Shloka 2
अव्यक्त-गुण-पुरुषविवेकः | Avyakta, Guṇas, and Discrimination of Puruṣa
तिर्यग्योनिसहस्रेषु कदाचिद् देवतास्वपि । उपपसद्यति संयोगाद् गुणै: सह गुणक्षयात्
tiryagyoni-sahasreṣu kadācid devatāsv api | upapadyati saṃyogād guṇaiḥ saha guṇa-kṣayāt ||
குணங்களுடன் ஏற்படும் சேர்க்கையாலும், அந்தக் குணங்களின் சிதைவு-மாற்றத்தினாலும், அவன் சிலவேளை ஆயிரமுறை மிருகயோனிகளில் பிறக்கிறான்; சிலவேளை தேவர்களிடத்திலும் பிறக்கிறான்.
वसिष्ठ उवाच
Educational Q&A
Birth in lower or higher realms is driven by association with the guṇas (sattva, rajas, tamas) and their changing strength; as qualities arise, mix, and diminish, the jīva cycles through many forms. Ethical implication: cultivate sattva and detach from guṇa-driven impulses to reduce bondage to saṃsāra.
Vasiṣṭha is instructing about the mechanism of transmigration: through contact with guṇas and the exhaustion/shift of those guṇas, a being repeatedly attains births—sometimes among animals, sometimes among gods—illustrating the instability of worldly status and the causal role of qualities.