Adhyāya 42 — Mahābhūta–Indriya–Adhyātma-Vyavasthā
Brahmā’s Instruction on Elements and Faculties
क्षीणे मनसि सर्वस्मिन् न जन्मसुखमिष्यते । ज्ञानसम्पन्नसत्त्वानां तत् सुखं विदुषां मतम्
kṣīṇe manasi sarvasmin na janma-sukham iṣyate | jñāna-sampanna-sattvānāṃ tat sukhaṃ viduṣāṃ matam ||
Vāyu said: “When the mind has been exhausted—when, with it, all worldly supports are seen to perish—one no longer longs for the pleasures tied to birth and embodied life. For those whose inner being is enriched by true knowledge, the wise hold that very knowledge to be their happiness.”
वायुदेव उवाच
Worldly pleasures (janma-sukha) lose their appeal when the mind’s clinging and projections are worn away; for the wise, happiness is grounded in jñāna—clear, liberating understanding—rather than in sensory enjoyment.
Vāyudeva delivers an instruction on inner renunciation: as the mind’s attachments fade and the impermanence of worldly supports is recognized, the seeker turns from birth-bound pleasures toward the joy of knowledge, which the learned regard as the true good.