Shloka 1
अम्बरीषगाथा—गुणत्रयविभागः तथा लोभनिग्रहः
Ambarīṣa’s Gāthā: The Guṇas and the Restraint of Greed
अफ-्-णक+ एकत्रिशो<5 ध्याय: राजा अम्बरीषकी गायी हुई आध्यात्मिक स्वराज्यविषयक गाथा ब्राह्मण उवाच त्रयो वै रिपवो लोके नवधा गुणत: स्मृता: । प्रहर्ष: प्रीतिरानन्दस्त्रयस्ते सात््चिका गुणा:
brāhmaṇa uvāca | trayo vai ripavo loke navadhā guṇataḥ smṛtāḥ | praharṣaḥ prītir ānandas trayas te sāttvikā guṇāḥ |
Vị Bà-la-môn nói: “Ôi nữ thần, trong đời này quả có ba kẻ thù: sattva, rajas và tamas. Do những cách vận hành khác nhau, chúng được nhớ là chín dạng. Hân hoan, mến yêu và an lạc—ba điều ấy là các phẩm tính thuộc sattva.”
ब्राह्मण उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames the three guṇas—sattva, rajas, and tamas—as ‘enemies’ to be understood and mastered. It begins a ninefold mapping of mental states arising from these guṇas, identifying exhilaration (praharṣa), affectionate contentment (prīti), and bliss (ānanda) as sattvic manifestations.
A Brahmin addresses a देवी (a goddess-like interlocutor) and introduces a doctrinal explanation: how the guṇas operate in human experience. This verse specifically lists the three sattvic states, setting up a broader classification (ninefold) that continues in subsequent lines/verses.