Shloka 15
Adhyātma–Adhibhūta–Adhidaivata Correspondences and the Triguṇa Lakṣaṇas (Śānti-parva 301)
षड्गुणं च मनो ज्ञात्वा नभ: पञ्चगुणं तथा । बुद्धि चतुर्गुणां ज्ञात्वा तमश्न त्रिगुणं तथा
ṣaḍguṇaṃ ca mano jñātvā nabhaḥ pañcaguṇaṃ tathā | buddhiṃ caturguṇāṃ jñātvā tamaś ca triguṇaṃ tathā ||
قال بهيشما: «إذا عُلم أن الذهن (manas) يتصف بست خصال، وأن الفضاء (ākāśa) بخمس، وأن العقل المميِّز (buddhi) بأربع، وأن الظلمة/الجهل (tamas) بثلاث—فمن عرف هذا التدرّج في بنية الخصال نال بصيرةً فارقة بمكوّنات الخبرة. ومثل هذا التمييز يعين على الزهد في موضوعات الحواس ويثبّت السالك على الطريق الذي يتجاوز الاضطراب إلى التحرر.»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches analytical discernment: by classifying mind, space, intellect, and tamas according to their respective sets of qualities, a seeker learns to distinguish the layers of experience and loosen attachment to sense-objects—an aid to liberation-oriented knowledge (jñāna) in Sāṅkhya-Yoga.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction section, Bhishma continues his philosophical exposition to the king, presenting a compact schema of how different inner and elemental principles are understood through their ‘qualities,’ as part of a broader teaching on knowledge and release.