Shloka 26
Vidyā–Avidyā and the Twenty-Fifth Principle
Sāṃkhya–Yoga Clarification
असंतोष दुःखका ही कारण है। लोभसे मन और इन्द्रियाँ चंचल होती हैं, उससे मनुष्यकी बुद्धि उसी प्रकार नष्ट हो जाती है, जैसे बिना अभ्यासके विद्या ।। नष्टप्रज्ञो यदा तु स्यात् तदा न्यायं न पश्यति । तस्मात् सुखक्षये प्राप्ते पुमानुग्रं तपश्चरेत्
naṣṭaprajño yadā tu syāt tadā nyāyaṃ na paśyati | tasmāt sukhakṣaye prāpte pumān ugraṃ tapaś caret ||
Parāśara said: When a person’s discernment is ruined, he no longer perceives what is just and right. Therefore, when one’s happiness has dwindled and adversity has arrived, one should undertake rigorous austerity—self-discipline that steadies the mind and restores clarity—rather than be driven by restless desire.
पराशर उवाच
Educational Q&A
If discernment collapses, a person cannot recognize justice (nyāya). Hence, when pleasure diminishes and hardship comes, one should respond with disciplined austerity (tapas)—self-restraint that stabilizes the mind and revives right judgment.
In Śānti Parva’s didactic setting, the sage Parāśara delivers moral instruction: he diagnoses the danger of ruined intellect and prescribes tapas as a corrective path when life’s सुख (happiness) declines.