Shloka 4
व्याधि-गुण-साम्योपदेशः | Discourse on Affliction, Guṇa-Equilibrium, and the Inner Battle
उष्णेन बाध्यते शीतं शीतेनोष्णं च बाध्यते । सत्त्वं रजस्तमश्नेति त्रय आत्मगुणा: स्मृता:,उष्ण शीतका निवारण करता और शीत उष्णका निवारण करता है। सत्त्व, रज और तम--ये तीन अन्तःकरणके गुण माने गये हैं
uṣṇena bādhyate śītaṃ śītenoṣṇaṃ ca bādhyate | sattvaṃ rajastamaś ceti traya ātmaguṇāḥ smṛtāḥ ||
Vāyu-deva said: “Heat is checked by cold, and cold is checked by heat. In the same way, the inner self is understood through three fundamental qualities—sattva, rajas, and tamas.”
वायुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
Opposites counteract each other (heat vs. cold), and likewise human inner life is shaped by three guṇas—sattva (clarity), rajas (restless activity), and tamas (inertia). Ethical cultivation involves recognizing these forces and strengthening sattva to restrain rajas and tamas.
In Ashvamedhika Parva, Vāyu-deva speaks in a didactic mode, using a simple physical analogy to introduce a psychological and ethical framework: the three guṇas that govern the mind and conduct.