Shloka 46
नारद–शुक संवादः
Impermanence, Svabhāva, and Śuka’s Resolve for Yoga
अक्षयत्वात् प्रजनने अजमत्राहुरव्ययम् अक्षयं पुरुष प्राहु: क्षयो हास्य न विद्यते
akṣayatvāt prajanane ajam atrāhur avyayam | akṣayaṃ puruṣaṃ prāhuḥ kṣayo hāsya na vidyate ||
Yājñavalkya said: Because it is imperishable even when it enters into birth, the wise here call the Self ‘unborn’ and ‘unchanging.’ They declare the Person to be inexhaustible, for in truth no decay or destruction ever belongs to Him. The teaching underscores that ethical steadiness and freedom from fear arise from knowing the inner Self as deathless, even amid embodied life.
याज़्ञवल्क्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
The embodied condition does not imply that the true Self is born or destroyed. Because the Puruṣa is intrinsically imperishable (akṣaya) and unchanging (avyaya), the wise describe it as ‘unborn’ (aja) even while it appears in the cycle of birth.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on peace and liberation, Yājñavalkya expounds a metaphysical point: the inner Person/Self remains free from decay. This supports the broader ethical aim of Śānti Parva—cultivating fearlessness, restraint, and clarity through knowledge of the deathless Self.