The three orders of knowledge, acts and doers.

There are three orders of knowing, doing and acting; they correspond to the three gunas [the three modes of influence of material nature: virtue, passion and ignorance]. Listen to Me describing them to you.

The knowledge by which one distinguishes in all existences a single, imperishable spiritual essence, one within the multiple, this knowledge, know this, proceeds from Virtue.

But the knowledge by which one perceives the existence, in various bodies, of so many beings of different natures, this knowledge, know this, belongs to Passion. As for the knowledge by which, blind to the truth, one attaches oneself to one kind of action, as if it were all, this knowledge, very limited, is said to belong to the darkness of Ignorance.

The act, which is dictated by duty, the act which is performed without attachment, without attraction or aversion, and is accompanied by the renunciation of its fruits, this act is said to proceed from Virtue.

But the act performed with great effort, the act which aims at the gratification of desires, and which is motivated by the false ego, this act is said to belong to Passion.

As for the act performed in unconsciousness and misguidance, without considering the consequences or the chain of events it entails, which does violence to others and proves impracticable, this act is said to belong to ignorance.

The doer who is free from material attachment, free from false ego, enthusiastic, resolute, and indifferent to success and failure, is said to be under the sign of Virtue.

But the doer who is attached to the fruits of his labor, who passionately desires to enjoy them, who is greedy, envious, impure, tossed about by joys and sorrows, is said to be dominated by Passion.

The doer who always goes against the scriptural precepts, materialistic, obstinate, deceitful and skilled in insult, lazy, always morose, who constantly puts off till tomorrow, is said to be bathed in Ignorance.