Garudapurana 3.4

Śrī Garuḍa Mahāpurāṇa, Chapter 4. / Śrī Kṛṣṇa said: / When the Blessed Lord created the three qualities from primordial matter, / Lakṣmī arose in three forms, designated as Śrī, Bhū, and Durgā.

Śrī is the presiding deity of purity (sattva), Goddess Bhū is the presiding deity of passion (rajas), / and Durgā is the presiding deity of darkness (tamas); so say the wise.

One should not perceive any difference among the forms mutually, / or due to the connection with the qualities of Durgā and the others, O Lord of Birds.

Those who perceive a difference go to the highest blinding darkness. / The Puruṣa, however, became threefold: Viṣṇu, Brahmā, and Śiva.

Through sattva, Hari Himself directly became Viṣṇu to sustain the worlds; / and to perform creation through rajas, Hari entered into Brahmā.

He is to be known as the primal Brahmā, but not as Hari directly Himself; / and through tamas, Hari entered into Rudra to destroy the equals.

Dwelling in Rudra, He is designated as Rudra, but Rudra is not Hari Himself. / Viṣṇu alone is Hari directly; both of those others are not remembered as Hari.

Those two who bear the names Brahmā and Rudra are to be known as possessed forms (āviṣṭarūpa). / Knowing thus, one attains liberation, and not in any other way at all.

Those twice-born who perceive identity among the forms of Viṣṇu, Brahmā, and the rest / go to a terrible hell from which there is no return.

Having entered the triad of qualities, the imperishable Puruṣa, Hari, / agitated [them] in such a way that they would become inclined toward cosmic activity.

From the agitation produced by the Blessed Lord, the Mahat arose from the triad of qualities; / it arose from that portion existing within the three qualities, without a doubt.

From the Mahat were born Brahmā and Vāyu, the presiding deities of the ether; / after one year of that, the twins were born.

The principle in which rajas is predominant is declared to be the principle of Mahat; / and one should know this creation by the name 'disequilibrium of the qualities'.

Garuḍa said: / For the sake of knowing the nature of the principle of Mahat, O son of Devakī, / you have spoken of the supreme creation named 'disequilibrium of the qualities'.

Tell me the meaning of the word 'disequilibrium of the qualities', O great lord! / Śrī Kṛṣṇa said: / In order to make known the meaning of the word 'disequilibrium of the qualities', O lord of birds,

equilibrium of the qualities must first be observed there, without doubt. / In order to explain fully there, first of all, O lord of birds,

I shall show the state of the qualities in their accumulated mass. / Compared to accumulated tamas, O son of Vinatā,

accumulated rajas is to be known as double; it is not otherwise. / Compared to accumulated rajas, O son of Vinatā,

accumulated sattva is likewise declared to be double. / For these are born of original nature; they are not considered the original nature [itself],

because there is no limitation to the forms of nature; / therefore they are to be known as born of nature; they are not the root [nature], O lord of birds.

Thus the measure of the qualities has been spoken to you, O lord of birds, / and their true nature has been told to you fully, O lord of birds.

Among those three masses, sattva is declared to be pure; / for, O Garuḍa, it is unmixed with rajas and tamas, and therefore

it is called pure sattva, not merely on account of its excellence, O lord. / At the time of creation it is pure; at the dissolution it becomes mixed.

Those who understand the mass of sattva as always unmixed, O lord of birds, / or [as] always mixed, O best of the twice-born,

all of them enter the lowest darkness. / The qualities of rajas and tamas, O king of birds, are mixed with the other two;

in creation and at the time of dissolution, they are indeed mixed, O lord of birds. / Even in accumulated rajas, more than a hundred parts above the portion of rajas

sattva is to be known as mixed; it is not otherwise, O best of birds. / In the midst of a hundred parts of rajas, O son of Vinatā,

that which is designated as one part, so much is the measured tamas / that is declared to be mixed even in accumulated rajas.

Such is the state of the mass of rajas, dear one; it is pervaded by the qualities of tamas. / And even in accumulated tamas, O son of Vinatā,

compared to tamas, O Garuḍa, with ten parts more, / sattva is mixed; thus it is to be known, there is no doubt here.

In the midst of ten parts of tamas, O son of Vinatā,

that which is designated as one part, so much rajas is certainly mixed / even in accumulated tamas; such is the state of the mass of tamas to be known, O best of birds.

Garuḍa said: / Even in accumulated rajas and even in accumulated tamas / portions of sattva are in excess; so it has been spoken by me, O sinless one.

Regarding that, I have a doubt; listen to it, O lord of the Sāttvatas! / In whatever mass the parts of whatever mass are in excess by so much,

by so much should its designation be, like milk and water, O lord. / Having heard what was said by Garuḍa, the blessed Supreme Person,

Hari spoke with supreme delight, praising Garuḍa. / Śrī Kṛṣṇa said: / The mass of sattva is always greater than the mass of rajas and the mass of tamas;

and although mixed, O king of birds, it is not celebrated as sattva. / The wise know it as the 'mass of rajas' and the 'mass of tamas'.

Just as poison placed in sweet milk is called poison, / even so has the inherent state of the qualities been spoken by me, O Garuḍa.

