Shloka 15
Rajo-guṇa-nirdeśa — Brahmā’s Enumeration of Rajasic Dispositions
भूतभव्यभविष्याणां भावानां भुवि भावना: । त्रिवर्गनिरता नित्यं धर्मोडर्थ: काम इत्यपि
bhūtabhavyabhaviṣyāṇāṁ bhāvānāṁ bhuvi bhāvanāḥ | trivarganiratā nityaṁ dharmo 'rthaḥ kāma ity api ||
Vāyu dit : «Ceux qui, sur cette terre, tiennent leur esprit occupé des choses du passé, du présent et de l’avenir, et qui se vouent sans cesse aux trois buts — dharma, richesse et plaisir — sont menés par le calcul mondain. Recouverts par la qualité du rajas, on les décrit comme des “arvāk-srotas” : le courant de leur conscience s’écoule vers le bas, vers les objets des sens.»
वायुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
Preoccupation with worldly time-bound concerns and constant pursuit of dharma-artha-kāma, when driven by craving and self-will, indicates rajas-dominance; such a mind flows outward/downward toward sense-objects rather than upward toward inner clarity.
Vāyudeva is characterizing a class of people by their mental orientation: they continually deliberate on past-present-future matters and remain absorbed in the three worldly aims; the passage (with the accompanying gloss) identifies them as rajas-covered and labels them ‘arvāk-srotas’.