Shloka 96

Devanagari script

तन्ममाचक्ष्व तत्त्वेन प्रत्यक्षो ह्सि सर्वदा । अथवा पुरुषके मोक्षका साक्षात्कार करानेवाला कोई दृष्टान्त हो तो आप उसे बताइये और मुझे ठीक-ठीक समझा दीजिये; क्योंकि आपको सदा सब कुछ प्रत्यक्ष है

Transliteration

tan mamācakṣva tattvena pratyakṣo ’si sarvadā | athavā puruṣake mokṣakā sākṣātkāra-kāranevālaḥ ko ’pi dṛṣṭāntaḥ syāt, tarhi tvaṁ tam vada, māṁ ca yathārthaṁ samyak bodhaya; yataḥ tvaṁ sarvadā sarvaṁ pratyakṣam iva paśyasi |

Translation

Janaka said: “Tell me that truth exactly as it is, for to you it is always directly evident. Or, if there is any illustrative example that can bring about a direct realization of liberation in a person, please relate it and make me understand it precisely—because for you everything is ever present as if seen face to face.”

Word by Word

तत्that (truth/matter)

ममto me / of me

आचक्ष्वtell, explain

तत्त्वेनin truth / truly / according to reality

प्रत्यक्षःdirectly perceptible, evident

हिindeed, for

असिyou are

सर्वदाalways

Speaker

जनक उवाच

Characters & Entities

Janaka

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Janaka asks for truth to be explained ‘as it really is’ and requests an illustrative example that can lead to direct realization (sākṣātkāra) of liberation. The emphasis is on immediate, experiential knowledge rather than mere theory.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Shanti Parva’s instructional dialogue, King Janaka addresses a realized teacher and urges him to clarify the doctrine precisely. He also asks for a concrete example (dṛṣṭānta) that can help an individual attain direct insight into moksha, acknowledging the teacher’s constant direct vision of truth.