Shloka 10
Adhyāya 48: Brahmopadeśa on Prāṇāyāma, Sāttvika Vṛtti, and the Sattva–Kṣetrajña Question
पृथग्भूतं ततः सत्त्वमित्येतदविचारितम् | पृथग्भावश्न विज्ञेय: सहजश्नापि तत्त्वतः,उनका कहना है कि उस क्षेत्रज्ञसे सत्त्व पृथक् है, क्योंकि यह सत्त्व अविचारसिद्ध है। ये दोनों एक साथ रहनेवाले होनेपर भी तत्त्वतः अलग-अलग हैं--ऐसा समझना चाहिये
pṛthagbhūtaṃ tataḥ sattvam ity etad avicāritam | pṛthagbhāvaś ca vijñeyaḥ sahajaś cāpi tattvataḥ ||
Vāyu said: “They assert that the principle of sattva is distinct from the Knower of the Field (kṣetrajña), and this is taken as self-evident without due inquiry. Yet one should understand that, although these two abide together by nature, in truth they are to be known as separate in essence.”
वायुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse urges discernment: even if sattva (a guṇa or constituent of prakṛti) appears closely associated with the conscious knower (kṣetrajña), one should understand their essential difference—consciousness is the witness, while sattva is a quality of nature.
Vāyudeva is presenting a philosophical clarification within the Ashvamedhika Parva’s instructional discourse, critiquing an unexamined claim and directing the listener to a more precise understanding of the relation between the self (kṣetrajña) and the guṇas such as sattva.