Mahabharata — Anushasana Parva, Shloka 103
Pitṛ-śrāddha-haviḥ-phala-nirdeśa
Offerings for Ancestors and Their Stated Results
तमसस्तामसा भावा व्यापि सत्त्वं तथोभयम् । स गुणस्तेजसो नित्यस्तस्य चाकाशमेव च
tamasas tāmasā bhāvā vyāpi sattvaṃ tathobhayam | sa guṇas tejaso nityas tasya cākāśam eva ca ||
Vasiṣṭha said: From darkness (tamas) arise dark, inert states of being; and the principle of clarity (sattva) pervades both (rajas and tamas) as well. That sattva—ever of the nature of light and illumination—belongs to the luminous principle (tejas); and even space (ākāśa) is of that same principle. The teaching frames the cosmos and the mind in ethical terms: clarity and discernment are not accidental, but a steady, luminous ground that can pervade and refine even passion and inertia, making right understanding possible.
वसिष्ठ उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches a guṇa-based view of reality: tamas gives rise to tamasic states, while sattva—identified with an enduring luminous principle (tejas)—pervades and can operate within the other guṇas. Ethically, it implies that clarity and discernment (sattva) can illuminate and regulate passion (rajas) and inertia (tamas), enabling right judgment and dharmic conduct.
Vasiṣṭha is instructing his listener in metaphysical analysis, describing how the constituents of nature (guṇas) relate to cosmic manifestation. He links sattva with light (tejas) and even with space (ākāśa), presenting a framework in which the world and cognition are traced to underlying qualities and their interactions.