Shloka 103
Pitṛ-śrāddha-haviḥ-phala-nirdeśa
Offerings for Ancestors and Their Stated Results
तमसस्तामसा भावा व्यापि सत्त्वं तथोभयम् । स गुणस्तेजसो नित्यस्तस्य चाकाशमेव च
tamasas tāmasā bhāvā vyāpi sattvaṃ tathobhayam | sa guṇas tejaso nityas tasya cākāśam eva ca ||
Sinabi ni Vasiṣṭha: Mula sa dilim (tamas) ay lumilitaw ang madidilim at manhid na mga kalagayan; at ang prinsipyo ng kaliwanagan (sattva) ay lumalaganap din sa kapwa (rajas at tamas). Ang sattva—na laging may likas na liwanag at paglalantad—ay nauukol sa maningning na prinsipyo (tejas); at maging ang kalawakan (ākāśa) ay nasa iisang prinsipyong iyon. Inilalarawan ng aral ang sansinukob at isip sa pananaw na etikal: ang linaw at pag-unawa ay hindi aksidente, kundi isang matatag na liwanag na maaaring lumaganap at magpino maging sa pagnanasa at katamaran, upang maging posible ang wastong pagkaunawa.
वसिष्ठ उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches a guṇa-based view of reality: tamas gives rise to tamasic states, while sattva—identified with an enduring luminous principle (tejas)—pervades and can operate within the other guṇas. Ethically, it implies that clarity and discernment (sattva) can illuminate and regulate passion (rajas) and inertia (tamas), enabling right judgment and dharmic conduct.
Vasiṣṭha is instructing his listener in metaphysical analysis, describing how the constituents of nature (guṇas) relate to cosmic manifestation. He links sattva with light (tejas) and even with space (ākāśa), presenting a framework in which the world and cognition are traced to underlying qualities and their interactions.