Shloka 21
Vimokṣa-niścaya: Pañcaśikha’s Analysis of Aggregates, Guṇas, and Tyāga (मोक्षनिर्णयः)
सम्मोहकं तमो विद्यात् कृष्णमज्ञानसम्भवम् | प्रीतिदुःखनिबद्धांश्व समस्तांस्त्रीनथो गुणान्
bhīṣma uvāca | sammohakaṃ tamo vidyāt kṛṣṇam ajñāna-sambhavam | prīti-duḥkha-nibaddhāṃś ca samastāṃs trīn atho guṇān |
Bhishma berkata: Tamas hendaknya dipahami sebagai daya yang membius dan menyesatkan—gelap laksana hitam—serta lahir dari ketidaktahuan. Di antara tiga guna yang mengikat semua makhluk, kecenderungan yang menumbuhkan rasa puas dan kasih sayang adalah sāttvika, sedangkan yang melahirkan penderitaan adalah rājasa. Demikianlah hakikat tiga guna patut dikenali.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhishma defines the ethical-psychological markers of the guṇas: tamas is delusion and darkness arising from ignorance; sattva is associated with clarity and pleasant, affectionate states; rajas is associated with agitation that culminates in suffering. The teaching urges discernment of these inner forces to guide conduct toward dharma.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on right living and inner discipline, Bhishma continues his counsel by classifying mental dispositions through the framework of the three guṇas, explaining how they manifest and how they bind beings.