Shloka 24
युधिछ्िर उवाच मनसश्नापि बुद्धेश्न ब्रूहि मे लक्षणं परम् । एतदथध्यात्मविदुषां परं कार्य विधीयते,युधिष्ठिने कहा--सर्प! मुझे मन और बुद्धिका उत्तम लक्षण बतलाओ। अध्यात्मशास्त्रके विद्वानोंके लिये इनको जानना परम कर्तव्य कहा गया है
yudhiṣṭhira uvāca | manasaś cāpi buddheś ca brūhi me lakṣaṇaṃ param | etad adhyātmaviduṣāṃ paraṃ kāryaṃ vidhīyate ||
Yudhiṣṭhira said: “O serpent, tell me the highest defining marks of the mind and of the intellect. For those who are learned in the science of the Self, understanding these is declared to be a supreme duty.”
युधिछ्िर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames self-knowledge as a duty: one should discern the distinct nature (lakṣaṇa) of mind (manas) and intellect (buddhi). Ethical living and spiritual progress depend on understanding how mental impulses differ from discriminative judgment.
In the Vana Parva dialogue, Yudhiṣṭhira addresses a serpent and requests a higher, principled explanation of the mind and intellect—treating this inquiry as central to adhyātma (inner, Self-oriented wisdom).