Shloka 38

Mind as Charioteer; Kṣetrajña, Tapas, and Dhyāna-Yoga

Adhyātma-Upadeśa

Devanagari script

तत्रैकगुणमाकाशं द्विगुणो वायुरुच्यते । त्रिगुणं ज्योतिरित्याहुरापश्चापि चतुर्गुणा:

Transliteration

tatraikaguṇam ākāśaṃ dviguṇo vāyur ucyate | triguṇaṃ jyotir ity āhur āpaś cāpi caturguṇāḥ ||

Translation

พระวายุเทพตรัสว่า “ในมหาภูตทั้งห้า อากาศะ (อากาศ/ห้วง) กล่าวว่ามีคุณเพียงหนึ่ง. วายุ (ลม) มีคุณสอง. เตชัส (ไฟ) ประกาศว่ามีคุณสาม; และอาปัส (น้ำ) ก็กล่าวว่ามีคุณสี่.”

Word by Word

• तत्र: there/in that context
• तत्र: Adhikarana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र

• एकगुणम्: having one quality
• एकगुणम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एकगुण
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• आकाशम्: ether/space
• आकाशम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: आकाश
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• द्विगुणः: having two qualities
• द्विगुणः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: द्विगुण
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• वायुः: wind/air
• वायुः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: वायु
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• उच्यते: is said/called
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच्
• Form: Present, Passive, Third, Singular

• त्रिगुणम्: having three qualities
• त्रिगुणम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: त्रिगुण
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• ज्योतिः: light/fire (tejas)
• ज्योतिः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: ज्योतिस्
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• इति: thus/so (quotative)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति

• आहुः: they say
• Type: Verb
• Root: अह्
• Form: Perfect, Parasmaipada, Third, Plural

• आपः: waters
• आपः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: अप्
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Plural

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• अपि: also
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि

• चतुर्गुणाः: having four qualities
• चतुर्गुणाः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: चतुर्गुण
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Plural

Speaker

वायुदेव उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vāyu-deva
• ākāśa (space/ether)
• vāyu (wind/air)
• jyotis/tejas (fire/light)
• āpas (water)
• pañcamahābhūta (five great elements)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse teaches a hierarchy of the elements by the number of perceptible qualities (guṇas) they manifest: space has one, wind two, fire three, and water four—indicating increasing complexity as creation becomes more tangible.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vāyu-deva is instructing the listener in a doctrinal explanation of the constituents of the world (the mahābhūtas), using the traditional scheme of counting their qualities to clarify how subtle reality differentiates into grosser forms.