Shloka 20
कामद्रुम-रूपकः तथा शरीर-पुर-रूपकः
The Desire-Tree and the Body-as-City Metaphors
यद्यप्यस्य महीं दद्याद् रत्नपूर्णामिमां नर: । इदमेव ततः श्रेय इति मन्येत तत्त्ववित्
vyāsa uvāca |
yady apy asya mahīṁ dadyād ratnapūrṇām imāṁ naraḥ |
idam eva tataḥ śreya iti manyeta tattvavit |
tatra yat prītisaṁyuktaṁ kiñcid ātmani lakṣayet |
praśāntam iva saṁśuddhaṁ sattvaṁ tad upadhārayet |
Vyāsa dit : Quand bien même un homme donnerait cette terre entière remplie de joyaux, le connaisseur de la vérité jugerait encore que ceci seul est le bien supérieur : la connaissance. Et en cette matière, lorsque l’on remarque en soi une joie jointe à l’affection — quelque chose de purifié et comme paisible — il faut comprendre que la qualité de sattva s’est levée et est à l’œuvre.
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
True welfare (śreyas) is knowledge, not even the greatest material gift. A practical sign of sattva is an inner state of purified, quiet gladness; recognizing this helps one discern the mind’s movement toward clarity and virtue.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on peace and right living, Vyāsa delivers a didactic comparison—jewel-filled earth versus knowledge—and then gives a diagnostic criterion for inner cultivation: noticing serene, purified joy as the mark of sattva arising.