Shloka 22
Bhūta-guṇa-saṃkhyāna
Enumeration of the Properties of the Elements and Cognitive Faculties
सृजते<त्र गुणानेक एको न सृजते गुणान् । पृथग्भूतौ प्रकृत्या तौ सम्प्रयुक्तो च सर्वदा,इन दोनोंमेंसे एक (बुद्धि) तो गुणोंकी सृष्टि करती है और दूसरा (आत्मा) गुणोंकी सृष्टि नहीं करता है। वे दोनों स्वरूपत: एक दूसरेसे पृथक हैं; परंतु सदा संयुक्त रहते हैं
sṛjate ’tra guṇān eka eko na sṛjate guṇān | pṛthagbhūtau prakṛtyā tau samprayukto ca sarvadā ||
Dijo Vyāsa: Aquí, de los dos, uno —a saber, el intelecto (buddhi)— hace surgir los múltiples guṇa; mientras que el otro —el Ser (ātman/puruṣa)— no produce guṇa en absoluto. En su propia naturaleza son distintos entre sí; y, sin embargo, permanecen siempre unidos. La enseñanza sitúa la vida moral en el juego de los guṇa dentro del instrumento interior, mientras el Ser testigo queda intacto, haciendo posible el discernimiento y el desapego como base del dharma.
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse distinguishes the guṇa-producing principle (buddhi as part of prakṛti) from the non-producing conscious Self (ātman/puruṣa). Though essentially different, they are experienced as conjoined; ethical clarity arises by recognizing that actions and mental states belong to guṇas, while the Self remains the witness.
In Śānti Parva’s philosophical instruction, Vyāsa explains a Sāṅkhya-style analysis of the person: the inner instrument generates and displays guṇic modifications, whereas the Self does not generate them. The passage supports counsel toward peace and dharma through discernment between the changing psyche and the unchanging witness.