Shloka 7
Mokṣa-dharma Yoga-Upadeśa: Equanimity, Sense-Restraint, and Vision of the Ātman (आत्मदर्शन-योगोपदेशः)
नैव धर्मी न चाधर्मी पूर्वोपचितहायक: । धातुक्षयप्रशान्तात्मा निर्दन्दः स विमुच्यते
naiva dharmī na cādharmī pūrvopacita-hāyakaḥ | dhātu-kṣaya-praśāntātmā nirdvandvaḥ sa vimucyate ||
Der Brahmane spricht: Wer weder an Dharma noch an Adharma haftet; wer die Last zuvor angesammelter Taten abgeworfen hat; wessen inneres Selbst durch das Schwinden der Bestandteile (und der daran gebundenen Begierden) zur Ruhe gekommen ist; und wer frei von allen Gegensatzpaaren ist—der wird erlöst.
ब्राह्मण उवाच
Educational Q&A
Liberation arises when one drops attachment to moral self-labels (‘I am righteous’/‘I am unrighteous’), relinquishes the momentum of accumulated karma, becomes inwardly tranquil as cravings and bodily-mind constituents lose their grip, and abides beyond dualities. The emphasis is not on rejecting ethics, but on transcending egoic clinging and reactive opposites.
A Brahmin speaker delivers an instruction on the marks of the liberated person. In the Ashvamedhika Parva’s post-war reflective setting, such teachings commonly redirect attention from external rites and outcomes to inner renunciation, equanimity, and freedom from karmic bondage.