Shloka 19
कामद्रुम-रूपकः तथा शरीर-पुर-रूपकः
The Desire-Tree and the Body-as-City Metaphors
इदं प्रियाय पुत्राय शिष्यायानुगताय च । रहस्यधर्म वक्तव्यं नान्यस्मै तु कथंचन
idam priyāya putrāya śiṣyāyānugatāya ca | rahasya-dharma vaktavyaṃ nānyasmai tu kathaṃcana || rajas-tamaś ca sattvaṃ ca yatraite svayonijāḥ | samāḥ sarveṣu bhūteṣu tān guṇān upalakṣayet ||
毗耶娑说：此秘密之法，当只传与爱子，或忠诚随行的弟子——决不可用任何方式传与他人。至于三种古那——罗阇斯（rajas）、怛摩斯（tamas）与萨埵（sattva）——皆由其自身之源（自性/原质，Prakṛti）而生，在一切众生中同等安住；当以其在行为与经验中所现之效应来辨识这些古那。
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
Two points are emphasized: (1) esoteric dharma should be entrusted only to a qualified, devoted recipient (a faithful disciple or worthy son), and (2) the three guṇas—sattva, rajas, tamas—are present in all beings and should be identified by their observable effects in behavior and mental states.
In Śānti Parva’s instructional setting, Vyāsa delivers a didactic statement on responsible transmission of spiritual knowledge and then turns to a Sāṃkhya-style analysis of nature, explaining how the guṇas pervade all creatures and can be inferred from their manifestations.