Shloka 33
Vānaprastha-vṛtti and the Transition toward the Fourth Āśrama (वानप्रस्थवृत्तिः चतुर्थाश्रमोपक्रमश्च)
द्वावात्मानौ च वेदेषु विषयेष्वनुरज्यत: । विषयात् प्रतिसंहार: सांख्यानां सिद्धि लक्षणम्
dvāv ātmānau ca vedeṣu viṣayeṣv anurajyataḥ | viṣayāt pratisaṃhāraḥ sāṅkhyānāṃ siddhi-lakṣaṇam ||
Vyāsa said: “The Vedas speak of two ‘selves’. When the individual self clings to sense-objects, bondage follows; when it withdraws and turns back from those objects, that withdrawal is the mark of attainment taught by the Sāṅkhyas—i.e., the sign of liberation.”
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
Liberation is characterized by pratisaṃhāra—turning the mind and senses back from attachment to sense-objects. This withdrawal from viṣayas is presented as the defining sign of Sāṅkhya ‘siddhi’ (attainment).
In the didactic discourse of Śānti Parva, Vyāsa explains a philosophical distinction recognized in the Vedas (two ‘selves’/principles) and states the practical criterion for freedom: the individual self ceases clinging to objects and becomes detached.