Shloka 49
अव्यक्त-गुण-पुरुषविवेकः | Avyakta, Guṇas, and Discrimination of Puruṣa
श्रोत्रादीनि तु सर्वाणि पञ्चकर्मेन्द्रियाण्यथ । वागादीनि प्रवर्तन्ते गुणेष्विह गुणी: सह,इस जगतमें श्रोत्र आदि पाँच ज्ञानेन्द्रियाँ और वाक् आदि पाँच कर्मन्द्रियाँ अपने-अपने गुणोंके साथ गुणमय शरीरोंमें स्थित हैं
śrotrādīni tu sarvāṇi pañcakarmendriyāṇy atha | vāgādīni pravartante guṇeṣv iha guṇī saha ||
Vasiṣṭha dijo: «Aquí, en este mundo, todas las facultades sensoriales que comienzan con el oído, y asimismo los cinco órganos de acción que comienzan con el habla, operan únicamente en relación con sus cualidades propias. El ser encarnado, junto con esas cualidades, actúa por medio de cuerpos constituidos por los guṇa».
वसिष्ठ उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that the senses and organs of action do not act independently; they function only in connection with their corresponding guṇas/qualities. Ethical discipline and liberation-oriented insight begin by recognizing this guṇa-driven mechanism and reducing identification with it.
In Śānti Parva’s philosophical instruction, Vasiṣṭha explains the constitution and operation of embodied life: the sensory and active faculties arise and work within the field of guṇas, showing how the individual’s experience and conduct are conditioned by nature’s qualities.