Shloka 56
नारद–शुक संवादः
Impermanence, Svabhāva, and Śuka’s Resolve for Yoga
अन्यश्ष शाश्वृतोडव्यक्तस्तथान्य: पठचविंशक: । तस्य द्वावनुपश्येतां तमेकमिति साधव:
anyaś ca śāśvato ’vyaktas tathānyaḥ pañcaviṁśakaḥ | tasya dvāv anupaśyetāṁ tam ekam iti sādhavaḥ ||
Yājñavalkya said: “One is the eternal Unmanifest; another is the ‘twenty-fifth’ principle. The wise perceive these two as pointing to that single Reality—declaring, ‘That One alone is.’”
याज़्ञवल्क्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that what are described as two principles—(1) the eternal Unmanifest (avyakta) and (2) the ‘twenty-fifth’ principle (pañcaviṁśaka, often Puruṣa)—are ultimately understood by the wise as indicating one single Reality. The ethical-spiritual implication is to move beyond conceptual divisions and seek the unifying truth through discernment.
In Śānti Parva’s philosophical instruction, Yājñavalkya is explaining a doctrinal point using Sāṅkhya-style terminology. He notes that different descriptions or enumerations may speak of an Unmanifest and a twenty-fifth principle, yet accomplished seekers interpret these as converging on one ultimate principle rather than two competing absolutes.