Shloka 26
Vānaprastha-vṛtti and the Transition toward the Fourth Āśrama (वानप्रस्थवृत्तिः चतुर्थाश्रमोपक्रमश्च)
षण्णामात्मनि बुद्धौ च जितायां प्रभवत्यथ । निर्दोषप्रतिभा होनं॑ कृत्स्ना समभिवर्तते
ṣaṇṇām ātmani buddhau ca jitāyāṃ prabhavaty atha | nirdoṣa-pratibhā hīnaṃ kṛtsnā samabhivartate ||
Vyāsa said: “When the intellect that abides in the Self—connected with the six principles—is fully mastered, then complete lordly attainments arise; and for that yogin there manifests, in its entirety, a flawless clarity of insight, namely pure knowledge of reality free from defect.”
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
Mastery over buddhi (the discriminative intellect) rooted in the Self leads to two results: (1) the arising of complete ‘aiśvarya’ (spiritual excellences/attainments), and (2) the manifestation of nirdoṣa-pratibhā—faultless, purified insight that knows reality without distortion.
In Śānti Parva’s instruction on dharma and liberation, Vyāsa continues a didactic exposition on inner discipline: he states that when the yogin conquers the intellect associated with the fundamental principles, higher attainments and pure, error-free understanding naturally unfold.