Shloka 10
उशनसः (शुक्रस्य) चरितम् — The Account of Uśanā (Śukra): Yoga, Grievance, and Pacification
तथा कर्मफलैदेंही र|ज्जितस्तमसा55वृत: । विवर्णों वर्णमश्रित्य देहेषु परिवर्तते
tathā karmaphalaiḥ dehī rañjitas tamasāvṛtaḥ | vivarṇo varṇam āśritya deheṣu parivartate ||
Bhishma berkata: Demikian pula, sang diri yang berjasad—ternoda oleh buah perbuatannya dan terselubung oleh kegelapan (ketidaktahuan)—meski pada hakikatnya tanpa warna, mengambil “warna” dengan bersandar pada suatu keadaan, dan terus berputar berpindah dari satu tubuh ke tubuh yang lain.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The self is intrinsically unqualified ("colorless"), but ignorance (tamas) veils it and karma’s results stain it, making it appear to take on particular qualities and roles; this drives its repeated movement through different bodies (saṃsāra).
Bhishma is instructing on the metaphysics of rebirth: he uses an analogy of wind darkened by contact with colored powders to explain how the jīva, though pure in itself, seems to acquire attributes through ignorance and karmic conditioning and thus cycles through embodiments.