Shloka 25

Adhyaya 41 — Yogic Conduct and the Discipline Leading to Siddhi

Sanskrit

वेदाच्छ्रेṣ्ठाḥ सर्वयज्ञक्रियाś्च यज्ञाज्जप्यं ज्ञानमार्गश्च जप्यात् ।

ज्ञानाद्ध्यानं सङ्गरागव्यपेतं तस्मिन् प्राप्ते शाश्वतस्योपलब्धिः ॥

Transliteration

vedāc chreṣṭhāḥ sarvayajñakriyāś ca yajñāj japyaṁ jñānamārgaś ca japyāt / jñānād dhyānaṁ saṅgarāgavyapetaṁ tasmin prāpte śāśvatasyopalabdhiḥ

Translation

أرفعُ من مجرد تلاوة الفيدا جميعُ شعائر القربان؛ وأرفعُ من القربان هو الجَپا (ترديد المانترا)؛ وأرفعُ من الجَپا طريقُ المعرفة. وأرفعُ من المعرفة تأمّلٌ منزَّهٌ عن التعلّق والشهوة؛ فإذا نيل ذلك تحقّق إدراكُ الأبديّ.

Word by Word

• vedāt: from the Veda
• vedāt: Apādāna (अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: veda (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Ablative (5th/पञ्चमी), Singular

• śreṣṭhāḥ: superior
• śreṣṭhāḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śreṣṭha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Plural; agreeing with ‘kriyāḥ’ (understood)

• sarva-yajña-kriyāḥ: all sacrificial rites
• sarva-yajña-kriyāḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक) + yajña (प्रातिपदिक) + kriyā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Plural; tatpuruṣa: ‘ritual-actions of all sacrifices’

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Conjunction (समुच्चयबोधक)

• yajñāt: from sacrifice
• yajñāt: Apādāna (अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yajña (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Ablative (5th/पञ्चमी), Singular

• japyam: muttering (japa)
• japyam: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: japya (कृदन्त; √jap जप्, यत्/ण्यत् adjectival)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative/Accusative, Singular; ‘that which is to be muttered’ (japa)

• jñāna-mārgaḥ: the path of knowledge
• jñāna-mārgaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jñāna (प्रातिपदिक) + mārga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular; tatpuruṣa: ‘path of knowledge’

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Conjunction (समुच्चयबोधक)

• japyāt: from muttering (japa)
• japyāt: Apādāna (अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: japya (कृदन्त; √jap जप्, यत्/ण्यत्)
• Form: Neuter, Ablative (5th/पञ्चमी), Singular; ‘from japa’

• jñānāt: from knowledge
• jñānāt: Apādāna (अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jñāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Ablative (5th/पञ्चमी), Singular

• dhyānam: meditation
• dhyānam: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dhyāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative/Accusative, Singular

• saṅga-rāga-vyapetam: free from attachment and passion
• saṅga-rāga-vyapetam: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: saṅga (प्रातिपदिक) + rāga (प्रातिपदिक) + vyapeta (कृदन्त; vi+apa+√i/√pat?; lexical ‘free from/removed’)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative/Accusative, Singular; tatpuruṣa: ‘devoid of attachment and passion’ qualifying ‘dhyānam’

• tasmin: in that (state)
• tasmin: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter/Masculine, Locative (7th/सप्तमी), Singular

• prāpte: when attained
• prāpte: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण; सति-सप्तमी)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: prāpta (कृदन्त; pra+√āp आप्, क्त)
• Form: Locative (7th/सप्तमी), Singular; Neuter (agreeing with ‘tasmin’): ‘when that is attained’ (locative absolute nuance)

• śāśvatasya: of the eternal
• śāśvatasya: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śāśvata (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Genitive (6th/षष्ठी), Singular; ‘of the eternal (Brahman/state)’

• upalabdhiḥ: realization/attainment
• upalabdhiḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: upalabdhi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

Speakers

• Dattātreya instructing (didactic yoga discourse)

Verse Rasa

{ "primaryRasa": "shanta", "secondaryRasa": "bhakti", "rasaIntensity": 0, "emotionalArcPosition": "", "moodDescriptors": [] }

Key Themes

• Sadhana hierarchy
• Japa
• Jnana
• Dhyana
• Detachment

FAQs

What is the philosophical or ethical takeaway?

Ritual is honored but progressively interiorized: from outward rite to mantra, from mantra to insight, and from insight to attachment-free contemplation. The ethical demand is purification of motive—practice without clinging.

How does this fit the Pancalakshana (5 characteristics)?

Didactic mokṣa-oriented material; not sarga/pratisarga/vaṁśa/manvantara/vaṁśānucarita. It functions as a ‘philosophical appendix’ guiding readers beyond mere ritualism.

What is the esoteric significance?

The sequence maps gross-to-subtle: karma-kāṇḍa → mantra-śakti → viveka (jñāna) → nirāsakti-dhyāna (seedless orientation). ‘Realization of the Eternal’ indicates stabilization in the unchanging ground.