Shloka 2
तृष्णा क्रोधो5भिसंरम्भो राजसास्ते गुणा: स्मृता: । श्रमस्तन्द्रा च मोहश्न त्रयस्ते तामसा गुणा:,ब्राह्मणने कहा--देवि! इस संसारमें सत्त्व, रज और तम--ये तीन मेरे शत्रु हैं। ये वृत्तियोंके भेदसे नौ प्रकारके माने गये हैं। हर्ष, प्रीति और आनन्द--ये तीन सात््विक गुण हैं; तृष्णा, क्रोध और द्वेषभाव--से तीन राजस गुण हैं और थकावट, तन्द्रा तथा मोह--ये तीन तामस गुण हैं
tṛṣṇā krodho ’bhisaṃrambho rājasās te guṇāḥ smṛtāḥ | śramas tandrā ca mohaś ca trayas te tāmasā guṇāḥ ||
The Brāhmaṇa said: “Desire, anger, and impetuous aggression are remembered as the three qualities of rajas. Weariness, drowsiness, and delusion—these three are the qualities of tamas. Thus the inner dispositions that bind a person are to be recognized by their distinct movements, and one should discern them as enemies of clarity and right conduct.”
ब्राह्मण उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse classifies mental forces into guṇas: rajas manifests as craving, anger, and rash aggression; tamas manifests as fatigue, drowsiness, and delusion. Ethical progress requires recognizing these tendencies as obstacles to discernment and disciplined action.
A Brāhmaṇa is instructing a listener (addressed as ‘Devi’ in the surrounding passage) by enumerating the rājasa and tāmasa dispositions, continuing a broader teaching on how the three guṇas shape human behavior.