Shloka 21
Jarā-Mṛtyu-anatikrama: Janaka–Pañcaśikha-saṃvāda
Aging and Death Cannot Be Overstepped
तदैष तत्त्वतामेति न चापि मिश्रतां व्रजेत् । प्रकृत्या चैव राजेन्द्र मिश्रो हान्यश्न दृश्यते
tadaiṣa tattvatām eti na cāpi miśratāṁ vrajet | prakṛtyā caiva rājendra miśro hāny-aśna dṛśyate ||
Vasiṣṭha said: “Then this Self is understood in its true nature and does not, in reality, pass into any mixture. Yet, O king, because of its association with Prakṛti it appears as though mixed—just as one seems to partake of loss or gain—while in fact its distinctness remains intact.”
वसिष्ठ उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that the conscious Self (puruṣa) is intrinsically distinct and unmixed, even though, due to association with Prakṛti, it appears to share in change such as gain and loss. True knowledge is recognizing this non-mixture and abiding in the Self’s separateness.
In Śānti Parva’s philosophical instruction, Vasiṣṭha addresses a king and clarifies a subtle point: the Self seems entangled with material nature and its fluctuations, but this is only an appearance arising from proximity/association; in reality the Self remains separate.