Shloka 6
व्यतिरिक्तं तमो यत्र तिर्यगू भावगतं भवेत् | अल्पं तत्र रजो ज्ञेयं सत्त्वमल्पतरं तथा,तिर्यग् योनियोंमें जहाँ तमोगुणकी अधिकता होती है, वहाँ थोड़ा रजोगुण और बहुत थोड़ा सत्त्गगुण समझना चाहिये
vyatiriktaṃ tamo yatra tiryagū bhāvagataṃ bhavet | alpaṃ tatra rajo jñeyaṃ sattvam alpataram tathā ||
Wika ni Vāyu: “Kung saan, sa mga anyo ng pag-iral bilang hayop, ang kadiliman (tamas) ang nangingibabaw at tumatayong pangunahing katangian, doon dapat maunawaan na ang pagnanasa at pag-igting (rajas) ay bahagya lamang, at ang kaliwanagan at kabutihan (sattva) ay higit pang bahagya.”
वायुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches a guṇa-based understanding of embodied states: animal existence is typically dominated by tamas (delusion/inertia), with only a small presence of rajas (impulse/activity) and an even smaller presence of sattva (clarity/discernment). Ethically, it implies that clearer moral judgment and self-governance are harder where sattva is minimal.
Vāyudeva is explaining the distribution of the three guṇas across different modes of birth. In this segment he characterizes tiryag-yoni (animal forms) as chiefly tamasic, setting up a broader teaching on how qualities shape behavior, capacity, and moral agency.