Shloka 36
Vidyā–Avidyā and the Twenty-Fifth Principle
Sāṃkhya–Yoga Clarification
मानिनां कुलजातानां नित्य शास्त्रार्थचक्षुषाम् । क्रियाधर्मविमुक्तानामशक््त्या संवृतात्मनाम्
mānināṁ kulajātānāṁ nityaśāstrārthacakṣuṣām | kriyādharmavimuktānām aśaktyā saṁvṛtātmanām ||
Parāśara dit : « Même les actes mondains accomplis par des hommes honorés et bien nés, qui voient sans cesse avec l’“œil” du sens des Écritures, et de même ceux de personnes qui—par incapacité—sont retranchées du devoir rituel et dont le soi intérieur est voilé, finissent inévitablement par se perdre. Il s’ensuit que, pour de tels êtres, il n’est point d’œuvre véritablement salutaire en ce monde en dehors de l’austérité (tapas) : elle seule purifie et affermit le soi lorsque l’action ordinaire ne peut porter un fruit durable. »
पराशर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Worldly action (laukika karma) is unstable and can be rendered fruitless even for the respected and learned, and also for those unable to perform prescribed duties; therefore disciplined austerity (tapas) is presented as the reliable ‘good practice’ that purifies and supports inner realization when ordinary action cannot secure lasting good.
In Śānti Parva’s instruction on dharma and liberation-oriented conduct, the sage Parāśara addresses the limits of social status, learning, and ritual performance, arguing that when action is compromised—by circumstance, incapacity, or inner obscuration—tapas becomes the principal means of ethical and spiritual uplift.