Shloka 11
तम: शूद्रे रज: क्षत्रे ब्राह्मणे सत्त्वमुत्तमम् । इत्येवं त्रिषु वर्णेषु विवर्तन्ते गुणास्त्रय:,शूद्रमें तमोगुणकी, क्षत्रियमें रजोगुणकी और ब्राह्मणमें सत्त्वगुणकी प्रधानता होती है। इस प्रकार इन तीन वर्णोमें मुख्यतासे ये तीन गुण रहते हैं
tamaḥ śūdre rajaḥ kṣatre brāhmaṇe sattvam uttamam | ityevaṃ triṣu varṇeṣu vivartante guṇās trayaḥ ||
Vāyu said: “Darkness and inertia (tamas) predominates in the śūdra; passion and drive (rajas) in the kṣatriya; and the highest clarity and balance (sattva) in the brāhmaṇa. Thus, among these three social orders, the three guṇas are seen to manifest in their characteristic ways.”
वायुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse links the three guṇas—tamas, rajas, and sattva—to characteristic predominance within three varṇas, presenting an ethical-psychological framework: dispositions shape conduct, and cultivation of sattva is associated with clarity and higher discernment.
Vāyudeva is speaking, offering a doctrinal explanation about how the guṇas are observed to manifest across social orders, as part of a broader instruction on conduct and qualities within the Ashvamedhika Parva.