Shloka 59
Saṃhāra-krama (The Sequence of Cosmic Dissolution) — Yājñavalkya’s Discourse
तमश्न कष्ट सुमहद् रजश्न सत्त्वं विशुद्ध प्रकृति परां च । सिद्धि च देवीं वरुणस्य पत्नीं तेजश्न कृत्स्नं सुमहच्च धैर्यम्
bhīṣma uvāca | tamaś ca kaṣṭaṃ sumahad rajaś ca sattvaṃ viśuddhaṃ prakṛtiṃ parāṃ ca | siddhiṃ ca devīṃ varuṇasya patnīṃ tejaś ca kṛtsnaṃ sumahac ca dhairyam ||
Bhīṣma dit : «(Le yogin peut pénétrer) l’Obscurité âpre et oppressante (tamas), la puissante Force de la Passion (rajas) et la pure Clarté (sattva) ; il peut pénétrer la Prakṛti suprême elle-même ; il peut pénétrer la déesse Siddhi, épouse de Varuṇa ; et il peut pénétrer la totalité de la radiance ainsi que la grande constance. Ainsi, l’être à la grande âme, accompli dans le yoga, s’il le veut, est aussitôt délivré et atteint la forme du Brahman suprême ; ou bien, par la puissance du yoga, il peut atteindre chacun de ces principes cosmiques et de ces stations divines et y entrer.»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A yogin perfected in yoga can, by will and yogic power, transcend ordinary embodiment: either attain immediate liberation and realize the supreme Brahman, or deliberately enter various cosmic principles (the guṇas, Prakriti) and divine powers (such as Siddhi), showing mastery over the constituents of nature rather than being bound by them.
In Shanti Parva’s instruction on liberation and yogic attainment, Bhishma continues his discourse to Yudhishthira, listing the cosmic principles and divine stations that an accomplished yogin can reach and ‘enter,’ emphasizing the extraordinary scope of yogic mastery alongside the higher option of final liberation.