Shloka 24
Adhyātma–Adhibhūta–Adhidaivata Correspondences and the Triguṇa Lakṣaṇas (Śānti-parva 301)
ज्ञात्वा सत्त्वगुणं देहं वृतं षोडशभिग्गुणै: । स्वभावं चेतनां चैव ज्ञात्वा देहसमाश्रिते
jñātvā sattvaguṇaṃ dehaṃ vṛtaṃ ṣoḍaśabhir guṇaiḥ | svabhāvaṃ cetanāṃ caiva jñātvā dehasamāśrite
भीष्म उवाच— ज्ञात्वा सत्त्वगुणं देहं वृतं षोडशभिर्गुणैः । स्वभावं चेतनां चैव ज्ञात्वा देहसमाश्रिते ॥
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Discernment: understand the body as a compound of constituents and guṇas, recognize innate tendencies (svabhāva), and distinguish these from consciousness (cetanā). This clarity supports ethical action (dharma) without mistaking bodily conditioning for the true self.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction section, Bhīṣma continues his philosophical guidance to Yudhiṣṭhira, explaining how knowledge of the body’s constitution and the presence of consciousness within embodied life leads to right understanding and steadiness in conduct.