Shloka 14
Adhyāya 39 — त्रिगुणविवेकः (Discrimination of the Three Guṇas) and Avyakta-Doctrine
आदित्य: सन्त्वमुद्रिक्त कुचरास्तु तथा तम: । परितापो5थध्वगानां च रजसो गुण उच्यते,क्योंकि सूर्य सत्त्वगुण प्रधान हैं, दुराचारी मनुष्य तमोगुण प्रधान हैं एवं राहगीरोंको होनेवाला संताप रजोगुण प्रधान कहा गया है
ādityaḥ sattvam udṛktaṃ kucarās tu tathā tamaḥ | paritāpo ’tha dhvagānāṃ ca rajo-guṇa ucyate ||
Vāyu said: “The Sun is predominantly endowed with sattva. Those who are of wicked conduct are said to be dominated by tamas. And the wearying heat and distress experienced by travellers on the road is described as a manifestation of rajas.”
वायुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse maps observable phenomena and human behavior onto the three guṇas: sattva is linked with luminous order (the Sun), tamas with unethical or degraded conduct, and rajas with agitating, painful exertion such as the heat and strain felt by travellers. It encourages ethical self-assessment by recognizing which guṇa predominates in one’s actions and experiences.
Vāyu is speaking and explaining how the three guṇas are identified through examples from the world—cosmic (the Sun), moral (wicked people), and experiential (the distress of travellers)—as part of a broader instruction on qualities and their effects.