Shloka 44
Jarā-Mṛtyu-anatikrama: Janaka–Pañcaśikha-saṃvāda
Aging and Death Cannot Be Overstepped
सांख्ययोगौ मया प्रोक्तौ शास्त्रद्धयनिदर्शनात् । यदेव शास्त्र सांख्योक्ते योगदर्शनमेव ततू
sāṅkhyayogau mayā proktau śāstrādhyayanidarśanāt | yad eva śāstraṃ sāṅkhyokte yogadarśanam eva tat ||
Vasiṣṭha said: “I have explained Sāṅkhya and Yoga on the basis of studying the scriptures and pointing out their purport. Yet in truth, the very doctrine taught as Sāṅkhya is itself the vision of Yoga—because their intended realization and final fruit are one.”
वसिष्ठ उवाच
Educational Q&A
Although Sāṅkhya and Yoga are often presented as two distinct śāstras or methods, Vasiṣṭha asserts their essential unity: the true insight (darśana) and the final result they aim at are the same.
In Śānti Parva’s didactic setting, Vasiṣṭha is instructing by appealing to scriptural study, clarifying a potential confusion for the listener: the apparent division between Sāṅkhya and Yoga is largely pedagogical, not ultimately real.