Shloka 17
Bhūta-guṇa-saṃkhyāna
Enumeration of the Properties of the Elements and Cognitive Faculties
यथा वारिचर: पक्षी न लिप्यति जले चरन् । विमुक्तात्मा तथा योगी गुणदोषैर्न लिप्यते
yathā vāricaraḥ pakṣī na lipyati jale caran | vimuktātmā tathā yogī guṇadoṣair na lipyate ||
Vyāsa explique que, de même qu’un oiseau vivant dans l’eau s’y déplace sans en être souillé ni lié, ainsi un yogin à l’esprit libéré peut demeurer au milieu du monde tout en restant intact face à ses qualités et à ses défauts. La leçon morale est la liberté intérieure : on peut agir et vivre en société, mais sans attachement, sans s’identifier, ni se laisser moralement contaminer par ce que l’on rencontre.
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
A truly liberated yogin remains inwardly unattached: even while living and acting in the world, he is not morally or psychologically stained by its attractions (guṇa) or defects (doṣa), just as a bird in water is not smeared by water.
In Śānti Parva’s instruction on dharma and liberation, Vyāsa is teaching through a vivid simile, clarifying how a person established in freedom can continue worldly life without being bound by it.