Shloka 53
Adhyāya 42 — Mahābhūta–Indriya–Adhyātma-Vyavasthā
Brahmā’s Instruction on Elements and Faculties
रजस्वलमथादृशथ्यं त्रिगुणं च त्रिधातुकम् । संसर्गाभिरतं मूढं शरीरमिति धारणा
rajasvalam athādṛśathyaṃ triguṇaṃ ca tridhātukam | saṃsargābhirataṃ mūḍhaṃ śarīram iti dhāraṇā
Vāyu-deva said: “Contemplate the body as something stained by passion and impurity, unstable and deceptive in appearance; as constituted by the three guṇas and the three bodily humors; as foolishly addicted to contact and association. Such is the disciplined reflection (dhāraṇā) that loosens attachment and turns the mind toward dharma.”
वायुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches a dhāraṇā (disciplined contemplation) that views the body as guṇa-bound, humor-constituted, and prone to deluded craving for contact. By seeing the body’s instability and impurity, one reduces attachment and strengthens ethical self-mastery aligned with dharma.
Vāyu-deva is instructing a contemplative practice: a way of holding a clear, sobering perception of the body. The instruction functions as spiritual counsel—redirecting attention from sensual entanglement toward restraint, discernment, and inner steadiness.