|| 3.28 ||
तत्त्ववित्तु महाबाहो गुणकर्मविभागयोः। गुणा गुणेषु वर्तन्त इति मत्वा न सज्जते।।
tattva-vit tu mahā-bāho guṇa-karma-vibhāgayoḥ guṇā guṇeṣu vartanta iti matvā na sajjate
Word by Word
tattva-vit (the knower of the Absolute Truth) tu (but) mahā-bāho (O mighty-armed one) guṇa-karma (of the modes and work) vibhāgayoḥ (of the differences) guṇāḥ (the senses/modes) guṇeṣu (among the sense objects/modes) vartante (are acting) iti (thus) matvā (thinking) na (never) sajjate (becomes attached)
Translation
One who is in knowledge of the Absolute Truth, O mighty-armed, does not engage himself in the senses and sense gratification, knowing well the differences between work in devotion and work for fruitive results.
Meaning
Who is the ‘tattva-vit’, the person who knows the truth? It is someone who understands the difference between the soul, the modes of nature, and the work being performed. They realize that ‘guṇā guṇeṣu vartante’—that the modes of nature are simply interacting with other modes of nature.
When the eyes (matter/modes) see a form (matter/modes), the wise person knows that this is just a physical event. They don’t get internally swept away by it. They stay in the position of the witness. This understanding prevents them from getting ‘sajjate’, or ‘stuck’/attached to the experience.
They see life as a movie playing on a screen. The soul is the audience member. While the character on the screen (the body) might be in a fight, the audience member remains safe in their seat. This ‘witness consciousness’ is the secret to staying calm and liberated in the middle of life’s most intense battles.