Shloka 41
मनु-उपदेशः — भूत-उत्पत्ति, इन्द्रिय-निवृत्ति, तथा पर-स्वभाव-विवेकः
Manu’s Instruction on Elemental Origination, Sense-Withdrawal, and Discrimination of the Supreme Nature
न गुणा विदुरात्मानं स गुणान् वेत्ति सर्वश: । परिद्रष्टा गुणानां तु संसृष्टान्मन्यते तथा
bhīṣma uvāca | na guṇā vidur ātmānaṃ sa guṇān vetti sarvaśaḥ | paridraṣṭā guṇānāṃ tu saṃsṛṣṭān manyate tathā ||
Bhishma sprach: Die materiellen Qualitäten (guṇas) erkennen das Selbst nicht; doch das Selbst erkennt die Qualitäten in jeder Hinsicht. Und dennoch: Obwohl das Selbst Zeuge der Qualitäten ist und daher gänzlich von ihnen verschieden, hält es sich weiterhin für mit ihnen vermischt und verstrickt.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse distinguishes the conscious Self (ātman) from the unconscious guṇas of nature: the guṇas cannot know the Self, while the Self can know and witness the guṇas. Bondage arises when the Self mistakenly identifies as ‘mixed’ with these qualities; liberation follows from recognizing oneself as the witness, distinct from them.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on peace and right understanding after the war, Bhishma continues his philosophical counsel, explaining to the listener the relation between consciousness and material nature, and how misidentification with the guṇas leads to saṃsāra.