Shloka 48
अनुक्रमणिकाध्यायः (Anukramaṇikā Adhyāya) — Invocation, Narrator Frame, and Textual Scope
भूतस्थानानि सर्वाणि रहस्यं त्रिविधं च यत् । वेदा योग: सविज्ञानो धर्मो5र्थ: काम एव च,भगवान् वेदव्यासने, अपनी ज्ञानदृष्टिसे सम्पूर्ण प्राणियोंके निवासस्थान, धर्म, अर्थ और कामके भेदसे त्रिविध रहस्य, कर्मोपासनाज्ञानरूप वेद, विज्ञानसहित योग, धर्म, अर्थ एवं काम, इन धर्म, काम और अर्थरूप तीन पुरुषार्थोंके प्रतिपादन करनेवाले विविध शास्त्र, लोकव्यवहारकी सिद्धिके लिये आयुर्वेद, धरनुर्वेद, स्थापत्यवेद, गान्धर्ववेद आदि लौकिक शास्त्र सब उन्हीं दशज्योति आदिसे हुए हैं--इस तत्त्वको और उनके स्वरूपको भलीभाँति अनुभव किया
bhūtasthānāni sarvāṇi rahasyaṃ trividhāṃ ca yat | vedā yogaḥ savijñāno dharmo 'rthaḥ kāma eva ca ||
He fully realized, through his own inner vision, the abodes and conditions of all living beings, and the threefold secret taught through the distinctions of dharma, artha, and kāma. He also comprehended the Vedas in their complete scope—ritual action, worship, and knowledge—together with yoga supported by discriminative understanding (vijñāna), and the aims of life: dharma, artha, and kāma. From that same luminous source, the various treatises that expound these human goals, as well as the practical sciences for success in worldly conduct—such as Āyurveda, Dhanurveda, Sthāpatyaveda, and Gāndharvaveda—are understood to arise; he grasped their true principle and nature.
Educational Q&A
The verse presents a comprehensive vision of knowledge: the seer understands all beings and the ‘threefold secret’ connected with the human aims—dharma (righteous order), artha (welfare and means), and kāma (legitimate desire). It also links Vedic learning and yoga (with realized discernment) to both spiritual and practical sciences, implying that right living integrates ethical duty, worldly competence, and disciplined insight.
In the opening of the Ādi Parva, the text praises the extraordinary scope of the sage’s realization (as understood in the tradition to be Vyāsa): he is portrayed as one who has directly known the foundations of beings and the full range of śāstric knowledge—Vedic, yogic, ethical, and practical—thereby establishing his authority as the composer/transmitter of the Mahābhārata’s teaching.