Shloka 19
Adhyātma–Adhibhūta–Adhidaivata Correspondences and the Triguṇa Lakṣaṇas (Śānti-parva 301)
तनु स्पर्शे तथा सक्तां वायुं नभसि चाश्रितम् | मोहं तमसि संयुक्त लोभमर्थेषु संश्रितम्
tanu-sparśe tathā saktāṃ vāyuṃ nabhasi cāśritam | mohaṃ tamasi saṃyuktaṃ lobham artheṣu saṃśritam ||
तनुं स्पर्शे तथा सक्तां वायुं नभसि चाश्रितम्। मोहं तमसि संयुक्तं लोभमर्थेषु संश्रितम्॥
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Attachments and mental afflictions are not random; each has a specific ‘support’ (āśraya). Clinging to sense-contact sustains bodily identification, tamas sustains delusion, and objects of gain sustain greed. Recognizing these supports helps one weaken bondage by withdrawing dependence from their bases.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction section, Bhishma continues his discourse to Yudhiṣṭhira on inner discipline and liberation-oriented ethics, explaining how sense-attachment and the guṇas condition the mind, and how vices like delusion and greed arise by leaning on their respective foundations.