Shloka 13
जनक–पराशर संवादः — वर्ण-गोत्र-धर्मविचारः
Janaka–Parāśara: Varṇa, Gotra, and Dharma Inquiry
सत्त्वं रजस्तम: काल: कर्म बुद्धिश्च भारत । मनःषष्ठानि चैतेषु ईश्वर: समकल्पयत्,भरतनन्दन! ईश्वरने इन प्राणियोंके शरीरोंमें सत्त्व, रज, तम, काल, कर्म, बुद्धि तथा मनसहित पाँचों ज्ञानेन्द्रियोंकी कल्पना की है
sattvaṁ rajas tamaḥ kālaḥ karma buddhiś ca bhārata | manaḥ-ṣaṣṭhāni caiteṣu īśvaraḥ samakalpayat bharatanandana ||
ഭീഷ്മൻ പറഞ്ഞു—ഹേ ഭാരത, ഹേ ഭരതനന്ദന! ദേഹധാരികളായ ജീവികളിൽ സത്ത്വം, രജസ്, തമസ്; കൂടാതെ കാലം, കര്മ്മം, ബുദ്ധി—ഇന്ദ്രിയങ്ങളിൽ ആറാമതായി മനസ്സ്—ഇവയെല്ലാം ഈശ്വരൻ സൃഷ്ടിച്ചിരിക്കുന്നു।
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse explains that embodied life operates through an ordained inner framework: the three guṇas (sattva, rajas, tamas), along with time, karma, and buddhi, and the mind as the coordinating sixth faculty among the senses. Ethical life therefore involves understanding these forces and cultivating discernment so that action is guided rather than driven.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction to Yudhiṣṭhira, Bhīṣma continues a philosophical-ethical exposition on the constituents of the person and the causes behind behavior. He frames human agency and moral responsibility within a cosmic order established by Īśvara.