Verses on Sāṃkhya 13.3

13.3

tatrāyaṃ samāsaḥ | prītiś cāprītiś ca viṣādaś ca te ātmā svarūpaṃ yeṣāṃ guṇānāṃ te bhavanti prītyaprītiviṣādātmakāḥ | teṣāṃ lakṣaṇam ucyate | tatra prītyātmakaṃ sattvam | ātmaśabdaḥ svabhāve vartate | kasmāt? sukhalakṣaṇatvāt | yo hi kaścit kvacit prītiṃ labhate tatra ārjavamārdavasatyaśaucahrībuddhikṣamānukampājñānādi ca tat sattvaṃ pratyetavyam | aprītyātmakaṃ rajaḥ | kasmāt? duḥkhalakṣaṇatvāt | yo hi kaścit kadācit kvacid aprītim upalabhate tatra dveṣadrohamatsaranindāstambhotkaṇṭhānikṛtivañcanābandhavadhacchedanāni ca tad rajaḥ pratyetavyam | viṣādātmakaṃ tamaḥ | kasmāt? mohalakṣaṇatvāt | yo hi kaścit kadācit kvacin moham upalabhate, tatrājñānamadālasyabhayadainyākarmaṇyatānāstikyaviṣādasvapnādi ca tat tamaḥ pratyetavyam | kiṃ cānyat --- prakāśapravṛttiniyamārthāḥ | prakāśaś ca pravṛttiś ca niyamaś ca te arthā yeṣāṃ tathoktāḥ | tatra prakāśayitavyam iti sattvasya, pravartitavyam iti rajasaḥ, niyantavyaṃ saṃhartavyam iti tamasaḥ | kiṃ cānyat --- anyonyābhibhavāśrayajananamithunavṛttayaś ca guṇāḥ | tatrāpi samāsaḥ | anyonyābhibhavāś ca anyonyāśrayāś ca anyonyajananāś ca anyonyamithunāś ca yeṣāṃ guṇānām anyonyavṛttayaś ca vidyante tathoktāḥ | caśabdaḥ samuccaye draṣṭavyaḥ | prītyādayaś ca tāvat prāgabhihitāḥ | anyonyābhibhavāś ceti rajastamasor abhibhavāt śāntā vṛttir utpadyate sattvasya dharmādyā | sattvatamasor abhibhavād rajaso ghorā vṛttir utpadyate adharmādyā | sattvarajasor abhibhavāt tamaso mūḍhā vṛttir utpadyate ajñānādyā | kiṃ cānyat --- anyonyāśrayāś ca guṇāḥ | sattvaṃ hi pravṛttiniyamāv āśritya prakāśayati | rajaḥ prakāśaniyamāv āśritya pravartayati | tamaḥ prakāśapravṛttī āśritya niyamayati | tridaṇḍaviṣṭambhavad amī veditavyā iti | kiṃ cānyat --- anyonyajananāś ca guṇāḥ | anyonyaṃ janayanti | kadācit sattvaṃ rajastamasī janayati | kadācit tamaḥ sattvarajasī janayati | yathā saparikarakumbhakārādhiṣṭhito mṛtpiṇḍo ghaṭaṃ janayati tadvaj janayanti | anyonyaṃ bodhayantīty etat pratigṛhyate | yathā devadattayajñadattau parasparaṃ bodhayata | evaṃ buddhisthā guṇāḥ sattvarajastamāṃsi parasparaṃ bodhayanti | evam anyonyajanakā guṇāḥ | kiṃ cānyat --- anyonyamithunāś ca guṇāḥ | aviyogakadharmatvāt | evaṃ hy āhuḥ ---

Here, this is the compound: pleasure, displeasure, and dejection are the self, the intrinsic nature, of which constituents—they are "having the nature of pleasure, displeasure, and dejection." Their characteristic definition is stated. Among them, sattva has the nature of pleasure. The word "self" refers to intrinsic nature. Why? Because its characteristic is pleasure. For whichever person obtains pleasure anywhere, there uprightness, gentleness, truth, purity, modesty, intellect, forbearance, compassion, knowledge, and so on are to be recognized as sattva. Rajas has the nature of displeasure. Why? Because its characteristic is suffering. For whichever person at any time obtains displeasure anywhere, there hatred, hostility, envy, censure, obstinacy, longing, deceit, deception, bondage, slaying, mutilation, and so on are to be recognized as rajas. Tamas has the nature of dejection. Why? Because its characteristic is delusion. For whichever person at any time obtains delusion anywhere, there ignorance, intoxication, indolence, fear, misery, incapacity, atheism, dejection, sleep, and so on are to be recognized as tamas. Moreover: "with the purposes of illumination, activity, and restraint"—illumination, activity, and restraint are their purposes, hence so described. There, illumination belongs to sattva, activity belongs to rajas, and restraint, withdrawal, belongs to tamas. Moreover: "functioning to overpower, support, generate, and consort with one another are the constituents." Here too is the compound: overpowering one another, supporting one another, generating one another, consorting with one another, and whose mutual functionings exist—such are they described. The word "and" should be understood in the sense of conjunction. Pleasure and the others have already been stated earlier. "Overpowering one another": from the overpowering of rajas and tamas, the tranquil functioning of sattva, beginning with virtue, arises; from the overpowering of sattva and tamas, the violent functioning of rajas, beginning with non-virtue, arises; from the overpowering of sattva and rajas, the stupefied functioning of tamas, beginning with ignorance, arises. Moreover: the constituents support one another. For sattva illuminates by relying upon activity and restraint; rajas activates by relying upon illumination and restraint; tamas restrains by relying upon illumination and activity. They are to be understood like the mutual bracing of a tripod. Moreover: the constituents generate one another. They produce one another. Sometimes sattva generates rajas and tamas; sometimes tamas generates sattva and rajas. Just as a lump of clay, supervised by a potter equipped with his implements, produces a pot, in that manner they generate. That they awaken one another is accepted: just as Devadatta and Yajñadatta awaken each other, so the constituents abiding in the intellect—sattva, rajas, and tamas—awaken one another. Thus the constituents generate one another. Moreover: the constituents consort with one another, because they have the property of non-separation. For thus they say: