Shloka 10
Adhyāya 48: Brahmopadeśa on Prāṇāyāma, Sāttvika Vṛtti, and the Sattva–Kṣetrajña Question
पृथग्भूतं ततः सत्त्वमित्येतदविचारितम् | पृथग्भावश्न विज्ञेय: सहजश्नापि तत्त्वतः
pṛthagbhūtaṃ tataḥ sattvam ity etad avicāritam | pṛthagbhāvaś ca vijñeyaḥ sahajaś cāpi tattvataḥ ||
ਵਾਯੁ ਨੇ ਆਖਿਆ— ਉਹ ਮੰਨਦੇ ਹਨ ਕਿ ਖੇਤਰਜ੍ਞ ਤੋਂ ਸੱਤ੍ਵ ਵੱਖਰਾ ਹੈ, ਅਤੇ ਇਹ ਗੱਲ ਬਿਨਾ ਵਿਚਾਰ ਕੀਤੇ ਹੀ ਸਵੈੰਸਿੱਧ ਧਰੀ ਜਾਂਦੀ ਹੈ। ਪਰ ਜਾਣਨਾ ਚਾਹੀਦਾ ਹੈ ਕਿ ਦੋਵੇਂ ਸੁਭਾਵਤ: ਇਕੱਠੇ ਵੱਸਦੇ ਹੋਏ ਵੀ ਤੱਤਵਤ: ਅਲੱਗ ਹਨ।
वायुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse urges discernment: even if sattva (a guṇa or constituent of prakṛti) appears closely associated with the conscious knower (kṣetrajña), one should understand their essential difference—consciousness is the witness, while sattva is a quality of nature.
Vāyudeva is presenting a philosophical clarification within the Ashvamedhika Parva’s instructional discourse, critiquing an unexamined claim and directing the listener to a more precise understanding of the relation between the self (kṣetrajña) and the guṇas such as sattva.