Ramanuja's Gita Bhashyam - Chapter 2 - sloka 45

The entire content of this mail is from Swami Chidbhavananda's translation of  The Bhagavad Gita, published by Ramakrishna Mission.

The Key to Yoga - 45-53

1 Gita Sloka every day - Chapter 2 - Samkhya Yoga - Sloka 45

Pareekshit protected by Krsna in the womb

Traigunya vishayah vedah nih traigunyah bhava arjuna I

nirdvandah nitya sattvasthah niryogakshemah atmavan II sloka 45

त्रैगुण्य विषयाः वेदाः निः त्रैगुन्यः भव अर्जुन ।

निर्द्वन्द्वः नित्य सत्त्वस्थः निर्योगक्षेमः आत्मवान् ।। श्लोक ४५ 

The Vedas have the 3 gunas for their sphere, O Arjuna. You must be free of the 3 gunas & be free from the pairs of opposites. Abide in pure sattva; never care to acquire things and to protect what has been acquired, but be established in the self.

The word Traigunya means the 3 gunas - Sattva, Rajas and Tamas. Here the term Traigunya denotes persons in whom  Sattva, Rajas and Tamas are in abundance. The vedas in prescribing desire oriented rituals (Kamya-karmas), have such persons in view. Because of their great love, the vedas teach the means of attainment of heaven etc.,according to the gunas, to those in whom Tamas, Rajas and Sattva preponderate. If the vedas had not done so, then those not interested in liberation owing to absence of sattva and predominance of Rajas and tamas in them, would get completely lost. They would be involved with activities that should not be resorted to, without knowing the means for attaining the results they desire. Hence the vedas are concerned with the gunas. Therefore, be free from the 3 gunas. Try to acquire sattva in abundance; increase that alone. The purport is : do not nurse the predominance of the 3 gunas in their state of intermixture.

Be free from the pairs of opposites; be free from all the characteristics of worldly life. Abide in pure sattva in its state of purity without the admixture of the other 2 gunas. It might be questioned as to how that is possible - Never care to acquire things nor protect what has been acquired what is not required for self realization. You can thus be established in self control and thereby become an aspirant of the essential nature of the self. Yoga is acquisition of what has not been acquired; Kshema is the preservations of things already acquired. Abandoing these is a must  for such an aspirant. If you conduct yourself in this way, the predominance of rajas and tamas will be annihilated and pure sattva will develop.