Shloka 11
Yājñavalkya on the Unity of Sāṃkhya and Yoga and the Marks of Meditative Composure
तथैवाप्रतिबुद्धो 5पि विज्ञेयो नृपसत्तम । प्रकृतेस्त्रिगुणायास्तु सेवनात् त्रिगुणो भवेत्
tathaivāpratibuddho 'pi vijñeyo nṛpasattama | prakṛtes triguṇāyās tu sevanāt triguṇo bhavet ||
Vasiṣṭha dit : «De même, ô meilleur des rois, il faut comprendre que même celui qui n’est pas encore éveillé devient capable de discernement par la fréquentation des êtres doués de discernement. De même encore, par le contact et l’implication continue avec Prakṛti, constituée des trois guṇa, même le Soi qui transcende les guṇa paraît comme s’il était fait des trois guṇa.»
वसिष्ठ उवाच
Educational Q&A
Association shapes consciousness: even an unawakened person can become discerning by keeping company with the discerning. Philosophically, the verse adds that the Self, though beyond guṇas, appears guṇa-bound due to sustained contact with Prakṛti—highlighting how identification and proximity create the experience of bondage.
In Śānti Parva’s instruction on peace and right understanding, Vasiṣṭha addresses a king, using an analogy about companionship and then extending it to Sāṅkhya-style metaphysics: contact with Prakṛti makes the guṇa-transcendent Self seem to take on the qualities of the three guṇas.