Shloka 9
Adhyāya 41 — Yudhiṣṭhira’s Gurv-anumati and Strategic Counsel (युधिष्ठिरस्य गुर्वनुमतिः)
सम्बन्ध-- इस प्रकार सत्त्व
sattvaṁ sukhe sañjayati rajaḥ karmaṇi bhārata | jñānam āvṛtya tu tamaḥ pramāde sañjayaty uta ||
हे भारत! सत्त्वगुण मनुष्याला सुखात बांधतो, रजोगुण कर्मात व अस्थिर उद्योगात; आणि तमोगुण ज्ञान झाकून प्रमाद, मोह व बेफिकिरीत बांधतो.
अजुन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse explains the natural pull of the three guṇas: sattva inclines one toward happiness and clarity, rajas toward ceaseless activity, and tamas—by obscuring knowledge—toward negligence and delusion. Ethical effort involves recognizing these tendencies and cultivating discernment rather than being driven unconsciously.
In the Bhīṣma Parva’s Bhagavadgītā dialogue on the battlefield, the speaker is describing how the guṇas operate in human life—how they ‘bind’ the embodied self by directing attention and behavior toward pleasure, action, or heedlessness.