Shloka 22
Adhyātma–Adhibhūta–Adhidaivata Correspondences and the Triguṇa Lakṣaṇas (Śānti-parva 301)
बुद्धि तमसि संसक्तां तमो रजसि संश्रितम् । रज: सत्त्वे तथा सक्तं सत्त्वं सक्ते तथा55त्मनि,बुद्धिका आश्रय तमोगुण, तमोगुणका आश्रय रजोगुण और रजोगुणका आश्रय सत्त्गगुण है। सत्त्वगगुण जीवात्माके आश्रित है। जीवात्माको भगवान् नारायण-देवके आश्रित समझो। भगवान् नारायणका आश्रय है मोक्ष (परब्रह्म), परंतु मोक्षका कोई भी आश्रय नहीं है (वह अपनी ही महिमामें प्रतिष्ठित है)
buddhiṁ tamasi saṁsaktāṁ tamo rajasi saṁśritam | rajaḥ sattve tathā saktaṁ sattvaṁ sakte tathātmani ||
Bhishma said: “The intellect (buddhi) becomes entangled in darkness (tamas); darkness, in turn, rests upon passion (rajas). Passion is likewise bound to clarity (sattva), and clarity is bound to the Self (ātman).” Ethically, he shows how discernment is conditioned by the guṇas and points beyond them to the inner Self as the ground of steadiness and liberation-oriented understanding.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhishma explains a dependency-chain of the guṇas affecting human cognition: intellect gets caught in tamas; tamas leans on rajas; rajas is linked to sattva; and sattva is grounded in the ātman. The point is to recognize how mental states are conditioned and to orient discernment toward the self beyond guṇa-driven fluctuation.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction section, Bhishma is teaching Yudhiṣṭhira about inner discipline and philosophical understanding after the war. This verse is part of his exposition on the guṇas and the structure of mind and self, guiding the king toward stable, liberation-oriented wisdom.