Shloka 10
भिक्षुलक्षणम्—एकचर्याः, अहिंसा, कैवल्याश्रमः
Marks of the Mendicant: Solitary Wandering, Non-Injury, and the Kaivalya-Discipline
परावरं तु भूतानां ज्ञानेनिवोपलभ्यते । विद्यया तात सृष्टानां विद्यैवेह परा गति:
parāvaraṁ tu bhūtānāṁ jñānenaivopalabhyate | vidyayā tāta sṛṣṭānāṁ vidyaiveha parā gatiḥ ||
The distinction among living beings—higher and lower, subtle and gross—is grasped only through knowledge. Indeed, dear one, for creatures brought forth through learning and understanding, knowledge itself is their supreme goal and highest refuge in this world.
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
True discernment of differences among beings arises from jñāna (knowledge), and vidyā is presented as both the source of refined human life and the highest attainable end—guiding one toward right understanding and the supreme good.
In the didactic discourse of the Śānti Parva, Vyāsa addresses his listener as “tāta,” emphasizing that wisdom alone enables one to comprehend the gradations of existence and that knowledge is the paramount aim for beings shaped by learning.