BG 14.5
निबध्नन्ति महाबाहो देहे देहिनमव्ययम् ॥
nibadhnanti mahā-bāho dehe dehinam avyayam
Word-for-word meanings
guṇāḥ — the guṇas; iti — namely; sattvam — luminosity; rajaḥ — dynamism; tamaḥ — [and] inertia; sambhavāḥ — which are born of; prakṛti — material nature; nibadhnanti — bind; avyayam — the imperishable; dehinam — embodied being; dehe — to the body; mahā-bāho — O mighty-armed.
Translation
The guṇas — namely, sattva, rajas, and tamas — which are born of material nature*, bind the imperishable embodied being to the body, O mighty-armed.
Notes
* The three guṇas are stated here as being born of material nature. But in other places, such as Bhāgavata Purāṇa, they are described as the constituents of material nature. There is no contradiction in these two descriptions as they correspond to two different states of the guṇas. In the unmanifest state, the guṇas remain in equilibrium, and thus no evolution occurs. The guṇas’ existence even in this primordial state clearly shows that they are constituents of prakṛti. The disequilibrated state in which the guṇas become active is merely referred to as taking birth, because it is only in this state that the functions of the guṇas are perceived.