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 ||
Bhishma berkata: “Wahai Bharata, wahai kebanggaan kaum Bharata, Tuhan telah membentuk dalam makhluk yang berjasad unsur sattva, rajas dan tamas; juga kala (waktu), karma (perbuatan/akibat), dan buddhi (akal-budi)—bersama manas (minda) sebagai yang keenam antara daya-daya indera. Maka kelengkapan batin yang membuat makhluk berfikir, memilih dan bertindak bukanlah kebetulan, melainkan anugerah yang tersusun; daripadanya lahir perjuangan moral serta kemungkinan penguasaan diri melalui disiplin.”
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.