23
Sāṅkhya Kārikā / Verses 22–55, the world / 23
अध्यवसायो बुद्धिर् धर्मो ज्ञानं वैराग्यमैश्वर्यम् सात्त्विकमेतद् रूपं तामसमस्माद् विपर्यस्तम्
adhyavasāyo buddhir dharmo jñānaṃ vairāgyam aiśvaryam sāttvikam etad rūpaṃ tāmasam asmād viparyastam
The line
Intellect is determining. Virtue, knowledge, dispassion, and power are its sattva form. The tamas form is the reverse.
नेपालीमा
बुद्धि निश्चय हो। धर्म, ज्ञान, वैराग्य र ऐश्वर्य त्यसको सत्त्व रूप हुन्, र तमस् रूप त्यसको उल्टो हो।
Where it sits
These four sattva forms return as the way a life goes up or out, in verses 44 and 45. Learn the list now.
Split: adhyavasāyaḥ (अध्यवसायः) + buddhiḥ (बुद्धिः) + dharmaḥ (धर्मः) + jñānam (ज्ञानम्) + vairāgyam (वैराग्यम्) + aiśvaryam (ऐश्वर्यम्) + sāttvikam (सात्त्विकम्) + etat (एतत्) + rūpam (रूपम्) + tāmasam (तामसम्) + asmāt (अस्मात्) + viparyastam (विपर्यस्तम्)
Sanskrit, in depth
The words
| Word | Grammar | Sense |
|---|---|---|
| adhyavasāyaḥ (अध्यवसायः) | nominative singular, masculine | determining, settling. The same word as perception's definition in verse 5, now as the job of intellect. |
| buddhiḥ (बुद्धिः) | nominative singular, feminine | intellect. mahat (महत्) under its other name. |
| dharmaḥ (धर्मः) | nominative singular, masculine | virtue, what is to be done, here as a disposition of intellect. |
| jñānam (ज्ञानम्) | nominative singular, neuter | knowledge. |
| vairāgyam (वैराग्यम्) | nominative singular, neuter | dispassion. The same family as Yoga's vairāgya (वैराग्य). |
| aiśvaryam (ऐश्वर्यम्) | nominative singular, neuter | lordliness, power. The commentaries list smallness, lightness, and the other attainments. |
| sāttvikam (सात्त्विकम्) | nominative singular, neuter | belonging to sattva (सत्त्व). |
| etat rūpam (एतत् रूपम्) | nominative singular, neuter | this form. |
| tāmasam (तामसम्) | nominative singular, neuter | belonging to tamas (तम). |
| asmāt (अस्मात्) | ablative singular | from this, compared with this. |
| viparyastam (विपर्यस्तम्) | nominative singular, neuter | reversed. Vice, ignorance, passion, and impotence. |
The phrases
adhyavasāyaḥ (अध्यवसायः) defines buddhiḥ (बुद्धिः). Intellect is not a store of facts. It is the act of determining.
The four — dharma (धर्म), jñāna (ज्ञान), vairāgya (वैराग्य), aiśvarya (ऐश्वर्य) — are what intellect looks like when sattva (सत्त्व) leads. The reverse four are tamas (तम). rajas (रज) is not given its own list. It is what drives either set into play.
Sanskrit in this line
Feminine buddhiḥ (बुद्धिः) is defined by masculine adhyavasāyaḥ (अध्यवसायः). Gender does not have to match across 'A is B.' You have seen this since verse 3.
Say it back
Four sattva names, then the word viparyasta (विपर्यस्त) for the other four. Do not invent the tamas names until you can reverse these.