Shloka 15

Adhyāya 39 — त्रिगुणविवेकः (Discrimination of the Three Guṇas) and Avyakta-Doctrine

Devanagari script

प्राकाश्यं सत्त्वमादित्य: संतापो रजसो गुण: । उपप्लवस्तु विज्ञेयस्तामसस्तस्य पर्वसु,सूर्यका प्रकाश सत्त्वनुण है, उनका ताप रजोगुण है और अमावास्याके दिन जो उनपर ग्रहण लगता है, वह तमोगुणका कार्य है

Transliteration

prākāśyaṁ sattvam ādityaḥ santāpo rajaso guṇaḥ | upaplavas tu vijñeyas tāmasas tasya parvasu ||

Translation

Vāyu disse: “O fulgor do Sol deve ser entendido como a qualidade de sattva; o seu calor ardente é uma manifestação de rajas. Mas a perturbação que nele ocorre em suas junções (como no dia de lua nova, quando se vê um eclipse) deve ser conhecida como efeito de tamas.”

Word by Word

प्राकाश्यम्brightness, radiance

सत्त्वम्sattva (the quality of clarity/goodness)

आदित्यःthe Sun

संतापःheat, burning

रजसःof rajas (the quality of activity/passion)

गुणःquality, attribute

उपप्लवःeclipse/obscuration; calamity

तुbut, and

विज्ञेयःto be known/understood (as)

तामसःtamasic; belonging to tamas

तस्यof that (sun/it)

पर्वसुon the lunar nodes/occasions (parvans); at the junction-days

Speaker

वायुदेव उवाच

Characters & Entities

व

वायुदेव (Vāyu)

आ

आदित्य (the Sun)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse maps observable features of the Sun to the three guṇas: illumination corresponds to sattva (clarity), heat to rajas (activity and intensity), and obscuration/disturbance at transitional times (parvans, such as amāvāsyā eclipses) to tamas (darkness and delusion). It teaches discernment of guṇas through natural phenomena.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vāyu is speaking in a didactic context, explaining how cosmic phenomena reflect the guṇas. He uses the Sun as an example to illustrate sattva, rajas, and tamas in a concrete, observable way.