Śuka’s Guṇa-Transcendence and Vyāsa’s Consolation (शुकगति-वर्णनम्)
प्रकृतिवर्यक्तिरित्येतो गुणी यस्मिन् समाश्रितो,जिसमें प्रकृति (माया) और व्यक्ति (प्रकाश)-ये दो गुण आश्रित हैं (यहाँतक सब अठारह हुए)
prakṛti-vyaktir ity etau guṇī yasmin samāśritau
সেই তত্ত্বত প্ৰকৃতি আৰু ব্যক্তি—এই দুয়োটা গুণ আশ্ৰিত বুলি মানা হৈছে। এইদৰে ইয়ালৈকে গুণৰ গণনা আঠাৰ বুলি কীৰ্তিত হৈছে।
भीष्य उवाच
The verse frames Prakṛti (unmanifest nature) and Vyakti (manifest expression) as dependent attributes within a higher ‘guṇin’ (substratum/possessor of qualities), emphasizing a layered metaphysics where manifest and unmanifest are not ultimate but grounded in a more fundamental principle.
In Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma continues his didactic exposition to Yudhiṣṭhira, presenting a systematic enumeration of principles (tattvas). Here he notes that counting Prakṛti and Vyakti as two attributes brings the running total to eighteen.