Shloka 17
Jarā-Mṛtyu-anatikrama: Janaka–Pañcaśikha-saṃvāda
Aging and Death Cannot Be Overstepped
तदा क्षरत्वं प्रकृतिर्गच्छते गुणसंश्रिता । निर्गुणत्वं च वैदेह गुणेष्वप्रतिवर्तनात्
tadā kṣaratvaṁ prakṛtir gacchate guṇa-saṁśritā | nirguṇatvaṁ ca vaideha guṇeṣv aprativartanāt, videha-rāja |
Vasiṣṭha said: “At that time, Prakṛti—resting upon the three guṇas—falls into perishability and change. But the Puruṣa, O Vaideha, becomes ‘without guṇas’ (beyond their sway), because he does not turn toward or engage in the guṇas. O king of Videha, this is the distinction: nature is subject to decay through its guṇa-bound activity, while the self is freed by non-involvement.”
वसिष्ठ उवाच
Educational Q&A
Prakṛti is inherently changeful and perishable because it operates through the guṇas; the Puruṣa (self) is realized as beyond the guṇas when it does not identify with or engage in guṇa-driven activity. Liberation is framed as non-involvement (asaṅga) with the guṇas.
Vasiṣṭha instructs the king of Videha (Janaka) in a Sāṅkhya-style distinction between nature (Prakṛti) and the self (Puruṣa), explaining how Prakṛti tends toward decay while the self becomes ‘nirguṇa’ through disengagement from the guṇas.