महाभारतः mahābhārataḥ - book-12, chapter-196, verse-3

रजस्तमः सत्त्वमथो तृतीयं गच्छत्यसौ ज्ञानगुणान्विरूपान् ।
तथेन्द्रियाण्याविशते शरीरी हुताशनं वायुरिवेन्धनस्थम् ॥३॥

3. rajastamaḥ sattvamatho tṛtīyaṁ; gacchatyasau jñānaguṇānvirūpān ,
tathendriyāṇyāviśate śarīrī; hutāśanaṁ vāyurivendhanastham.

3. rajas tamaḥ sattvam atho tṛtīyam
gachchati asau jñāna-guṇān virūpān
tathā indriyāṇi āviśate śarīrī
hutāśanam vāyuḥ iva indhanastham

3. vāyuḥ indhanastham hutāśanam iva tathā śarīrī indriyāṇi āviśate.
asau rajas tamaḥ atho tṛtīyam sattvam virūpān jñāna-guṇān gachchati.

3. Just as wind (vāyu) enters a fire (hutāśana) situated in fuel, similarly, the embodied being (śarīrī) enters the senses. This embodied being then undergoes the diverse qualities of knowledge (jñāna), namely Rajas, Tamas, and Sattva, the third.

Words meanings summery:

• रजस् (rajas) - the quality of activity and passion, one of the three guṇas (activity, passion, dust, impurity)

• तमः (tamaḥ) - the quality of darkness and inertia, one of the three guṇas (darkness, ignorance, inertia)

• सत्त्वम् (sattvam) - the quality of goodness, purity, and lucidity, one of the three guṇas (goodness, purity, existence, reality, being)

• अथो (atho) - and then, subsequently (then, further, moreover)

• तृतीयम् (tṛtīyam) - the third (referring to Sattva as the third of the guṇas mentioned) (third)

• गछ्छति (gachchati) - undergoes, experiences (the qualities) (goes, moves, obtains, attains, undergoes)

• असौ (asau) - this embodied being (referring to śarīrī) (that (one), this (one))

• ज्ञान-गुणान् (jñāna-guṇān) - the qualities pertaining to knowledge (like Rajas, Tamas, Sattva) (qualities of knowledge)

• विरूपान् (virūpān) - diverse, manifold (qualities) (various, diverse, disfigured, ugly)

• तथा (tathā) - similarly, in the same way (so, thus, in that manner, similarly)

• इन्द्रियाणि (indriyāṇi) - the sensory organs (senses, organs of sense or action)

• आविशते (āviśate) - enters, pervades (the senses) (enters, pervades, takes possession of)

• शरीरी (śarīrī) - the embodied soul or being (embodied, having a body, the embodied soul)

• हुताशनम् (hutāśanam) - fire (fire, god of fire)

• वायुः (vāyuḥ) - wind (wind, air, god of wind)

• इव (iva) - just as, like (like, as, as if)

• इन्धनस्थम् (indhanastham) - located in fuel (qualifies fire) (situated in fuel, resting on fuel)

Words meanings and morphology

रजस् (rajas) - the quality of activity and passion, one of the three guṇas (activity, passion, dust, impurity)

(noun)

Nominative, neuter, singular of rajas

rajas - activity, passion, dust, impurity, menstruation

Root: rañj (class 1)

Note: Used here in a philosophical sense as one of the three guṇas.

तमः (tamaḥ) - the quality of darkness and inertia, one of the three guṇas (darkness, ignorance, inertia)

(noun)

Nominative, neuter, singular of tamas

tamas - darkness, gloom, ignorance, inertia, mental dullness

Root: tam (class 4)

Note: Visarga sandhi from tamas. Used here in a philosophical sense as one of the three guṇas.

सत्त्वम् (sattvam) - the quality of goodness, purity, and lucidity, one of the three guṇas (goodness, purity, existence, reality, being)

(noun)

Accusative, neuter, singular of sattva

sattva - existence, reality, being, essence, goodness, purity, truth

Root: as (class 2)

Note: Used here in a philosophical sense as one of the three guṇas.

