Shloka 12

Devanagari script

अचिन्त्या: खलु ये भावा न तांस्तर्केण साधयेत्‌ । प्रकृतिभ्य: परं यत्‌ तु तदचिन्त्यस्य लक्षणम्‌,परंतु जो अचिन्त्य भाव हैं, उन्हें तर्कसे सिद्ध करनेकी चेष्टा नहीं करनी चाहिये। जो प्रकृतिसे परे है, वही अचिन्त्यस्वरूप है

Transliteration

acintyāḥ khalu ye bhāvā na tāṁs tarkeṇa sādhayet | prakṛtibhyaḥ paraṁ yat tu tad acintyasyalakṣaṇam ||

Translation

Sañjaya said: Truly, those realities that lie beyond thought should not be forced into proof by mere reasoning. Whatever transcends the constituents of material nature (prakṛti) is itself the mark of what is called “inconceivable” (acintya)—a reminder that ethical and spiritual truth is not always reducible to argument.

Word by Word

अचिन्त्याःunthinkable, inconceivable

खलुindeed, surely

येwhich, who

भावाःentities, states, matters

नnot

तान्those

तर्केणby reasoning, by logic

साधयेत्should establish/prove

प्रकृतिभ्यःfrom/than the natures (prakṛtis)

परम्beyond, higher

यत्that which

तुbut, indeed

तत्that

अचिन्त्यस्यof the inconceivable

लक्षणम्mark, definition, characteristic

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Some truths—especially those transcending material nature—are ‘acintya’ (inconceivable) and should not be treated as if they can be conclusively established by logical argument alone; humility in knowledge is part of dharmic discernment.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya, narrating events and reflections to Dhṛtarāṣṭra, inserts a philosophical observation: certain higher realities cannot be captured by debate or inference, particularly what is beyond prakṛti.