Shloka 16
Bhūta-guṇa-saṃkhyāna
Enumeration of the Properties of the Elements and Cognitive Faculties
सर्वेषामेव भूतानां तमस्यपगते यथा । प्रकाशं भवते सर्व तथेदमुपधार्यताम्
sarveṣām eva bhūtānāṁ tamasy apagate yathā | prakāśaṁ bhavate sarvaṁ tathā idam upadhāryatām ||
Vyāsa dit : «De même que, lorsque les ténèbres se sont dissipées, la lumière se répand devant tous les êtres vivants, ainsi comprenez-le avec certitude : ce n’est que lorsque l’ignorance est détruite que le Soi—dont la nature même est connaissance—est réalisé directement.»
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
Knowledge of the Self is not produced as something new; it becomes evident when ignorance (tamas) is removed—like light appearing when darkness is dispelled.
In the didactic setting of the Śānti Parva, Vyāsa instructs the listener using a simple analogy (darkness and light) to clarify the relation between ignorance, knowledge, and direct realization of the Self.