Shloka 39

Vidyā–Avidyā and the Twenty-Fifth Principle

Sāṃkhya–Yoga Clarification

Devanagari script

यथा नदीनदा:ः सर्वे सागरे यान्ति संस्थितिम्‌ | एवमाश्रमिण: सर्वे गृहस्थे यान्ति संस्थितिम्‌,जैसे सम्पूर्ण नदियाँ और नद समुद्रमें जाकर मिलते हैं, उसी प्रकार समस्त आश्रम गृहस्थका ही सहारा लेते हैं

Transliteration

yathā nadīnadāḥ sarve sāgare yānti saṃsthitim | evam āśramiṇaḥ sarve gṛhasthye yānti saṃsthitim ||

Translation

Parāśara said: “Just as all rivers and streams find their final resting-place by entering the ocean, so too do all the āśramas ultimately find their support and stability in the householder’s way of life. The householder sustains the entire social and spiritual order by providing the material and ethical foundation upon which the other stages of life depend.”

Word by Word

यथाjust as

नदी-नदाःrivers and streams

सर्वेall

सागरेin/into the ocean

यान्तिgo

संस्थितिम्resting-place/settled state

एवम्thus, in the same way

आश्रमिणःthose belonging to the (four) āśramas

सर्वेall

गृहस्थेin/with the householder (āśrama)

यान्तिgo, resort

संस्थितिम्support/abode/settled state

Speaker

पराशर उवाच

Characters & Entities

Parāśara

nadī (rivers)

nadāḥ (streams)

sāgara (ocean)

gṛhastha (householder āśrama)

āśramas (life-stages)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Geographic Context

Sandhi Notes