The Yoga of the Division of the Three Gunas

Krishna summarizes how each guna binds: 'Sattvaṁ sukhe sañjayati'—sattva binds (sañjayati) one to happiness (sukhe). 'Rajaḥ karmaṇi'—rajas binds one to action (karmaṇi). 'Jñānam āvṛtya tu tamaḥ pramāde sañjayaty uta'—tamas, covering knowledge (jñānam āvṛtya), binds (sañjayati) one to negligence (pramāde). This verse summarizes the binding nature of all three gunas: sattva binds through attachment to happiness, rajas binds through attachment to action, and tamas binds through covering knowledge and attachment to negligence. Understanding this helps you see that all three gunas bind you, each in its own way. Even sattva, the purest mode, binds through attachment to happiness. Rajas binds through attachment to action. Tamas binds through covering knowledge and attachment to negligence. To be truly free, you need to transcend all three, not just move between them.