sattvaá¹ rajas tama iti
sthity-utpatty-anta-hetavaḥ
rajasotpadyate viśvam
anyonyaá¹ vividhaá¹ jagat
sattvam - goodness; rajaḥ - passion; tamaḥ - and ignorance; iti - thus; sthiti - of maintenance; utpatti - creation; anta - and destruction; hetavaḥ - the causes; rajasÄ - by the mode of passion; utpadyate - is generated; viÅ›vam - this universe; anyonyam - by combination of male and female; vividham - becomes variegated; jagat - the world.
The causes of creation, maintenance and destruction are the three modes of nature — namely goodness, passion and ignorance. In particular, the mode of passion creates this universe and through sexual combination causes it to become full of variety.
Anticipating the possible objection that a livelihood based on cows certainly depends on Lord Indra, who supplies rain, Lord Kṛṣṇa here introduces a mechanistic theory of existence known as atheistic SÄá¹…khya. The tendency to attribute exclusive causality to the apparently mechanistic functions of nature is an old tendency indeed. Five thousand years ago Lord Kṛṣṇa referred to a doctrine already well known in human society.
