Shloka 21
Bhūta-guṇa-saṃkhyāna
Enumeration of the Properties of the Elements and Cognitive Faculties
परिद्रष्टा गुणानां च परिस््रष्टा यथातथम् । सत्त्वक्षेत्रज्योरेतदन्तरं विद्धि सूक्ष्मयो:
paridraṣṭā guṇānāṁ ca parisraṣṭā yathātatham | sattvakṣetrajñayor etad antaraṁ viddhi sūkṣmayoḥ ||
Vyāsa dit : Le Soi est le témoin des guṇa et aussi celui qui les ordonne/les produit conformément au réel tel qu’il est. Sache cette distinction subtile entre l’intellect (sattva/buddhi) et le connaisseur du champ (kṣetrajña) : bien que tous deux soient subtils, l’intellect relève du vu (c’est un objet que l’on peut observer), tandis que le Soi est le voyant. Les guṇa ne « connaissent » pas véritablement le Soi ; au contraire, le Soi connaît sans cesse les guṇa, car il se tient comme leur percevant et leur régulateur.
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse distinguishes the intellect (buddhi/sattva) from the Self (kṣetrajña): buddhi is part of prakṛti and thus an object that can be observed, while the Self is the observing consciousness. Because the Self is the witness, it knows the guṇas; the guṇas, being insentient constituents, do not truly know the Self.
In the didactic setting of Śānti Parva, Vyāsa delivers a philosophical clarification aimed at inner peace and liberation: he explains how to discern the seer from the seen, so that one does not mistake mental functions and guṇic movements for the true Self.