Shloka 27
धर्मस्य बहुद्वारत्वम् — Nārada’s Audience with Indra (Śānti-parva 340)
सत्त्वं रजस्तमश्नेति गुणानेतान् प्रचक्षते । यत्ते सर्वशरीरेषु तिष्ठन्ति विचरन्ति च
sattvaṁ rajas tamaś ceti guṇān etān pracakṣate | yatte sarvaśarīreṣu tiṣṭhanti vicaranti ca ||
सत्त्व, रज और तम—इनको तीन गुण कहा गया है। ये सब शरीरधारी प्राणियों में स्थित रहते हैं और निरन्तर उनमें विचरण करते हैं।
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhīṣma identifies the three guṇas—sattva, rajas, and tamas—as universal forces present in every embodied being; ethical and psychological life is understood as their ongoing interplay.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction, Bhīṣma continues his philosophical-ethical exposition to Yudhiṣṭhira, explaining how the guṇas pervade all beings and actively influence behavior and experience.