Shloka 37
An Exposition of the Distinctions of Creation, Inert Matter, and the Lord
मिश्रितं चापि पक्षीन्द्र न सत्तवमिति कीर्त्यते / रजोराशिस्तमोराशिरित्येवं विबुधा विदुः
miśritaṃ cāpi pakṣīndra na sattavamiti kīrtyate / rajorāśistamorāśirityevaṃ vibudhā viduḥ
โอ้จ้าวแห่งนก! สิ่งที่ปะปนย่อมไม่ถูกประกาศว่าเป็นสัตตวะบริสุทธิ์; บัณฑิตรู้ว่าเป็นมวลแห่งรชัสหรือมวลแห่งตมัสเท่านั้น
Lord Vishnu (speaking to Garuda/Vinata-putra)
Concept: Sattva mixed with rajas/tamas is not ‘pure sattva’; classification follows the dominant contaminant—hence ‘mass of rajas’ or ‘mass of tamas’.
Vedantic Theme: Sāttvika-śuddhi (purification of mind) requires minimizing admixture; guṇa-miśratā affects cognition and bondage.
Application: Audit motives: if clarity is mixed with agitation or dullness, treat it as rājasic/tāmasic and correct through discipline, rest, and sāttvika inputs.
Primary Rasa: shanta
Related Themes: Garuda Purana: guṇa-based typologies of conduct and their results (scattered in ācāra/dharma discussions)
FAQs
This verse stresses discernment: what appears “good” may not be pure sattva if it is mixed with rajas or tamas, and such mixtures shape one’s karma and spiritual outcome.
By warning that mixed inner qualities are not true sattva, it implies that rajas/tamas-dominant tendencies drive binding actions and confusion, influencing post-death experiences and the soul’s trajectory.
Examine motives behind “good” acts—reduce agitation (rajas) and negligence (tamas) through discipline, clarity, and truthful living so actions become more sattvic and less karmically binding.