Shloka 1

Jarā-Mṛtyu-anatikrama: Janaka–Pañcaśikha-saṃvāda

Aging and Death Cannot Be Overstepped

Devanagari script

अड---#क्र-ज > जैसे घड़ेमें जल भरा जाता है

Transliteration

Vasiṣṭha uvāca—Sāṅkhyadarśanam etāvad uktaṁ te nṛpasattama | vidyāvidye idānīṁ me tvaṁ nibodhānupūrvaśaḥ ||

Translation

Vasiṣṭha sprach: „O Bester der Könige, bis hierher habe ich dir die Lehre des Sāṅkhya dargelegt. Nun höre von mir der rechten Ordnung nach die Darstellung von vidyā und avidyā: wahrem Wissen und Unwissenheit.“

Word by Word

• सांख्यदर्शनम्: the Sāṅkhya doctrine/philosophy
• सांख्यदर्शनम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: सांख्यदर्शन
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• एतावत्: so much; thus far
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एतावत्

• उक्तम्: has been said/told
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच्
• Form: kta (past passive participle), Neuter, Nominative/Accusative, Singular, Passive (PPP)

• ते: to you
• ते: Sampradana
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: युष्मद्
• Form: Second, Dative, Singular

• नृपसत्तम: O best of kings
• Type: Noun
• Root: नृपसत्तम
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

• विद्ये: knowledge (and)
• विद्ये: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: विद्या
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Dual

• अविद्ये: ignorance (the two: knowledge and ignorance)
• अविद्ये: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: अविद्या
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Dual

• विदानीम्: now
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इदानीम्

• मे: from me / of me
• मे: Apadana
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: अस्मद्
• Form: First, Ablative/Genitive, Singular

• त्वम्: you
• त्वम्: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: युष्मद्
• Form: Second, Nominative, Singular

• निबोध: understand; learn
• Type: Verb
• Root: बुध्
• Form: Imperative, Second, Singular, Parasmaipada

• अनुपूर्वशः: in due order; sequentially
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अनुपूर्वशस्

Speaker

वसिष्ठ उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vasiṣṭha
• nṛpasattama (the king addressed)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse marks a transition: after outlining Sāṅkhya analysis, Vasiṣṭha announces a systematic explanation of vidyā (liberating knowledge) and avidyā (bonding ignorance), framing ethical-spiritual progress as discernment between what frees and what binds.

What is happening in the narrative?

In Śānti Parva’s instructional setting, the sage-teacher Vasiṣṭha addresses a king and signals the next topic of the discourse: a step-by-step teaching on knowledge and ignorance following the earlier Sāṅkhya exposition.