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 ||
Le brahmane dit : «Enchaîné par le désir des jouissances, jadis je me suis voué à la royauté. Ce n’est que plus tard que j’ai compris ceci : au-delà du yoga, il n’est pas de bonheur plus haut.» Dans le cadre du récit, ces mots prennent la forme d’un chant de réflexion attribué au roi-sage Alarka, exprimant le regret d’avoir longtemps poursuivi puissance et plaisirs extérieurs, et d’avoir reconnu tardivement la discipline méditative comme voie supérieure vers un bien durable.
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.