Shloka 4
Ācāra-vidhi (Rules of Conduct) — Yudhiṣṭhira’s Inquiry and Bhīṣma’s Normative Catalogue
स जन्तु: सर्वभूतात्मा पुरुष: स सनातन: । मनो बुद्धिरहड्कारो भूतानि विषयश्चल सः,वह प्राणसे संयुक्त आत्मा ही जीव है, वही सम्पूर्ण भूतोंका आत्मा सनातन पुरुष है। वही मन, बुद्धि, अहंकार, पाँचों भूत और विषयरूप हो रहा है
sa jantuḥ sarvabhūtātmā puruṣaḥ sa sanātanaḥ | mano buddhir ahaṅkāro bhūtāni viṣayāś ca saḥ ||
قال بهارادفاجا: «إن ذلك الكائن الحي هو ذاتُ جميع المخلوقات—البوروشا (Purusha) الأزلي. والحقيقةُ عينُها تصير عقلًا (manas) وفهمًا (buddhi) وأنا-يةً (ahaṃkāra)، كما تتجلّى أيضًا عناصرَ وكموضوعاتٍ للحواس.»
भरद्वाज उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches the identity and pervasiveness of the Self: the ‘living being’ is not an isolated entity but the eternal Purusha who is the Self in all beings, and who manifests as inner faculties (mind, intellect, ego) and as the experienced world (elements and sense-objects). Ethical implication: recognizing the same Self in all supports restraint, compassion, and non-harm.
In Shanti Parva’s instruction on peace and liberation, Bharadvaja presents a metaphysical explanation of the jiva and its relation to the universal principle. He frames the individual as a manifestation of the eternal Purusha, describing how consciousness appears as psychological functions and as the material and sensory domain.