Now hear about the state of equilibrium of the qualities, O lord of birds: / whatever is produced from accumulated rajas, O lord of birds,

and the rajas that has entered the principle of Mahat— / when dissolution has arrived, the rajas situated in the principle of Mahat

is truly divided into twelve parts, O lord. / Mixed with ten parts in accumulated sattva,

it becomes complete, O king of birds; and likewise with one part, O egg-born one, / it is mixed with the mass of tamas; there is no doubt.

With another one part, O lord of birds, / it is mixed with the mass of rajas; thus it is to be known, never otherwise.

Even in the three qualities, the blessed [dissolution] of the principle of Mahat, O egg-born one, / such a dissolution is to be understood in the heart by those who proclaim the true reality.

Thus, because the three qualities are mixed, O lord of birds, / they call it 'equilibrium of the qualities'; know it thus, O bird!

Those who understand otherwise go to the lowest darkness. / Garuḍa said: / Of the three accumulated qualities, O Supreme Lord,

which are vast, O Supreme Brahman, how is there equilibrium of the qualities at dissolution? / Tell me this truth concisely, O most fortunate one!

Śrī Kṛṣṇa said: / The wise know the state of the three accumulated qualities, / O best of beings, as being mixed at that time.

Now hear properly about the disequilibrium of the qualities, O my dear one! / When the time of creation has arrived, what was previously in dissolution, O bird—

the rajas that was mixed with sattva by ten parts, / and that rajas which entered tamas by one part,

and that rajas which entered rajas by one part— / thus the rajas that had entered completely in twelve parts,

with those ten parts of sattva and with one portion of rajas, / thus by eleven parts, with the portion situated in tamas, O twice-born one,

it becomes truly mixed; it is then remembered as the principle of Mahat. / Another distinction besides this must be considered, O son of Vinatā:

one part is to be known as consisting of tamas in the principle of Mahat, no doubt; / thus mixed by thirteen parts, O best of beings,

thus one should understand this; never indeed otherwise. / Garuḍa said: / Previously it was heard from the Four-faced One, O Blessed One, O lord of the Sāttvatas,

that the principle of Mahat arose from four parts, O lord: / among them, one part is declared as tamas, and three parts as rajas.

That they call the form of Brahmā, named 'disequilibrium of the qualities'. / The principle of Mahat was declared as consisting of four parts; so it was heard by me.

By you, O sinless one, it has been said to be arisen from thirteen parts; / sever this doubt of mine, O merciful one, lover of your devotees!

The Holy Lord said: / There is no contradiction at all between what was stated by Brahmā and what was stated by Me. / In the primal sattva, the rajas that is blended by a tenth part—

all that, having combined, is indeed declared to be one part. / And regarding the primal rajas, O Lord of Birds, the part of rajas that was mentioned,

is to be understood as that rajas in the second part; of this there is no doubt. / And regarding the primal tamas, the part of rajas that was likewise mentioned

is to be understood as the third part; no doubt should be entertained here. / And likewise in the primal tamas, one part is considered to be tamas.

Thus, three parts are considered to be of rajas, and one part of tamas. / They declare that to be the body of Brahmā, named 'the inequality of the guṇas'.

Garuḍa said: / Four parts belong to the principle of mahat, among which three are rajas / and only one is tamas: so it has been spoken by You, O Garuḍadhvaja.

The body of Brahmā, the supreme lord, consists of a portion of rajas: / so it is understood, O Brahman, from Your word, O Mādhava.

Yet the body of Brahmā, the supreme lord, consists of pure sattva: / thus indeed it is heard, O Kṛṣṇa; doubt troubles me regarding this.

Cut away this very doubt, for indeed [the truth] deserves to be heard. / The Holy Lord said: / In the rajas that constitutes three parts, and also in twelve ways,

sattva, in comparison with rajas, has entered / exceeding it by a tenfold portion, O bird; know this, hear it, O twice-born one.

In comparison with tamas, sattva has indeed entered / exceeding it by a tenfold portion, O bird; it is to be so stated, there is no doubt here.

There, in comparison with tamas, tamas is considered an eleventh; / and one part is to be known as rajas: so the wise declare. / And thus I shall speak of the combined parts; listen, O great-minded one.

In the origination of the principle of mahat, O Lord of Birds, the material causes / are to be known as thirteen parts; twelve parts are considered to be rajas.

One part is to be known of tamas; hear the divisions therein, O twice-born one. / First, among the twelve parts, I shall declare the portions; listen to that.

One part is to be known of tamas; rajas exceeds that ten times; / sattva exceeds that a hundred times: so the wise declare.

Thus, in the one part of tamas, hear the divisions, O best of beings: / one part is to be known as rajas, and tamas is eleven times greater.

The parts of tamas are to be known, and exceeding that by ten times is considered / the portion of sattva; thus it is to be understood in the principle of mahat, O Lord of Birds.

Because the portion of sattva is abundant, the Four-faced One is of pure sattva; / and thus the arising of mahat has been declared, O son of Vinatā.

From the knowledge of that, one attains liberation, and by no other means whatsoever.

Thus ends the fourth chapter, named 'The exposition of the equality of the guṇas, the nature of Brahmā's body, and the division of the inequality of the guṇas', in the Brahmakāṇḍa, the third section of the conversation between Kṛṣṇa and Garuḍa in the Uttarakhaṇḍa of the glorious Garuḍa Mahāpurāṇa.