Shloka 31
अलर्कोपाख्यानम् — Indriya-Nigraha and Yogic Victory
Mahābhārata 14.30
भोगतृष्णासमायुक्ति: पूर्व राज्यमुपासितम् । इति पश्चान्मया ज्ञातं योगान्नास्ति परं सुखम्
bhogatṛṣṇāsamāyuktiḥ pūrvaṁ rājyam upāsitam | iti paścān mayā jñātaṁ yogān nāsti paraṁ sukham ||
Dijo el brahmán: «Ligado por el ansia de los placeres, antes me entregué al reino. Sólo después comprendí esto: más allá del yoga no hay dicha más alta». En el marco del relato, se presenta como un canto reflexivo atribuido al rey sabio Alarka, que lamenta haber perseguido durante tanto tiempo el poder y los goces externos, y haber reconocido tarde la disciplina meditativa como el camino superior hacia un bienestar duradero.
ब्राह्मण उवाच
Educational Q&A
Craving for pleasures binds one to outward pursuits like power and status; meditative discipline (yoga) yields a higher, more stable happiness than sensory enjoyment or political sovereignty.
A reflective utterance is presented through the Brahmin’s speech: the royal sage Alarka looks back with astonishment and regret at his former absorption in kingship driven by desire, and proclaims that he realized only later that yoga is the supreme source of happiness.