Vidyā–Avidyā and the Twenty-Fifth Principle
Sāṃkhya–Yoga Clarification
स्नेहायतननाशाच्च धननाशाच्च पार्थिव । आधिव्याधिप्रतापाच्च निर्वेदमुपगच्छति
snehāyatananāśāc ca dhananāśāc ca pārthiva | ādhivyādhipratāpāc ca nirvedam upagacchati, pṛthvīnātha ||
Parāśara dit : « Ô roi, lorsque les appuis de l’affection d’un homme du monde—tels que l’épouse, les enfants et autres—sont détruits, lorsque la richesse se perd, et lorsqu’il est brûlé par l’angoisse et la maladie, alors il parvient au détachement, au dégoût du monde (nirveda). »
पराशर उवाच
Dispassion (nirveda/vairāgya) in worldly people often arises not from insight alone but from the shock of suffering—loss of loved ones, loss of wealth, and the torment of anxiety and illness—revealing the instability of saṃsāra.
In Śānti Parva’s instruction on peace and liberation-oriented ethics, the sage Parāśara addresses a king and explains a common psychological pattern: people turn toward detachment when life’s attachments and securities collapse through bereavement, poverty, and affliction.