Shloka 15
Adhyātma–Adhibhūta–Adhidaivata Correspondences and the Triguṇa Lakṣaṇas (Śānti-parva 301)
षड्गुणं च मनो ज्ञात्वा नभ: पञ्चगुणं तथा । बुद्धि चतुर्गुणां ज्ञात्वा तमश्न त्रिगुणं तथा
ṣaḍguṇaṃ ca mano jñātvā nabhaḥ pañcaguṇaṃ tathā | buddhiṃ caturguṇāṃ jñātvā tamaś ca triguṇaṃ tathā ||
भीष्म बोले—मन को छह गुणों वाला, आकाश को पाँच गुणों वाला, बुद्धि को चार गुणों वाली और तम (अज्ञान) को तीन गुणों वाला जानकर, साधक अनुभव की इस क्रम-रचना का विवेक प्राप्त करता है; और उसी विवेक से विषयासक्ति छूटती है तथा मोक्षमार्ग स्थिर होता है।
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches analytical discernment: by classifying mind, space, intellect, and tamas according to their respective sets of qualities, a seeker learns to distinguish the layers of experience and loosen attachment to sense-objects—an aid to liberation-oriented knowledge (jñāna) in Sāṅkhya-Yoga.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction section, Bhishma continues his philosophical exposition to the king, presenting a compact schema of how different inner and elemental principles are understood through their ‘qualities,’ as part of a broader teaching on knowledge and release.