Shloka 16
Droṇa-parva Adhyāya 53: Arjuna’s Jayadratha-vadha Pratijñā and Droṇa’s Protective Vyūha (शकटा-पद्म व्यूहः)
ततोअग्निमुपसंहत्य भगवॉललोकसत्कृत: । प्रवृत्त च निवृत्तं च कथयामास वै प्रभु:,तब विश्ववन्दित भगवान् ब्रह्माने उस अग्निका उपसंहार करके मनुष्योंके लिये प्रवृत्ति (कर्म) और निवृत्ति (ज्ञान) मार्गोंका उपदेश दिया
tato 'gnim upasaṁhatya bhagavān lokasatkṛtaḥ | pravṛttaṁ ca nivṛttaṁ ca kathayāmāsa vai prabhuḥ ||
Alors le Seigneur bienheureux, honoré par le monde, mit fin à ce feu sacrificiel. Ensuite, le Maître souverain exposa aux hommes les deux voies : celle de l’engagement dans l’action juste (pravṛtti) et celle du retrait menant à la connaissance libératrice (nivṛtti), montrant que devoir et renoncement ont chacun leur place dans l’ordre du dharma.
नारद उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a twofold ethical-spiritual framework: pravṛtti (right engagement in duties and action) and nivṛtti (withdrawal/renunciation culminating in liberating knowledge). It implies that both are legitimate disciplines when aligned with dharma and taught by a competent authority.
Nārada reports that after concluding the fire-rite (bringing the sacrificial fire to its formal close), the revered Lord addresses people and instructs them on the two complementary ways of life—active duty and renunciant knowledge.