Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 14, Verse 18

ऊर्ध्वं गच्छन्ति सत्त्वस्था मध्ये तिष्ठन्ति राजसाः । जघन्यगुणवृत्तिस्था अधो गच्छन्ति तामसाः

ūrdhvaṃ gacchanti sattvasthā madhye tiṣṭhanti rājasāḥ | jaghanyaguṇavṛttisthā adho gacchanti tāmasāḥ

Translation

Those who follow Sattva go upwards; the Rājasic remain in the middle; and the Tāmasic, who follow in the course of the lowest guṇa, go downwards.

— Alladi Mahadeva Sastri

Word meanings

ūrdhvam

upwards

gacchanti

go

sattvasthāḥ

in harmony, seated

madhye

in the midst

tiṣṭhanti

stand

rājasāḥ

the active

jaghanyaguṇavṛttisthāḥ

(of the) lowest, of the guṇa, in the mode, seated

adhaḥ

downwards

gacchanti

go

tāmasāḥ

the inert

Śaṅkarācārya's commentary

Those who follow the course of Sattva-guṇa will be born in the region of the Devas or the like. The Rājasic will dwell among men. The Tāmasic — those who follow the course of Tamas, the lowest guṇa — will go down, i.e., they will be born in the wombs of cattle and the like creatures.