Shloka 21
अव्यक्त–प्रकृति–इन्द्रियविचारः
The Unmanifest, Prakṛtis, and the Sense-Complex
यथा मृणालानुगतमाशु मुज्चति कर्दमम् । तथा55त्मा पुरुषस्येह मनसा परिमुच्यते
yathā mṛṇālānugataṃ āśu muñcati kardamam | tathā ātmā puruṣasyeha manasā parimucyate ||
Wie der Schlamm, der am Lotusstängel haftet, vom Wasser rasch abgewaschen wird, so wird in dieser Welt das Selbst des Entsagenden durch das Wirken des Geistes von der weltlichen Fessel befreit.
पराशर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that liberation from worldly bondage is achieved through the mind: when the mind is oriented toward renunciation and non-attachment, the self becomes free, just as mud easily washes off a lotus-stalk. The emphasis is on inner purification and deliberate letting-go rather than external change alone.
Parāśara is instructing his listener using a vivid natural simile. He compares saṃsāric impurity (mud) that clings to a person to mud on a lotus-stalk, and explains that disciplined mental detachment can remove bondage swiftly, highlighting the Shānti Parva’s focus on peace, ethics, and liberation.