Shloka 9
इन्द्र–बलि संवादः
The Dialogue of Indra and Bali on Fortune, Humility, and Restraint
गुणानामपि यद्येतत् कर्मणा चाप्युपस्थितम् । तत् तत् शंसन्ति भूतानि मनो यद्धावितं यथा,कर्मोके अनुसार सत्त्वादि गुणोंमेंसे यदि यह सत्त्व, रज या तम जो कोई भी गुण प्राप्त होता है, उससे मनपर जब जैसे संस्कार पड़ते हैं अथवा जब जिस कर्मसे मन भावित होता है, उस समय सूक्ष्मभूत स्वप्नमें वैसे ही आकार प्रकट कर देते हैं
guṇānām api yady etat karmaṇā cāpy upasthitam | tat tat śaṃsanti bhūtāni mano yad dhāvitaṃ yathā ||
Bhishma said: Even among the guṇas, when a particular disposition arises through one’s actions, beings manifest accordingly: the mind, as it has been driven and impressed by karma, causes subtle elements to present corresponding forms in dream. Thus, the shapes seen in dream follow the mind’s conditioning by sattva, rajas, or tamas and by the deeds that have colored it.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Dream-experiences and inner perceptions reflect the mind’s conditioning: actions (karma) and the dominant guṇa (sattva/rajas/tamas) impress the mind, and corresponding forms are manifested in subtle experience such as dreams.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction, Bhīṣma explains to the listener how mental impressions arise: depending on the guṇas activated by one’s deeds, the mind is driven in certain patterns, and those patterns appear as specific forms in dream.