Shloka 12
दमप्रशंसा — Praise of Self-Restraint
Dama
रजस्तमसि पर्यस्तं सत्त्वं च रजसि स्थितम् । ज्ञानाधिष्ठानमव्यक्तं बुद्धयहड्कारलक्षणम्
rajas-tamasi paryastaṃ sattvaṃ ca rajasi sthitam | jñānādhiṣṭhānam avyaktaṃ buddhya-haṅkāra-lakṣaṇam ||
Ketika rajas terjerumus ke dalam tamas dan sattva berdiam di dalam rajas, maka Sang Diri yang tak termanifest—landasan pengetahuan—menjadi bertanda oleh perangkat buddhi (intelek) dan ahaṃkāra (keakuan).
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse explains how the interplay of the three guṇas affects cognition: when tamas and rajas dominate, even the basis of knowledge (the unmanifest principle) appears conditioned through buddhi (intellect) and ahaṅkāra (ego), so discernment becomes colored by agitation and delusion rather than pure clarity.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on inner discipline and metaphysical analysis, Bhishma teaches Yudhiṣṭhira about the guṇas and the structure of experience, describing how shifts in sattva, rajas, and tamas shape the mind’s functioning and the rise of ego-centered understanding.