BhG 14.21

syntax

arjunaḥ (Arjuna) uvāca (he spoke):
he prabho (O powerful!),
kaiḥ liṅgaiḥ (by what symptoms?) etān trīn guṇān (these three guṇas) atītaḥ (who has surpassed) bhavati (he is),
kim (what?) ācāraḥ (conduct),
katham ca (and how?, in what manner?) [saḥ] (he) etān trīn guṇān (these three guṇas) ativartate (he surpasses).

grammar

arjunaḥ	–	arjuna 1n.1 m. – white, clear, Arjuna;
uvāca	–	√vac (to speak) Perf. P 1v.1 – he spoke;
kaiḥ	–	kim sn. 3n.3 n. – by what;
liṅgaiḥ	–	liṅga 3n.3 n. – by marks, by symptoms, by qualities (from: √liṅg – to paint, to variegate);
trīn	–	tri 2n.3 m. – three;
guṇān	–	guṇa 2n.3 m. – qualities, virtues, threads (from: √grah – to take);
etān	–	etat sn. 2n.3 m. – these;
atītaḥ	–	atīta (ati-√i – to cross over) PP 1n.1 m. – who has surpassed;
bhavati	–	√bhū (to be) Praes. P 1v.1 – he is;
prabho	–	pra-bhu 8n.1 m. – O perfect, O powerful, O master (from: pra- – prefix: in front, much; √bhū – to be);
kim	–	av. – what? how? why? from where? (from: kim – what?);
ācāraḥ	–	ācāra 1n.1 m. – custom, good conduct (from: ā-√car – to come near to);
katham	–	av. – how?, in what manner?
ca	–	av. – and;
etān	–	etat sn. 2n.3 m. – these;
trīn	–	tri 2n.3 m. – three;
guṇān	–	guṇa 2n.3 m. – qualities, virtues, threads (from: √grah – to take);
ativartate	–	ati-√vṛt (to cross over) Praes. Ā 1v.1 – he surpasses;

textual variants

trīn guṇān etān → tri-guṇān etān (these three guṇas);

Śāṃkara

jīvann eva guṇān atītyāmṛtam aśnute iti praśna-bījaṃ pratilabhyārjuna uvāca—
kair liṅgaiś cihnais trīn etān vyākhyātān guṇān atīto’tikrānto bhavati prabho, kim-ācāraḥ ? ko’sya ācāra iti kim-ācāraḥ | kathaṃ kena ca prakāreṇa etān trīn guṇān ativartate’tītya vartate

Rāmānuja

atha guṇātītasya svarūpasūcanācāraprakāraṃ guṇātyayahetuṃ ca pṛcchan arjuna uvāca
sattvādīn trīn guṇān etān atītaḥ kair liṅgaiḥ kair lakṣaṇaiḥ upalakṣito bhavati? kim ācāraḥ kenācāreṇa yukto ‚sau? asya svarūpāvagatiliṅgabhūtācāraḥ kīdṛśa ityarthaḥ / kathaṃ caitān kenopāyena sattvādīṃs trīn guṇān ativartate?

Śrīdhara

guṇān etān atītyāmṛtam aśnuta ity etat śrutvā guṇātītasya lakṣaṇam ācāraṃ guṇātyayopāyaṃ ca samyag bubhutsur arjuna uvāca kair iti | he prabho kair liṅgaiḥ kīdṛśair ātma-vyutpannaiś cihnair guṇātīto dehī bhavatīti lakṣaṇa-praśnaḥ | ka ācāro ‚syeti kim-ācāraḥ | kathaṃ vartata ity arthaḥ | kathaṃ ca kenopāyena etāṃs trīn api guṇān atītya vartate | tat kathayety arthaḥ

Madhusūdana

guṇān etān atītya jīvann evāmṛtam aśnuta ity etac chrutvā guṇātītasya lakṣaṇam cācāraṃ ca guṇātyayopāyaṃ ca samyag bubhutsur arjuna uvāca kair iti | etān guṇān atīto yaḥ sa kair liṅgair viśiṣṭo bhavati | yair liṅgaiḥ sa jñātuṃ śakyas tāni me brūhīty ekaḥ praśnaḥ | prabhutvād bhṛtya-duḥkhaṃ bhagavataiva nivāraṇīyam iti sūcayan sambodhayati prabho iti | ka ācāro ‚syeti kim-ācāraḥ | kiṃ yatheṣṭa-ceṣṭaḥ kiṃ vā niyantrita iti dvitīyaḥ praśnaḥ | kathaṃ vā kena ca prakāreṇaitāṃs trīn guṇān ativartate ‚tikrāmatīti guṇātītatvopāyaḥ ka iti tṛtīyaḥ praśnaḥ

Viśvanātha

sthita-prajñasya kā bhāṣā ity ādinā dvitīyādhyāye pṛṣṭam apy arthaṃ punas tato ‚pi viśeṣa-bubhūtsayā pṛcchati kair liṅgaiḥ ity ekaḥ praśnaḥ | kaiś cihnais triguṇātītaḥ sa jñeya ity arthaḥ | kim ācāra iti dvitīyaḥ | kathaṃ caitān iti tṛtīyaḥ | guṇātītatva-prāpteḥ kiṃ sādhanam ity arthaḥ | sthita-prajñasya kā bhāṣā ity ādau sthita-prajño guṇātītaḥ kathaṃ syād iti tadānīṃ na pṛṣṭam idānīṃ tu pṛṣṭam iti viśeṣaḥ

Baladeva

guṇātītasya lakṣaṇam ācāraṃ ca guṇātyaya-sādhanaṃ cārjunaḥ pṛcchati kair ity ardhakena | prathamaḥ praśnaḥ kaiś cihnair guṇātīto jñātuṃ śakya ity arthaḥ | kim ācāra iti dvitīyaḥ sa kiṃ yatheṣṭācāro niyatācāro vety arthaḥ | kathaṃ caitān iti tṛtīyaḥ kena sādhanena guṇān atyetīty arthaḥ