Shloka 9

बलीन्द्रसंवादः — Kāla, Anityatā, and the Limits of Agency

Mahābhārata 12.217

Devanagari script

प्रकृत्या सर्गधर्मिण्या तथा त्रिगुणधर्मया । विपरीतमतो विद्यात्‌ क्षेत्रज्ञस्य स्वलक्षणम्‌,प्रकृति त्रिगुणमयी है। ब्रह्मके सकाशसे सृष्टि करना उसका सहज धर्म है, किंतु क्षेत्रज्ष अथवा पुरुषके स्वरूपको प्रकृतिसे सर्वथा विपरीत (विलक्षण) जानना चाहिये

Transliteration

prakṛtyā sargadharmiṇyā tathā triguṇadharmayā | viparītam ato vidyāt kṣetrajñasya svalakṣaṇam ||

Translation

Bhīṣma said: Since Prakṛti’s innate law is to project creation, and since she is constituted by the three guṇas, one should therefore understand the essential mark of the kṣetrajña (the conscious knower) to be the complete opposite of Prakṛti—distinct from her changing, guṇa-bound activity.

Word by Word

प्रकृत्याby/through nature

सर्गधर्मिण्याhaving creation as its property

तथाand likewise

त्रिगुणधर्मयाhaving the three guṇas as its nature

विपरीतम्opposite, contrary

अतःtherefore; from that

विद्यात्should know

क्षेत्रज्ञस्यof the knower of the field (puruṣa)

स्वलक्षणम्its own characteristic mark

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bhīṣma

Prakṛti

Kṣetrajña (Puruṣa)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Geographic Context

Sandhi Notes