Shloka 3
कर्मविद्या-भेदः
Karma–Vidyā Distinction: Paths of Bondage and Release
पृथिव्यां यानि भूतानि जड़मानि ध्रुवाणि च | तान्येवाग्रे प्रलीयन्ते भूमित्वमुपयान्ति च,भूतलके जितने भी चराचर प्राणी हैं, वे सब पहले ही दग्ध होकर पृथ्वीमें एकाकार हो जाते हैं
pṛthivyāṃ yāni bhūtāni jaḍamāni dhruvāṇi ca | tānyevāgre pralīyante bhūmitvam upayānti ca ||
Vyāsa said: All beings that exist upon the earth—whether inert and insentient, or seemingly stable and enduring—are the very ones that, in the end, dissolve first and merge back into earthhood.
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
That all conditioned forms—whether living or inert, even those that appear stable—are impermanent and inevitably dissolve back into their material basis (here, earth). Ethically, this supports non-attachment, humility, and a dharmic life oriented to what is lasting beyond mere form.
Vyāsa is instructing by describing cosmic dissolution: the entities found on earth ultimately undergo pralaya and merge into the earth-element, emphasizing the transient nature of worldly existence.