Shloka 16

मृत्योर्ब्रह्मणा नियोजनम् — The Commissioning of Mṛtyu by Brahmā

Devanagari script

अकृत्रिममसंहार्य प्राकृतं निरुपस्कृतम्‌ अध्यात्मं सुकृतं प्राप्त: सुखमव्ययमश्लुते,जो उत्पत्ति और विनाशसे रहित, स्वभावसिद्ध, संस्कारशून्य तथा शरीरके भीतर स्थित सुकृत नामसे प्रसिद्ध ब्रह्मको प्राप्त हो जाता है, वह अक्षय सुखका भागी होता है

Transliteration

akṛtrimam asaṁhāryaṁ prākṛtaṁ nirupaskṛtam | adhyātmaṁ sukṛtaṁ prāpyaḥ sukham avyayam aśnute ||

Translation

Vyāsa sprach: Wer jenes innere Brahman erlangt—„Sukṛta“ genannt, im Körper wohnend—ungekünstelt, unzerstörbar, naturhaft und von Prägungen (saṃskāra) unberührt, wird Teilhaber unvergänglicher Glückseligkeit.

Word by Word

अकृत्रिमम्not artificial, natural

असंहार्यम्indestructible, not liable to destruction

प्राकृतम्original, natural, inherent

निरुपस्कृतम्unadorned, unconditioned, without embellishment

अध्यात्मम्the inner self; pertaining to the self (adhyātma)

सुकृतम्well-made; well-accomplished; (as an epithet) 'Sukṛta'

प्राप्तःhaving attained

सुखम्happiness, bliss

अव्ययम्imperishable, undecaying

अश्नुतेattains, enjoys, obtains

Speaker

व्यास उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vyāsa

Brahman (as ‘Sukṛta’)

Ātman/Adhyātma (inner Self)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Imperishable happiness arises from realizing the inner, unconditioned Brahman/Ātman—natural, indestructible, and not dependent on external ‘refinements’ or constructed identities.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on liberation and inner peace, Vyāsa states a doctrinal point: the seeker who attains the adhyātma reality (Brahman within) becomes entitled to enduring bliss, shifting the focus from worldly achievements to Self-realization.