh, about the varieties of the gunas and actions, i.e. a knower of the diversity of the gunas and the diversity of acitons; [Guna-vibhaga means the products of Prakrti which consists of the three gunas. They are the five subtle elements, mind, intellect, ego, five sensory organs, five motor organs and five objects (sound etc.) of the senses. Karma-vibhaga means the varieties of inter-actions among these.-Tr.] na sajjate, does not become attached; iti matva, thinking thus; ‘Gunah, the gunas in the form of organs;-not the Self-vartante, rest (act); gunesu, on the gunus in the form of objects of the organs.’
Swami Adidevananda
3.28 But he who knows the truth about the division of the Gunas and works, O mighty-armed one, through his knowledge that ‘Gunas operate on their products,’ is not attached.
Swami Gambirananda
3.28 But, O mighty-armed one, the one who is a knower of the facts about the varieties of the gunas (alities) and actions does not become attached, thinking thus: ‘The organs rest (act) on the objects of the organs.’
Swami Sivananda
3.28 But he who knows the Truth, O mighty-armed (Arjuna), about the divisions of the alities and (their) functions, knowing that the Gunas as senses move amidst the Gunas as the sense-objects, is not attached.
Commentaries
Swami Sivananda
3.28 तत्त्ववित् the knower of the Truth? तु but? महाबाहो O mightyarmed? गुणकर्मविभागयोः of the divisions of alities and functions? गुणाः the alities (in the shape of senses)? गुणेषु amidst the alities (in the shape of objects)? वर्तन्ते remain? इति thus? मत्वा knowing? न not? सज्जते is attached.Commentary He who knows the truth that the Self is entirely distinct from the three Gunas and actions does not become attached to the actions. He who knows the truth about the classification of the Gunas and their respective functions understands that the alities as senseorgans move amidst the alities as senseobjects. Therefore he is not attached to the actions. He knows? I am Akarta – I am not the doer. (Cf.XIV.23).