Shloka 253
जनक–पराशर संवादः — वर्ण-गोत्र-धर्मविचारः
Janaka–Parāśara: Varṇa, Gotra, and Dharma Inquiry
कथंचिदुपपद्यन्ते पुरुषे सात््चिका गुणा: । जब रजोगुणकी प्रवृत्ति होती है तब बुद्धि राजसिक भावका अनुसरण करती है। यदि पुरुषमें किसी प्रकार अधिक हर्ष
kathaṃcid upapadyante puruṣe sāttvikā guṇāḥ | yadā rajoguṇakī pravṛttiḥ bhavati tadā buddhiḥ rājasikabhāvasya anusarati | yadi puruṣe kenacid prakāreṇa adhikaḥ harṣaḥ prītiḥ ānandaḥ sukhaṃ ca cittasya śāntiś ca upalabhyate tarhi ete sāttvikā guṇāḥ |
Bhishma said: In a person, sattvic qualities arise in various ways. When the impulse of rajas becomes active, the intellect follows a rajasic disposition. But if, in someone, there is an increase of gladness, affection, joy, happiness, and a settled peace of mind, these are to be understood as sattvic qualities.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse distinguishes mental dispositions by the guṇas: when rajas is active, the intellect tends toward rajasic patterns; when one experiences heightened joy, affection, happiness, and calmness of mind, these are marks of sattva.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction to Yudhishthira, Bhishma continues a didactic discussion on inner qualities and conduct, explaining how sattvic and rajasic tendencies manifest in a person’s mind and experience.