Shloka 9

Devanagari script

पजञ्चविंशो महानात्मा तस्यैवाप्रतिबोधनात्‌ | विमलस्य विशुद्धस्य शुद्धाशुद्धनिषेवणात्‌,पचीसवाँ तत्त्वरूप जो महान्‌ आत्मा है, वह निर्मल एवं विशुद्ध है। उसको न जाननेके कारण तथा शुद्ध-अशुद्ध वस्तुओंके सेवनसे वह निर्मल, संगरहित आत्मा भी शुद्ध और अशुद्ध वस्तुओंके सदृश हो जाता है। पृथ्वीनाथ! अविवेकीके संगसे विवेकशील भी अविवेकी हो जाता है

Transliteration

pañcaviṁśo mahānātmā tasyaivāpratibodhanāt | vimalasya viśuddhasya śuddhāśuddhaniṣevaṇāt ||

Translation

Vasiṣṭha sprach: „Das fünfundzwanzigste Prinzip — das große Selbst — ist an sich makellos und vollkommen rein. Doch weil man es nicht erkennt und weil man sich mit Reinem und Unreinem einlässt und daran Gefallen findet, erscheint dieses Selbst, obgleich es in Wahrheit unbefleckt und ungebunden ist, als wäre es dem Reinen und dem Unreinen gleich. O Herr der Erde: Wer mit Unterscheidungslosen Umgang pflegt, wird selbst, auch wenn er Unterscheidung besitzt, unterschiedslos.“

Word by Word

पञ्चविंशःthe twenty-fifth

महानात्माthe great-souled one (great self)

तस्यof him/its

एवindeed/just

अप्रतिबोधनात्from non-awakening / from not knowing

विमलस्यof the spotless/pure

विशुद्धस्यof the completely pure

शुद्धाशुद्धनिषेवणात्from resorting to/associating with the pure and the impure

Speaker

वसिष्ठ उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vasiṣṭha

Pṛthvīnātha (the king addressed)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The Self (Puruṣa), though intrinsically pure and unattached, seems to take on impurity or purity due to ignorance (non-recognition) and due to association/indulgence in mixed influences; therefore one should cultivate discernment and avoid the company and habits that erode it.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vasiṣṭha instructs a king (addressed as ‘lord of the earth’) in a philosophical-ethical discourse: he identifies the ‘twenty-fifth principle’ as the pure Self and explains how ignorance and association with pure/impure objects makes it appear otherwise, concluding with a practical warning about the corrupting power of bad company.