Shloka 36

अव्यक्त–पुरुष–विवेकः (Discrimination of Avyakta/Prakṛti and Puruṣa) — Yājñavalkya’s Anvīkṣikī to Viśvāvasu

Devanagari script

अर्थतत्त्वके ज्ञाता पुरुषको यह जानना चाहिये कि प्रलयकालमें प्रकृतिमें भी एकता और सृष्टिकालमें अनेकता रहती है। इसी प्रकार पुरुष भी प्रलयकालमें एक ही रहता है; किंतु सृष्टिकालमें प्रकृतिका प्रेरक होनेके कारण उसमें नानात्वका आरोप हो जाता है ।। बहुधा5>त्मा प्रकुर्वीत प्रकृतिं प्रसवात्मिकाम्‌ । तच्च क्षेत्र महानात्मा पठचविंशोडथधितिछति,परमात्मा ही प्रसवात्मिका प्रकृतिको नाना रूपोंमें परिणत करता है। प्रकृति और उसके विकारको क्षेत्र कहते हैं। चौबीस तत्त्वोंसे भिन्न जो पचीसवाँ तत्त्व महान्‌ आत्मा है, वह क्षेत्रमें अधिष्ठातारूपसे निवास करता है

Transliteration

arthatattvake jñātā puruṣako yaḥ jñātum icchati sa jñātavyam—pralayakāle prakṛtau api ekatā, sṛṣṭikāle ca anekatā vartate. evam eva puruṣaḥ pralayakāle eka eva; kintu sṛṣṭikāle prakṛteḥ prerakatvāt tasmin nānātvasyāropaḥ bhavati. bahudhā ātmā prakurvīta prakṛtiṃ prasavātmikām; tac ca kṣetraṃ mahān ātmā pañcaviṃśo ’dhi tiṣṭhati.

Translation

Vasiṣṭha said: One who knows the truth of reality should understand this: at the time of dissolution, even Prakṛti is in a state of unity, while at the time of creation it appears as multiplicity. In the same way, the Puruṣa remains one during dissolution; but during creation, because he impels Prakṛti, diversity is superimposed upon him. The Self, as it were, sets forth Prakṛti whose nature is to bring forth. That field—Prakṛti together with its transformations—is called the kṣetra; and within that field the great Self, the twenty-fifth principle distinct from the twenty-four, abides as the presiding witness.

Word by Word

बहुधाin many ways; repeatedly

आत्माthe Self

प्रकुर्वीतshould make; should effect

प्रकृतिम्Prakriti; nature

प्रसवात्मिकाम्having creation/production as its nature

तत्that

चand

क्षेत्रेin the field (body/nature as field)

महानात्माthe great self

पञ्चविंशःthe twenty-fifth

अधितिष्ठतिpresides over; dwells upon

Speaker

वसिष्ठ उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vasiṣṭha

Puruṣa

Prakṛti

Mahān Ātmā (the twenty-fifth tattva)

Kṣetra

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Unity and multiplicity belong to the phases of manifestation: in dissolution, Prakṛti is undifferentiated and Puruṣa is one; in creation, Prakṛti unfolds into many forms, and diversity is only superimposed on the one Puruṣa because he is regarded as the impeller/presiding witness of Prakṛti.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on liberation-oriented philosophy, Vasiṣṭha explains a Sāṅkhya-style distinction between Prakṛti (the field and its evolutes) and the Puruṣa/mahān ātmā (the twenty-fifth principle) who abides in that field as overseer, clarifying how apparent plurality arises during creation.