Shloka 19
प्रजापतयः देवगणाश्च दिशि-दिशि स्थिताः ऋषयः
Prajāpatis, Deva-Groups, and the Ṛṣis Assigned to the Directions
गुणात्मकं कर्म वदन्ति वेदा- स्तस्मान्मन्त्रो मन्त्रपूर्व हि कर्म । विधिरविधियं मनसोपपत्ति: फलस्य भोक्ता तु तथा शरीरी
guṇātmakaṃ karma vadanti vedās tasmān mantro mantrapūrva hi karma | vidhir avidhiyaṃ manasopapattiḥ phalasya bhoktā tu tathā śarīrī ||
毗湿摩说：吠陀宣示，行（业）由三种德性（guṇa）所构成。故咒语（mantra）亦随之分为相应之类，因为仪式之业必先诵咒而后行。又如法与非法（正仪与失仪）、心之决意以趋向所求之果、以及具身之我为果报之受者——这一切也都依三德而呈三重之相。
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhishma teaches that action (karma) is shaped by the three guṇas, and therefore the mantra that precedes ritual action, the correctness or incorrectness of procedure (vidhi/avidhi), the mind’s orientation toward results, and the embodied experiencer of those results are all likewise conditioned in a threefold way by sattva, rajas, and tamas.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on dharma and conduct, Bhishma continues his didactic discourse, explaining to the listener that ritual and moral action cannot be separated from the guṇas: the quality of mantra, the manner of performance, the mental intention, and the experiencer of consequences all align with the same underlying dispositions.