नारद–शुक संवादः
Impermanence, Svabhāva, and Śuka’s Resolve for Yoga
चलां तु प्रकृतिं प्राहु: कारणं क्षयसर्गयो: । आक्षेपसर्गयो: कर्ता निश्चल: पुरुष: स्मृत:
calāṃ tu prakṛtiṃ prāhuḥ kāraṇaṃ kṣaya-sargayoḥ | ākṣepa-sargayoḥ kartā niścalāḥ puruṣaḥ smṛtaḥ ||
প্রকৃতিকে ‘চলা’ বলা হয়, কারণ সৃষ্টির ও ক্ষয়ের কারণ সে-ই। আর আক্ষেপ ও সর্গের ক্ষেত্রে কর্তা পুরুষ; তিনি ‘নিশ্চল’ বলে স্মৃত।
याज़्ञवल्क्य उवाच
The verse distinguishes two principles: Prakṛti is changeful and serves as the causal ground for creation and dissolution, while Puruṣa is essentially unmoving/unchanging, associated with agency in manifestation without itself undergoing transformation.
In Śānti Parva’s philosophical instruction, Yājñavalkya explains a Sāṅkhya-style framework to clarify how cosmic processes (sṛṣṭi and pralaya) relate to the material principle (Prakṛti) and the conscious principle (Puruṣa).