Shloka 13

Mind as Charioteer; Kṣetrajña, Tapas, and Dhyāna-Yoga

Adhyātma-Upadeśa

Devanagari script

द्रव्यमात्रभूत्‌ सत्त्वं पुरुषस्येति निश्चय:

Transliteration

dravyamātrabhūt sattvaṃ puruṣasyeti niścayaḥ

Translation

Vāyu dit : «Voici la conclusion arrêtée : l’“être” (sattva) d’un homme n’est rien d’autre qu’un simple constituant matériel — une chose parmi les choses.»

Word by Word

• द्रव्यमात्रभूतम्: being merely material (only substance)
• द्रव्यमात्रभूतम्: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: द्रव्य-मात्र-भूत
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• सत्त्वम्: existence; being; entity
• सत्त्वम्: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: सत्त्व
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• पुरुषस्य: of the person
• पुरुषस्य: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुरुष
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Singular

• इति: thus (quotative)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति

• निश्चयः: certainty; conclusion
• निश्चयः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: निश्चय
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

Speaker

वायुदेव उवाच

Characters & Entities

• वायुदेव (Vāyudeva)
• पुरुष (puruṣa, ‘person’)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse states a firm conclusion that a person’s ‘being’ (sattva) can be viewed as merely material—i.e., the human is treated as constituted of substance alone. In context, this functions as a philosophical claim about what truly defines a person, often prompting reflection on whether identity is only bodily/material or whether a higher self should be recognized.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vāyudeva is speaking and presents a decisive doctrinal statement. The line reads like a summarized conclusion within a larger discussion, where Vāyu articulates a position about the nature of the person (puruṣa) and the status of ‘sattva’ as merely material.