Shloka 13

Devanagari script

राजसैस्तामसैर्भावैर्युतो हेतुबलान्वित: । क्षेत्रज्ञगेवानुयाति पांसुर्वातेरितो यथा,राजस और तामसभावोंसे युक्त हेतुबलसे प्रेरित सूक्ष्मशरीर क्षेत्रज्ञ जीवात्माके साथ- साथ ठीक उसी तरह दूसरे स्थूल शरीरमें चला जाता है, जैसे वायुद्वारा उड़ायी हुई धूल उसीके साथ-साथ एक स्थानसे दूसरे स्थानको जाती है

Transliteration

rājasais tāmasair bhāvair yuto hetubalānvitāḥ | kṣetrajñagevānuyāti pāṁsur vāterito yathā ||

Translation

ഭീഷ്മൻ പറഞ്ഞു—രാജസ-താമസ ഭാവങ്ങളാൽ യുക്തവും ഹേതുബലത്താൽ പ്രേരിതവുമായ സൂക്ഷ്മദേഹം, ക്ഷേത്രജ്ഞനായ ജീവാത്മാവിനെ അനുഗമിച്ച് മറ്റൊരു സ്ഥൂലദേഹത്തിലേക്ക് കടക്കുന്നു; കാറ്റാൽ ഉയർത്തപ്പെട്ട പൊടി കാറ്റിനൊപ്പം ഒരിടത്തിൽ നിന്ന് മറ്റിടത്തേക്ക് പോകുന്നതുപോലെ.

Word by Word

राजसैःby/with rajasic (qualities)

तामसैःby/with tamasic (qualities)

भावैःwith states/conditions

युक्तःjoined/associated

हेतुबलान्वितःendowed with the force of causes

क्षेत्रज्ञम्the knower of the field (self)

एवindeed/just

अनुयातिfollows/goes along after

पांसुःdust

वात-ईरितःdriven by the wind

यथाas/just as

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bhīṣma

kṣetrajña (the knower of the field / self)

jīva (individual soul)

pāṁsu (dust)

vāta (wind)

sūkṣma-śarīra (subtle body)

sthūla-śarīra (gross body)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Rebirth is propelled by the momentum of causes—especially rajasic and tamasic dispositions and karmic impulses—so that the subtle body continues with the individual self into a new embodiment, unless purified and transcended.

What is happening in the narrative?

In Bhishma’s instruction in the Shanti Parva, he explains the mechanism of transmigration: the jīva, accompanied by the subtle body shaped by the guṇas, moves from one gross body to another, illustrated through the image of dust carried by wind.