Shloka 21
कामद्रुम-रूपकः तथा शरीर-पुर-रूपकः
The Desire-Tree and the Body-as-City Metaphors
अतो गुह्ुतरार्थ तदध्यात्ममतिमानुषम् | यत् तन्महर्षिभिदर्दृष्ट वेदान्तेषु च गीयते
ato guhūtarārtha tad adhyātmamatimānuṣam | yat tan maharṣibhir dṛṣṭaṃ vedānteṣu ca gīyate || yat tu santāpasaṃyuktaṃ kāye manasi vā bhavet | pravṛttaṃ raja ity evaṃ tatra cāpy upalakṣayet ||
Vyāsa disse: Portanto, de acordo com a tua pergunta, ensinarei uma sabedoria do Si ainda mais oculta e sutil, supra-humana — um conhecimento realizado diretamente pelos grandes ṛṣis e celebrado no Vedānta, as Upaniṣads. E quando se vir surgir no corpo ou na mente um estado de aflição ou agitação ardente, deve-se reconhecer aí a ativação de rajas, a qualidade da paixão e da inquietude.
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
Vyāsa frames his instruction as a deeper adhyātma (inner, Self-oriented) doctrine validated by seers and echoed in the Upaniṣads, then gives a practical diagnostic: distressful agitation in body or mind is a sign that rajas—the restless, passionate guṇa—has become active.
In the didactic setting of Śānti Parva, Vyāsa responds to a questioner by promising a more esoteric spiritual teaching and immediately begins explaining how to recognize the play of the guṇas in lived experience, starting with the mark of rajas.