Shloka 25

Adhyaya 44 — Subahu’s Counsel to the King of Kashi and Alarka’s Renunciation through Yoga

Sanskrit

एतस्मिन्नेव विज्ञानॆ विज्ञान्तमखिलं त्वया ।

अनात्मन्यात्मविज्ञानमखे खमिति मूढता ॥

Transliteration

etasminneva vijñāne vijñātam akhilaṃ tvayā | anātmany ātma-vijñānam akhe kham iti mūḍhatā ||

Translation

Durch eben dieses Wissen ist dir alles bekannt geworden. Doch das Wissen vom Selbst (Ātman) im Nicht-Selbst (anātman) zu suchen—wie den Himmel in leerem Raum—ist nichts als reine Verblendung.

Word by Word

• etasmin: in this
• etasmin: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: etad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक; नपुंसकलिङ्गे, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचनम्; deictic pronoun used adjectivally

• eva: indeed/just
• eva: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle/emphasis)

• vijñāne: in knowledge/realization
• vijñāne: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vijñāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचनम्

• vijñātam: known/realized
• vijñātam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √jñā (धाातु) + vi + kta (क्त)
• Form: कृदन्त (past passive participle/कर्मणि भूतकृदन्त); नपुंसकलिङ्गे, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचनम्; predicate participle

• akhilam: all/entire
• akhilam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: akhila (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचनम्; qualifies vijñātam

• tvayā: by you
• tvayā: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yusmad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम; तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), एकवचनम्

• anātmani: in the non-self
• anātmani: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: anātman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे (आत्मन्-शब्दवत्), सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचनम्

• ātma-vijñānam: knowledge of the self
• ātma-vijñānam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ātman (प्रातिपदिक) + vijñāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (genitive determinative): ‘आत्मनः विज्ञानम्’; नपुंसकलिङ्गे, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचनम्

• akhe: in the axle-hole/empty space (akha)
• akhe: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: akha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचनम्

• kham: space/void
• kham: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचनम्

• iti: thus
• iti: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/quotative)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iti (अव्यय)
• Form: उद्धरण-निपात (quotative particle)

• mūḍhatā: delusion/foolishness
• mūḍhatā: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mūḍhatā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचनम्; abstract noun

Speakers

• Subāhu (the sage) instructing King Alarka (Kāśī)

Verse Rasa

{ "primaryRasa": "shanta", "secondaryRasa": "vairagya", "rasaIntensity": 0, "emotionalArcPosition": "", "moodDescriptors": [] }

Key Themes

• Ātma-jñāna
• Viveka (discrimination of Self and not-Self)
• Mokṣa
• Vedānta-like instruction
• Renunciation

FAQs

What is the philosophical or ethical takeaway?

Self-knowledge is not attained by clinging to body-mind identities. The ethical implication is detachment from egoic misidentification and cultivation of discernment (viveka) as the basis of freedom.

How does this fit the Pancalakshana (5 characteristics)?

Primarily Dharma/Upadeśa material rather than strict pañcalakṣaṇa categories; secondarily supports ‘vaṃśānucarita’ (royal story) as a didactic narrative embedding liberation-teaching.

What is the esoteric significance?

‘Seeking the sky in emptiness’ signals the futility of searching for the Self as an object among objects. The Self is the witnessing consciousness, not a thing located in the field of phenomena.