Shloka 12
Adhyāya 39 — त्रिगुणविवेकः (Discrimination of the Three Guṇas) and Avyakta-Doctrine
दूरादपि हि दृश्यन्ते सहिता: संघचारिण: । तमः सत्त्वं रजश्चैव पृथक्त्वे नानुशुश्रुम,एक साथ चलनेवाले ये गुण दूरसे भी मिले हुए ही दिखायी पड़ते हैं। तमोगुण, सत्त्गगुण और रजोगुण--ये सर्वथा पृथक्-पृथक् हों, ऐसा कभी नहीं सुना
dūrād api hi dṛśyante sahitāḥ saṅghacāriṇaḥ | tamaḥ sattvaṃ rajaś caiva pṛthaktve nānuśuśruma ||
“Even from afar, these qualities appear as if bound together, moving in a single company. We have never heard that tamas, sattva, and rajas exist in a state of complete separation from one another.”
वायुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
The three guṇas—tamas, sattva, and rajas—operate in combination rather than in absolute isolation. Ethical and psychological states are typically mixed; discernment lies in recognizing which guṇa predominates and cultivating sattva while restraining rajas and tamas.
Vāyudeva is explaining a doctrinal point about the guṇas: although they may be conceptually distinguished, in lived experience they are seen as moving together, intertwined in the workings of mind, conduct, and perception.