Shloka 16
ब्रह्मघोष-प्रवर्तनम्, अनध्याय-नियमः, वायु-मार्ग-वर्णनम्
Restoring Vedic Recitation, the Anadhyaya Rule, and the Taxonomy of Winds
पुष्करं त्वन्यदेवात्र तथान्यदुदकं स्मृतम् । न चोदकस्य स्पर्शेन लिप्यते तत्र पुष्करम्
puṣkaraṃ tv anyad evātra tathānyad udakaṃ smṛtam | na codakasya sparśena lipyate tatra puṣkaram |
Dijo Yājñavalkya: «Aquí, el loto es una cosa y el agua se entiende como otra. Aunque el agua lo toque, el loto no queda manchado por ella. Del mismo modo, la persona verdadera (puruṣa) es distinta de la naturaleza (prakṛti) y permanece desapegada.»
याज़्वल्क्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches asanga (non-attachment): just as a lotus remains unstained though it lives in water, the puruṣa (true self) is distinct from prakṛti (material nature) and should be understood as untouched by its qualities and changes.
In Śānti Parva’s instruction on peace and liberation, Yājñavalkya uses a vivid metaphor—lotus and water—to clarify the philosophical distinction between the self and material nature, urging inner detachment while living amid worldly conditions.