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 |
婆罗门说道：“女神啊，此世确有三大仇敌：萨埵（sattva）、罗阇（rajas）与惰性（tamas）。依其作用之差别，常被记为九种。欢悦（harṣa）、爱悦（prīti）与安乐（ānanda）——此三者乃萨埵之德。”
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.