Shloka 19
Adhyātma–Adhibhūta–Adhidaivata Correspondences and the Triguṇa Lakṣaṇas (Śānti-parva 301)
तनु स्पर्शे तथा सक्तां वायुं नभसि चाश्रितम् | मोहं तमसि संयुक्त लोभमर्थेषु संश्रितम्,त्वचा स्पर्शनामक गुणमें आसक्त है। इसी प्रकार वायुका आश्रय आकाश, मोहका आश्रय तमोगुण और लोभका आश्रय इन्द्रियोंके विषय हैं
tanu-sparśe tathā saktāṃ vāyuṃ nabhasi cāśritam | mohaṃ tamasi saṃyuktaṃ lobham artheṣu saṃśritam ||
Bhishma said: “The body is attached to the sense of touch; likewise, wind depends upon space. Delusion is bound up with darkness (tamas), and greed takes refuge in objects of acquisition and enjoyment. Thus, each tendency clings to its own support, and from such attachments the mind’s bondage is sustained.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Attachments and mental afflictions are not random; each has a specific ‘support’ (āśraya). Clinging to sense-contact sustains bodily identification, tamas sustains delusion, and objects of gain sustain greed. Recognizing these supports helps one weaken bondage by withdrawing dependence from their bases.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction section, Bhishma continues his discourse to Yudhiṣṭhira on inner discipline and liberation-oriented ethics, explaining how sense-attachment and the guṇas condition the mind, and how vices like delusion and greed arise by leaning on their respective foundations.