Shloka 9
Sanatsujāta on the Imperceptible Eternal Light (यत्तच्छुक्रं महज्ज्योतिः)
हिरण्यपर्णम श्वत्थमभिपद्य हापक्षका: । ते तत्र पक्षिणो भूत्वा प्रपतन्ति यथा दिशम् | योगिनस्तं प्रपश्यन्ति भगवन्तं सनातनम्
sanatsujāta uvāca |
hiraṇyaparṇam aśvattham abhipadya hy apakṣakāḥ |
te tatra pakṣiṇo bhūtvā prapatanti yathā diśam |
yoginas taṁ prapaśyanti bhagavantaṁ sanātanam ||
Sanatsujāta sprach: Nachdem sie den Aśvattha-Baum des weltlichen Daseins bestiegen haben, dessen Blätter—die Sinnesobjekte—verlockend wie Gold erscheinen, nehmen Wesen, die an sich flügellos sind, die „Flügel“ des Handelns (Karma) an und, von ihren eigenen latenten Begierden getrieben, stürzen und fliegen sie in jede Richtung, von Geburt zu Geburt. Die Yogins aber schauen dort den Erhabenen, den ewigen Herrn, wie Er wahrhaft ist.
सनत्सुजात उवाच
Educational Q&A
Worldly life is compared to an alluring aśvattha-tree whose ‘golden leaves’ are sense-objects. Ordinary beings, propelled by karma and desire, move from birth to birth in various directions, whereas yogins—through discipline and insight—directly realize the eternal Lord beyond this wandering.
In Sanatsujāta’s instruction (within the Udyoga Parva dialogue), he uses a vivid metaphor: beings climb into the world-tree and, taking karma as their wings, drift and fall into different destinies. In contrast, the yogin stands apart from this compulsion and perceives the timeless divine reality.