Shloka 11
Śukasya Janma-yoga-phalaṁ — Vyāsasya Tapasā Putrārthaḥ (Śānti-parva 310)
अव्यक्त च महान्तं च तथाहड़कार एव च | पृथिवी वायुराकाशमापो ज्योतिश्न॒ पञचमम्,प्रकृतियाँ आठ बतायी गयी हैं और उनके विकार सोलह। अध्यात्मशास्त्रका चिन्तन करनेवाले विद्वान् आठ प्रकृतियोंके नाम इस प्रकार बतलाते हैं--अव्यक्त (मूल प्रकृति), महत्तत्त्व, अहंकार, आकाश, वायु, अग्नि, जल और पृथ्वी
avyaktaṃ ca mahāntaṃ ca tathāhaṅkāra eva ca | pṛthivī vāyur ākāśam āpo jyotiṣ ca pañcamam ||
Yājñavalkya said: “The unmanifest (primordial Prakṛti), the Great Principle (mahat), and likewise egoity (ahaṅkāra); and then the elements—earth, wind, space, water, and fire/light—these are taught as the eight fundamental prakṛtis. From these arise the sixteen modifications (vikāras), as understood by those who contemplate the science of the Self.”
याज़्ञवल्क्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse outlines a Sāṅkhya-style map of reality: eight foundational principles (prakṛtis)—the unmanifest root, mahat, ahaṅkāra, and the five great elements—out of which the manifold world and its sixteen derivative modifications (vikāras) are understood to arise. The ethical thrust in Śānti Parva is that clear discernment of these principles supports detachment and steadiness in dharma.
In Śānti Parva’s instruction on peace and self-knowledge, the sage Yājñavalkya is explaining metaphysical categories to frame how the cosmos and embodied experience emerge, guiding the listener toward contemplative understanding (adhyātma) rather than mere worldly entanglement.