Chapter XIV · Śloka 17
सत्त्वात्सञ्जायते ज्ञानं रजसो लोभ एव च ।
प्रमादमोहौ तमसो भवतोऽज्ञानमेव च ॥
प्रमादमोहौ तमसो भवतोऽज्ञानमेव च ॥
sattvāt sañjāyate jñānaṃ rajaso lobha eva ca |
pramāda-mohau tamaso bhavato 'jñānam eva ca ||
pramāda-mohau tamaso bhavato 'jñānam eva ca ||
From sattva arises knowledge; from rajas arises greed; and from tamas arise negligence, delusion, and also ignorance.
This verse maps the inner landscape: sattva is the soil from which wisdom grows, rajas from which craving proliferates, and tamas from which heedlessness, confusion, and nescience spread.