Shloka 9
उशनसः (शुक्रस्य) चरितम् — The Account of Uśanā (Śukra): Yoga, Grievance, and Pacification
यथाजञ्जनमयो वायु: पुनर्मान:शिलं रज: । अनुप्रविश्य तद्वर्णो दृश्यते रज्जयन् दिश:
yathāñjanamayo vāyuḥ punarmānaḥśilaṃ rajaḥ | anupraviśya tadvarṇo dṛśyate rajjayan diśaḥ ||
Bhishma menjelaskan dengan perumpamaan: sebagaimana angin yang sarat kegelapan laksana celak memasuki debu realgar yang merah-kuning, lalu tampak mengambil warna itu dan seakan mewarnai penjuru-penjuru saat bergerak; demikian pula sang diri, yang pada hakikatnya tanpa warna dan tanpa sifat tetap, ketika tertutup oleh kebodohan tamas dan ternoda oleh buah karma, tampak mengenakan “warna-warna” itu—menerima ragam dharma tubuh—dan mengembara melalui raga semua makhluk.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The self is intrinsically unqualified and unstained, but due to ignorance (tamas/avidyā) and the residual effects of karma, it appears to take on the qualities of the bodies it inhabits—much like wind seeming colored by the dust it passes through.
In Shanti Parva’s instruction, Bhishma is teaching about the mechanism of bondage: how the jīva, though essentially pure, seems to acquire ‘colors’ (attributes) through contact with ignorance and karmic results, thereby moving through various embodied states.