Shloka 13
धर्मद्वारबहुत्वविमर्शः — Reflection on the Many ‘Doors’ of Dharma (Śānti-parva 342)
अष्टादशगुणं यत् तत् सत्त्वं सत्तववतां वर
aṣṭādaśaguṇaṃ yat tat sattvaṃ sattvavatāṃ vara | tad eva me parā prakṛtir ādi-puruṣaḥ | pṛthivy-ākāśayor ātmā yoga-balena samastān lokān dhārayati | saiva ṛtā satyā amarā ajeyā ca sarva-lokātmeti ||
阿周那说道：“噢，诸德之中最胜者，那具足十八种德相的‘萨埵’——实即原初之人——便是我的至上本性。作为大地与虚空之自性，他以瑜伽之力支撑一切世界。他是Ṛtā，令业行成熟而结成果报的宇宙秩序；他是Satyā，三世不相违的真实。永恒不死、不可战胜——乃一切众生与诸界之内在自我。”
अर्जुन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse identifies a supreme, luminous principle—called the eighteen-qualified sattva or Ādi-Puruṣa—as the ‘higher Nature’ that sustains the cosmos. It equates ultimate reality with Ṛta (moral-causal order) and Satya (timeless truth), presenting the divine as both the ethical law governing action’s results and the inner Self of all beings.
In the reflective setting of the Śānti Parva, Arjuna speaks in a philosophical register, describing the supreme foundation of existence. Rather than battlefield action, the focus is contemplative: defining the cosmic ground that upholds worlds and underwrites dharma through order (ṛta) and truth (satya).