Shloka 5

ब्रह्मघोष-प्रवर्तनम्, अनध्याय-नियमः, वायु-मार्ग-वर्णनम्

Restoring Vedic Recitation, the Anadhyaya Rule, and the Taxonomy of Winds

Devanagari script

अनेन कारणेनैतदव्यक्तं स्यादचेतनम्‌ | नित्यत्वाच्चाक्षरत्वाच्च क्षरत्वान्न तवनन्‍्यथा

Transliteration

anena kāraṇenaitad avyaktam syād acetanam | nityatvāc cākṣaratvāc ca kṣaratvān na tavan anyathā ||

Translation

Yājñavalkya dijo: «Por esta razón, ese No-manifestado (Prakṛti) se entiende como insensible. Al ser ‘kṣara’, perecedero, no puede ser otra cosa que materia inerte. En cambio, como el Puruṣa es eterno e imperecedero (‘akṣara’), él es consciente».

Word by Word

• अनेन: by this
• अनेन: Karana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: इदम्
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Instrumental, Singular

• कारणेन: by the reason/cause
• कारणेन: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: कारण
• Form: Neuter, Instrumental, Singular

• एतत्: this (thing)
• एतत्: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: एतद्
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• अव्यक्तम्: unmanifest
• अव्यक्तम्: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अव्यक्त
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• स्यात्: would be / should be
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस्
• Form: Optative (Vidhi-lin), 3rd, Singular

• अचेतनम्: insentient
• अचेतनम्: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अचेतन
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• नित्यत्वात्: because of eternality
• नित्यत्वात्: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: नित्यत्व
• Form: Neuter, Ablative, Singular

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• अक्षरत्वात्: because of imperishability
• अक्षरत्वात्: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: अक्षरत्व
• Form: Neuter, Ablative, Singular

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• क्षरत्वात्: because of perishability
• क्षरत्वात्: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षरत्व
• Form: Neuter, Ablative, Singular

• न: not
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न

• तत्: that (thing)
• तत्: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Neuter, Nominative/Accusative, Singular

• अन्यथा: otherwise / in another way
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अन्यथा

Speaker

याज़्वल्क्य उवाच

Characters & Entities

• याज्ञवल्क्य (Yājñavalkya)
• अव्यक्त (Avyakta/Prakṛti)
• पुरुष (Puruṣa)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse distinguishes Prakṛti (the Unmanifest) as insentient because it is perishable and changeable (kṣara), while Puruṣa is conscious because it is eternal and imperishable (nitya, akṣara). This supports a metaphysical dualism used for discernment leading toward liberation.

What is happening in the narrative?

In Śānti Parva’s philosophical instruction, the sage Yājñavalkya explains to his interlocutor the criteria by which one identifies Prakṛti as inert and Puruṣa as conscious, clarifying the foundational categories for spiritual discrimination and ethical steadiness.