Shloka 88
नारद–शुक संवादः
Impermanence, Svabhāva, and Śuka’s Resolve for Yoga
प्राप्य ज्ञानं ब्राह्मणात् क्षत्रियाद् वा वैश्याच्छूद्रादपि नीचादभी क्षणम् । श्रद्धातव्यं श्रद्दधानेन नित्यं न श्रद्धिनं जन्ममृत्यू विशेताम्
prāpya jñānaṃ brāhmaṇāt kṣatriyād vā vaiśyāc chūdrād api nīcād api kṣaṇam | śraddhātavyaṃ śraddadhānena nityaṃ na śraddhinaṃ janma-mṛtyū viśetām ||
Yājñavalkya said: “If one gains true knowledge—even for a moment—from a brāhmaṇa, a kṣatriya, a vaiśya, a śūdra, or even from a person of low birth—one should accept it and, being a person of faith, continually place trust in it. For birth and death cannot take hold of the one who possesses śraddhā (steadfast faith).”
याज़्वल्क्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
Liberating knowledge should be accepted from any source without prejudice of caste or status, and sustained śraddhā in such truth is presented as a force that breaks the grip of saṃsāra—symbolized by ‘birth and death’ not being able to enter the faithful person.
In the Śānti Parva’s didactic setting, the sage Yājñavalkya delivers instruction on dharma and liberation, emphasizing humility in learning and the spiritual necessity of faith: wisdom is not to be rejected based on the speaker’s social identity.