Shloka 20
Adhyāya 249 — Mṛtyu-prādurbhāvaḥ (The Manifestation of Death) / Restraint of Tejas and Ordered Saṃhāra
आत्मनो व्यापिनो ज्ञानमिदं पुत्रानुशासनम् | प्रयताय प्रवक्तव्यं हितायानुगताय च
ātmano vyāpino jñānam idaṃ putrānuśāsanam | prayatāya pravaktavyaṃ hitāyānugatāya ca ||
Vyāsa said: “My son, this instruction is a teaching meant to awaken knowledge of the all-pervading Self. It should be expounded only to one who is disciplined and attentive, who intends the listener’s welfare, and who is a devoted follower—so that it truly serves as a beneficial guidance rather than mere speech.”
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse sets a rule of eligibility (adhikāra) for transmitting Self-knowledge: instruction about the all-pervading ātman should be given only to a disciplined, well-intentioned, and devoted follower, so that the teaching is received properly and used for welfare.
Vyāsa, in the didactic setting of the Śānti Parva, frames a spiritual instruction as a ‘son’s guidance’ and cautions that such knowledge should be communicated selectively—only to a prepared and faithful listener.