Shloka 44
Adhyāya 302: Guṇa-vicāra, Gati-bheda, and the Imperishable State
Yājñavalkya–Janaka
सहवास विनाशित्वान्नान्योडहमिति मन्यते । यो<5हं सो5हमिति हुक्त्वा गुणानेवानुवर्तते
sahavāsa-vināśitvān nānyo ’ham iti manyate | yo ’haṃ so ’ham iti uktvā guṇān evānuvartate ||
瓦西什塔说道：由于长久与原质（Prakṛti）及此身相伴，真性被遮蔽，人便以为：“我不异于此。”他宣称“我是这个；我是那个”——认定自己是谁之子，属于某一族系或种姓——不过是在随逐诸德性（guṇa）如萨埵（sattva）等的流转，而非了知自我（Ātman）本与之迥别。
वसिष्ठ उवाच
Educational Q&A
Misidentification with the body and social labels arises from long association with Prakṛti; as a result, one is driven by the guṇas. The remedy implied is discernment: knowing the Self as distinct from guṇas, body, and acquired identities.
In Vasiṣṭha’s instruction, he explains how a person loses awareness of their true nature and begins to speak in terms of worldly identity (“I am this, I am that”), thereby living under the influence of sattva, rajas, and tamas.