Shloka 18
सो<निरुद्ध इति प्रोक्तस्तत् प्रधान प्रचक्षते | तदव्यक्तमिति ज्ञेयं त्रिगुणं नृपसत्तम,नृपश्रेष्ठ! उसीको अनिरुद्ध कहा गया है। उसीको प्रधान भी कहते हैं तथा उसीको त्रिगुणमय अव्यक्त जानना चाहिये
so 'niruddha iti proktas tat pradhānaṃ pracakṣate | tad avyaktam iti jñeyaṃ triguṇaṃ nṛpasattama ||
Vaiśampāyana said: “That very principle is spoken of as ‘Aniruddha’; it is also designated as the Pradhāna. Know it too as the Unmanifest, constituted of the three guṇas, O best among kings.”
वैशग्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse equates multiple philosophical designations—Aniruddha, Pradhāna, and Avyakta—indicating that the same foundational, unmanifest principle underlies creation and is characterized by the three guṇas.
In the Śānti Parva’s instructional setting, Vaiśaṃpāyana continues a doctrinal exposition to a king, clarifying terminology by stating that what some call ‘Aniruddha’ is also called ‘Pradhāna’ and should be understood as the ‘Unmanifest’ constituted of the three guṇas.