is still less. There where Goodness exists in
a copious measure, in creatures of upward courses,
Darkness should be known to exist in a small measure
and Passion in a measure that is still less.
Goodness is the spring that causes the modifications
of the senses. It is the great enlightener.
No duty has been laid down that is higher than Goodness.
They who abide in Goodness proceed upwards. They
who abide in Passion remain in the middle. They
who abide in Darkness, being characterised by qualities
that are low, sink downwards. Darkness occurs
in the Sudra; Passion in the Kshatriya; and Goodness,
which is the highest, in the Brahmana. The three
qualities exist even thus in the three orders.
Even from a distance, the three qualities of darkness
and Goodness and Passion, are seen to exist in a state
of union and more collectively. They are never
seen in a state of separation.[110] Beholding the
sun rising, men of evil deeds become inspired with
fear. Travellers on their way become afflicted
with heat, and suffer distress. The Sun is Goodness
developed, men of evil deeds represent Darkness; the
heat which travellers on their way feel is said to
be a quality of Passion. The sun representing
light is Goodness; the heat is the quality of Passion;
the shading (or eclipse) of the sun on Parvana days
should be known to represent Darkness. Even thus,
the three qualities exist in all luminous bodies.
They act by turns in diverse places in diverse ways.
Among immobile objects, the quality of Darkness exists
in a very large measure. The qualities appertaining
to Passion are those properties of theirs which undergo
constant changes. Their oleaginous attributes
appertain to Goodness.[111] The Day should be understood
as threefold. The Night has been ordained to be
threefold. So also are fortnight, months, years,
seasons, and conjunctions.[112] The gifts that are
wide are threefold. Threefold is sacrifice that
flows. Threefold are the worlds; threefold the
deities; threefold is knowledge; and threefold the
path or end. The past, the Present. and the Future;
Religion, Wealth. and Pleasure. Prana, Apana,
and Udana; these also are fraught with the three qualities.
Whatever object exists in this world, everything in
it is fraught with the three qualities. The three
qualities act by turns in all things and in all circumstances.
Verily, the three qualities always act in an unmanifest
form. The creation of those three, viz.,
Goodness, Passion, and Darkness is eternal. The
unmanifest, consisting of the three qualities, is
said to be darkness, unperceived, holy, Constant.
unborn, womb, eternal. Nature, change or modification,
destruction, Pradhana, production, and absorption,
undeveloped, not small (i.e., vast), unshaking, immovable,
fixed, existent, and non-existent. All these
names should be known by those who meditate on matters
connected with the soul. That person who accurately
knows all the names of the unmanifest, and the qualities,
as also the pure operations (of the qualities), is
well conversant with the truth about all distinctions
and freed from the body, becomes liberated from all
the qualities and enjoys absolute happiness.’”