Mokṣa–Saṃnyāsa–Tyāga–Guṇa-Vibhāga (Renunciation, Relinquishment, and the Three Guṇas) — Mahābhārata 6, Bhīṣma-parva
पुरुष: प्रकृतिस्थो हि भुड्क्ते प्रकृतिजान् गुणान् । कारणं गुणसड्रो5स्य सदसद्योनिजन्मसु,प्रकृतिमें स्थित ही पुरुष प्रकृतिसे उत्पन्न त्रिगुणात्मक पदार्थोंकी भोगता हैः और इन गुणोंका संग ही इस जीवात्माके अच्छी-बुरी योनियोंमें जन्म लेनेका कारण है
puruṣaḥ prakṛtistho hi bhuṅkte prakṛtijān guṇān | kāraṇaṁ guṇasaṅgo ’sya sadasadyonijanmasu ||
Arjuna berkata: Puruṣa yang bersemayam dalam Prakṛti menikmati guṇa-guṇa yang lahir daripada Prakṛti. Dan pergaulan serta keterikatan dengan guṇa-guṇa itulah sebab kelahiran jiwa ini dalam rahim yang baik dan yang buruk.
अजुन उवाच
The soul’s repeated birth into higher or lower conditions is driven by its attachment and identification with the guṇas of prakṛti; ethical and spiritual progress depends on loosening this guṇa-saṅga and cultivating discernment.
In the Bhīṣma Parva’s philosophical instruction, Arjuna voices a doctrinal point about how the embodied self, while dwelling in prakṛti, undergoes experiences shaped by the guṇas, and how this association becomes the causal link to future births.