Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 14, Verse 21

अर्जुन उवाच । कैर्लिङ्गैस्त्रीन्गुणानेतानतीतो भवति प्रभो । किमाचारः कथं चैतांस्त्रीन्गुणानतिवर्तते

arjuna uvāca | kairliṅgaistrīnguṇānetānatīto bhavati prabho | kimācāraḥ kathaṃ caitāṃstrīnguṇānativartate

Translation

By what marks, O Lord, is he known who has crossed beyond those three guṇas? What is his conduct, and how does he pass beyond those three guṇas?

— Alladi Mahadeva Sastri

Word meanings

kaiḥ
(by) what
liṅgaiḥ
by marks
trīn
three
guṇān
qualities
etān
these
atītaḥ
crossed (beyond)
bhavati
becomes
prabho
O lord
kimācāraḥ
what conduct
katham
how
ca
and
etān
these
trīn
three
guṇān
qualities
ativartate
goes beyond

Śaṅkarācārya's commentary

Having been thus asked by Arjuna as to what are the characteristic marks of one who has crossed beyond the guṇas and as to the means of crossing the guṇas, the Lord proceeds to answer the two questions in the following verses.