Mahabharata — Ashvamedhika Parva, Shloka 15
Mind as Charioteer; Kṣetrajña, Tapas, and Dhyāna-Yoga
Adhyātma-Upadeśa
यावद् द्रव्यं गुणस्तावत् प्रदीप: सम्प्रकाशते । क्षीणे द्रव्ये गुणे ज्योतिरन्तर्धानाय गच्छति
yāvad dravyaṃ guṇas tāvat pradīpaḥ samprakāśate | kṣīṇe dravye guṇe jyotir antardhānāya gacchati ||
Vāyu-deva said: “So long as a lamp possesses its material fuel and its sustaining qualities, it shines forth and spreads light. When the substance and its qualities are exhausted, the flame too goes toward disappearance.”
वायुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
Manifestations depend on their supports: as a lamp’s light depends on fuel and sustaining conditions, so too strength, glory, or even life persists only while its causes endure; when the supports are exhausted, the manifestation naturally ceases. The ethical implication is to recognize impermanence and not cling to outward brilliance without maintaining its inner bases.
Vāyu-deva delivers an instructive analogy: he explains a principle through the example of a lamp—its illumination lasts only while fuel and enabling qualities remain, and it vanishes when they are spent—using this to guide the listener toward understanding dependence and cessation.