Shloka 13
जनक–पराशर संवादः — वर्ण-गोत्र-धर्मविचारः
Janaka–Parāśara: Varṇa, Gotra, and Dharma Inquiry
सत्त्वं रजस्तम: काल: कर्म बुद्धिश्च भारत । मनःषष्ठानि चैतेषु ईश्वर: समकल्पयत्
sattvaṁ rajas tamaḥ kālaḥ karma buddhiś ca bhārata | manaḥ-ṣaṣṭhāni caiteṣu īśvaraḥ samakalpayat bharatanandana ||
毗湿摩说道：“噢，婆罗多啊，婆罗多族之欢喜者，主宰在具身众生之内安置了萨埵（sattva）、罗阇（rajas）、怛摩（tamas）三种成分；又安置了时间、业（karma）与 बुद्धि（buddhi，理智）——并以意（manas）为第六根，统摄诸感官。故众生赖以思惟、抉择与行事的内在器具，并非偶然杂然，而是有序的赐予；由此既生道德的挣扎，亦开自律自制之可能。”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse explains that embodied life operates through an ordained inner framework: the three guṇas (sattva, rajas, tamas), along with time, karma, and buddhi, and the mind as the coordinating sixth faculty among the senses. Ethical life therefore involves understanding these forces and cultivating discernment so that action is guided rather than driven.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction to Yudhiṣṭhira, Bhīṣma continues a philosophical-ethical exposition on the constituents of the person and the causes behind behavior. He frames human agency and moral responsibility within a cosmic order established by Īśvara.