Shloka 20
Bhūta-guṇa-saṃkhyāna
Enumeration of the Properties of the Elements and Cognitive Faculties
सत्त्वमात्मा प्रसरति गुणान् वापि कदाचन । न गुणा विदुरात्मानं गुणान् वेद स सर्वदा
sattvam ātmā prasarati guṇān vāpi kadācana | na guṇā vidur ātmānaṃ guṇān veda sa sarvadā ||
毗耶娑说：安住于萨埵（sattva）之我，有时也会向诸德性（guṇa）——及其活动与对象——伸展。然而诸德性并不真正“认识”此我；反而是此我恒常了知诸德性。此教诲强调伦理的辨别：不可将变动的性情与情绪误作内在的知者，当认自我为不变的见证者与行为的主宰。
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
The Self is the constant knower, while the guṇas are changing forces of nature. Even if the mind moves outward under sattva toward experiences shaped by the guṇas, the guṇas cannot grasp the Self; rather, the Self (as witness-consciousness) knows and can discriminate the guṇas. Ethically, this supports self-mastery: identify impulses as guṇa-driven and act from discernment.
In Śānti Parva’s instruction on liberation-oriented dharma and philosophical discernment, Vyāsa explains the relation between the Self and prakṛti’s guṇas. The verse functions as a doctrinal clarification: the Self is not an object among qualities but the ever-present subject that observes them.