तत्र सत्त्वं निर्मलत्वात्प्रकाशकमनामयम् | सुखसङ्गेन बध्नाति ज्ञानसङ्गेन चानघ ||
tatra sattvaṁ nirmalatvāt prakāśakam anāmayam sukha-saṅgena badhnāti jñāna-saṅgena cānagha
Translation
Of these, sattva, which is pure, luminous, and free from sickness, binds by attachment to happiness and by attachment to knowledge, O sinless one.
Interpretation
Even sattva — the finest and most luminous of the three gunas — creates bondage. How? Through attachment to happiness and attachment to knowledge. The sattvic person loves clarity, peace, and understanding, but if one clings to these as ends in themselves, they remain bound. The pleasure of meditation, the pride of spiritual knowledge, the comfort of virtue — even these beautiful qualities keep the soul subtly tied to conditioned existence as long as there is attachment. This is the paradox of spiritual life: even goodness must be transcended.