Shloka 42
Adhyāya 302: Guṇa-vicāra, Gati-bheda, and the Imperishable State
Yājñavalkya–Janaka
एवमेष महानात्मा सर्गप्रलयकोविद: । विकुर्वाण: प्रकृतिमानभिमन्यत्यबुद्धिमान्
evam eṣa mahānātmā sargapralayakovidaḥ | vikurvāṇaḥ prakṛtimān abhimanyaty abuddhimān ||
Vasiṣṭha dit : Ainsi, ce grand Soi, bien qu’il connaisse les principes de la création et de la dissolution, demeure en lui-même sans modification ; mais, par son association avec Prakṛti, il paraît comme s’il se transformait. Et bien qu’il soit en réalité libre de l’intelligence matérielle (prakṛta), il en vient pourtant à imaginer un « moi » en relation avec le corps, prenant le non-soi pour le Soi.
वसिष्ठ उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even the pure Self, which is intrinsically unchanging and beyond material intellect, can seem to become a doer and experiencer when associated with Prakṛti; this apparent change culminates in dehābhimāna—identifying the Self with the body. The ethical implication is to cultivate discernment (viveka) and detachment, refusing to ground ‘I’ and ‘mine’ in bodily and material conditions.
In Śānti Parva’s mokṣa-oriented instruction, Vasiṣṭha explains a philosophical mechanism of bondage: how the great Self, though knowledgeable of cosmic processes (creation and dissolution), appears to be modified and falls into body-identification due to contact with Prakṛti. This frames the broader teaching on how ignorance arises and how liberation is pursued through right understanding.