अथो (atho) - and then, subsequently (then, further, moreover)

(indeclinable)

Note: Used as an emphatic or connecting particle.

तृतीयम् (tṛtīyam) - the third (referring to Sattva as the third of the guṇas mentioned) (third)

(adjective)

Accusative, neuter, singular of tṛtīya

tṛtīya - third

Root: tri

Note: Qualifies sattvam.

गछ्छति (gachchati) - undergoes, experiences (the qualities) (goes, moves, obtains, attains, undergoes)

(verb)

3rd person , singular, active, present (laṭ) of gam

Present active, 3rd person singular

Root: gam (class 1)

Note: Subject is `asau` (śarīrī).

असौ (asau) - this embodied being (referring to śarīrī) (that (one), this (one))

(pronoun)

Nominative, masculine, singular of adas

adas - that, this, yonder

Demonstrative pronoun

Note: Refers to `śarīrī`.

ज्ञान-गुणान् (jñāna-guṇān) - the qualities pertaining to knowledge (like Rajas, Tamas, Sattva) (qualities of knowledge)

(noun)

Accusative, masculine, plural of jñāna-guṇa

jñāna-guṇa - quality of knowledge, attribute of knowledge

Compound type : tatpurusha (jñāna+guṇa)

• jñāna – knowledge, understanding, spiritual knowledge
  noun (neuter)
  Root: jñā (class 9)
• guṇa – quality, attribute, constituent, strand, merit
  noun (masculine)

Note: Object of `gachchati`.

विरूपान् (virūpān) - diverse, manifold (qualities) (various, diverse, disfigured, ugly)

(adjective)

Accusative, masculine, plural of virūpa

virūpa - diverse, various, deformed, ugly, dissimilar

Note: Qualifies `jñāna-guṇān`.

तथा (tathā) - similarly, in the same way (so, thus, in that manner, similarly)

(indeclinable)

Note: Connects the two clauses.

इन्द्रियाणि (indriyāṇi) - the sensory organs (senses, organs of sense or action)

(noun)

Accusative, neuter, plural of indriya

indriya - belonging to Indra, power, sense organ, faculty

Root: ind

Note: Object of `āviśate`.

आविशते (āviśate) - enters, pervades (the senses) (enters, pervades, takes possession of)

(verb)

3rd person , singular, middle, present (laṭ) of viś

Present middle, 3rd person singular

Prefix: ā

Root: viś (class 6)

Note: Subject is `śarīrī`.

शरीरी (śarīrī) - the embodied soul or being (embodied, having a body, the embodied soul)

(noun)

Nominative, masculine, singular of śarīrin

śarīrin - having a body, embodied, corporeal, the soul in the body

Derived from śarīra (body) + -in suffix.

Note: Subject of `āviśate` and `gachchati`.

हुताशनम् (hutāśanam) - fire (fire, god of fire)

(noun)

Accusative, masculine, singular of hutāśana

hutāśana - fire, Agni (god of fire)

Note: Object of implied "enters" (from iva simile).

वायुः (vāyuḥ) - wind (wind, air, god of wind)

(noun)

Nominative, masculine, singular of vāyu

vāyu - wind, air, god of wind, vital breath

Root: vā (class 2)

Note: Subject of the simile.

इव (iva) - just as, like (like, as, as if)

(indeclinable)

Particle of comparison.

Note: Introduces the simile.

इन्धनस्थम् (indhanastham) - located in fuel (qualifies fire) (situated in fuel, resting on fuel)

(adjective)

Accusative, masculine, singular of indhanastha

indhanastha - abiding in fuel

Compound type : tatpurusha (indhana+stha)

• indhana – fuel, firewood
  noun (neuter)
  Root: indh (class 7)
• stha – standing, staying, situated, located in
  adjective (masculine)
  Derived from root sthā "to stand".
  Root: sthā (class 1)

Note: Qualifies `hutāśanam`.