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Shloka 8

Śuka–Janaka Saṃvāda: Āśrama-krama, Jñāna-vijñāna, and the Marks of Liberation (शुक-जनक संवादः)

जिह्दामध्यात्ममित्याहुर्यथा श्रुतिनिदर्शिन: । रस एवाधिभूतं तु आपस्तत्राधिदेवतम्‌,वेदके अनुसार दृष्टि रखनेवाले विद्वानोंका कथन है कि जिह्ठा अध्यात्म है, रस अधिभूत है और जल अधिदैवत है

jihvām adhyātmam ity āhur yathā śruti-nidarśinaḥ | rasa evādhibhūtaṃ tu āpas tatrādhidaivatam ||

Yājñavalkya sprach: „Diejenigen, die im Einklang mit der vedischen Offenbarung auslegen, erklären: Die Zunge ist der innere Faktor (adhyātma); der Geschmack (rasa) ist der elementare Faktor (adhibhūta); und das Wasser ist die dort vorstehende göttliche Macht (adhidaivata). So ist selbst gewöhnliche Sinneserfahrung durch die vedische Dreiheit—Selbst, Welt und Gottheit—zu verstehen, damit die Wahrnehmung durch rechtes Wissen gezügelt werde.“

जिह्वाtongue
जिह्वा:
Karta
TypeNoun
Rootजिह्वा
FormFeminine, Nominative, Singular
अध्यात्मम्the inner/self-related (adhyātma principle)
अध्यात्मम्:
Karma
TypeNoun
Rootअध्यात्म
FormNeuter, Accusative, Singular
इतिthus
इति:
TypeIndeclinable
Rootइति
आहुःthey say
आहुः:
TypeVerb
Rootअह्
FormPresent, Third, Plural, Parasmaipada
यथाas/according to
यथा:
TypeIndeclinable
Rootयथा
श्रुति-निदर्शिनःthose who point to/are guided by the śruti
श्रुति-निदर्शिनः:
Karta
TypeAdjective
Rootश्रुति-निदर्शिन्
FormMasculine, Nominative, Plural
रसःtaste/essence (sap)
रसः:
Karta
TypeNoun
Rootरस
FormMasculine, Nominative, Singular
एवindeed/only
एव:
TypeIndeclinable
Rootएव
अधिभूतम्the adhibhūta (elemental/outer principle)
अधिभूतम्:
Karta
TypeNoun
Rootअधिभूत
FormNeuter, Nominative, Singular
तुbut/and
तु:
TypeIndeclinable
Rootतु
आपःwaters
आपः:
Karta
TypeNoun
Rootअप्
FormFeminine, Nominative, Plural
तत्रthere/in that context
तत्र:
Adhikarana
TypeIndeclinable
Rootतत्र
अधिदेवतम्the adhidevatā (presiding deity principle)
अधिदेवतम्:
Karta
TypeNoun
Rootअधिदेवत
FormNeuter, Nominative, Singular

याज़्वल्क्य उवाच

Y
Yājñavalkya
J
jihvā (tongue)
R
rasa (taste)
Ā
āpaḥ (water)
Ś
śruti (Vedic revelation)

Educational Q&A

Sense-experience should be understood through a threefold Vedic framework: the inner faculty (adhyātma: tongue), the external object (adhibhūta: taste), and the presiding divine principle (adhidaivata: water). This integrates psychology, cosmology, and theology into disciplined knowledge.

In Śānti Parva’s instruction on higher knowledge, Yājñavalkya is explaining correspondences used by śruti-based teachers, mapping a sense-organ and its object to an elemental/deity principle to guide contemplation and right understanding.