Shloka 44
नारद–शुक संवादः
Impermanence, Svabhāva, and Śuka’s Resolve for Yoga
तथैव वेद्यमव्यक्तमवेद्य: पुरुषस्तथा । अज्ञावुभौी ध्रुवौ चैव अक्षयौ चाप्युभावपि
tathaiva vedyam avyaktam avedyaḥ puruṣas tathā | ajñāv ubhau dhruvau caiva akṣayau cāpy ubhāv api ||
Yājñavalkya said: “In the same way, the Unmanifest (Prakṛti) is an object that can be known, whereas the Person (Puruṣa) is not an object of knowing. Yet those who possess decisive insight into the truth of the Self declare that both Prakṛti and Puruṣa are ‘unknowable’ in the ultimate sense, both are unmoving and steadfast, and both are imperishable—unborn and eternal.”
याज़्ञवल्क्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse distinguishes Prakṛti (the unmanifest source of change) and Puruṣa (pure consciousness). Prakṛti can be approached as an object of analysis, while Puruṣa is not an object among objects. Yet, from the highest standpoint, both are said to be beyond ordinary cognition—steady and imperishable—pointing the seeker toward non-objectifying, contemplative insight rather than mere conceptual knowledge.
In Śānti Parva’s philosophical instruction, the sage Yājñavalkya is expounding subtle doctrine about reality and the Self. The discussion is not about external events but about clarifying the nature of Prakṛti and Puruṣa for ethical-spiritual orientation and liberation-focused understanding.