Shloka 16
जनक–पराशर संवादः — वर्ण-गोत्र-धर्मविचारः
Janaka–Parāśara: Varṇa, Gotra, and Dharma Inquiry
इन्द्रियाणि च कर्ता च विचेतव्यानि भागश: । तमः सत्त्वं रजश्चैव तेडपि भावास्तदाश्रया:
indriyāṇi ca kartā ca vicetavyāni bhāgaśaḥ | tamaḥ sattvaṃ rajaś caiva teḍ api bhāvās tadāśrayāḥ ||
毗湿摩说道：“诸根与行作者（具身之我）当分别辨识，各依其本分与在行动中的份额而论。同样，怛摩（tamas，昏暗）、萨埵（sattva，清明）、罗阇（rajas，激动）——以及由此生起的种种性向——皆依止并寄寓于此我之中。故评断行为，当明了：何种机能在作，何种德性占上风，以及自我如何因这些德性而被缚或得解脱。”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Discernment (viveka): distinguish the senses from the agent and understand how the three guṇas (sattva, rajas, tamas) and their resulting dispositions operate with the self as their locus. Ethical judgment and liberation-oriented practice depend on recognizing which faculty and which guṇa is driving behavior.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on dharma and liberation, Bhīṣma continues advising Yudhiṣṭhira by presenting an analytical framework: separate the roles of senses and agent, and interpret conduct through the dynamics of the guṇas and their mental states.