Shloka 4
Sahadeva on Attachment (mamatā), ‘mameti/na mameti’, and the Middle Path of Conduct
दव्यक्षरस्तु भवेन्मृत्युस्त्रयक्षरं ब्रह्म शाश्वतम् । ममेति च भवेन्मृत्युर्न ममेति च शाश्वतम्,दो अक्षरोंका “मम” (यह मेरा है--ऐसा भाव) मृत्यु है, और तीन अक्षरोंका “न मम' (यह मेरा नहीं है--ऐसा भाव) अमृत--सनातन ब्रह्म है
dvayakṣaras tu bhaven mṛtyus trayakṣaraṃ brahma śāśvatam | mameti ca bhaven mṛtyur na mameti ca śāśvatam ||
Sahadeva said: “That which is of two syllables becomes death; that which is of three syllables is the eternal, imperishable Brahman. ‘Mine’—this sense of possession—leads to death; ‘Not mine’—the relinquishing of possessiveness—leads to what is everlasting.”
सहदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that possessiveness (‘mama’, “mine”) binds one to mortality and suffering, while non-possessiveness (‘na mama’, “not mine”) aligns the mind with the eternal reality (Brahman). Ethically, it urges restraint of egoic ownership and cultivation of detachment as a path to peace and liberation.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction-oriented setting, Sahadeva delivers a concise aphorism: he contrasts two short expressions—‘mama’ and ‘na mama’—to show how inner attitude determines bondage or freedom, framing spiritual wisdom as practical moral guidance.