Shloka 43
Vānaprastha-vṛtti and the Transition toward the Fourth Āśrama (वानप्रस्थवृत्तिः चतुर्थाश्रमोपक्रमश्च)
ज्ञानेन यच्छेदात्मानं य इच्छेच्छान्तिमात्मन: । जो उत्तम ज्ञान प्राप्त करना चाहता हो
jñānena yacched ātmānaṃ ya icchec chāntim ātmanaḥ |
Vyāsa said: Let a person restrain the self through knowledge. Whoever seeks inner peace should, by the power of true understanding, bring the intellect under the governance of the Supreme Self—thus mastering mind and speech and settling the inner life in tranquillity.
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
Inner peace is attained by disciplining oneself through jñāna: knowledge should govern and restrain the inner faculties, so that mind, speech, and intellect become steady and aligned with the Supreme Self.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on dharma and liberation, Vyāsa delivers a concise directive on spiritual practice: the seeker should use knowledge as the means to restrain the self and establish tranquillity.