Bhagavad Gita: Chapter 14/Verse 21

अर्जुन उवाच

कैर्लिङ्गैस्त्रीन्गुणानेतानतीतो भवति प्रभो ।

किमाचारः कथं चैतांस्त्रीन्गुणानतिवर्तते ॥१४- २१॥

arjuna uvāca
kairliṅgaistrīnguṇānetānatīto bhavati prabho ।

kimācāraḥ kathaṃ caitāṃstrīnguṇānativartate ॥14- 21॥

Arjuna said, what characteristics and practice does one have who has transcended these three gunas, O Majestic One? How does one transcend these three gunas?


arjunas (masculine, nominative, singular) = Arjuna 

uvāca (past tense, 3rd person, singular) = said 

kais (neuter, instrumental, plural) = by what?

liṅgais (neuter, instrumental, plural) = by characteristics 

trīn (masculine, accusative, plural) = three 

guṇān (masculine, accusative, plural) = gunas

etān (masculine, accusative, plural) = these 

atītas (past passive participle, masculine, nominative, singular) = transcended

bhavati (present tense, 3rd person, singular) = one is 

prabho (masculine, vocative, singular) = O Majestic One (epithet of Krishna) 



kim (interrogative) (indeclinable) = what?

ācāras (masculine, nominative, singular) = practice 

katham (adverb) (indeclinable) = how?

ca (conjunction) (indeclinable) = and 

etān (masculine, accusative, plural) = these 

trīn (masculine, accusative, plural) = three 

guṇān (masculine, accusative, plural) = gunas

ativartate (present tense, 3rd person, singular) = one transcends