Shloka 17
अव्यक्त–पुरुष–विवेकः (Discrimination of Avyakta/Prakṛti and Puruṣa) — Yājñavalkya’s Anvīkṣikī to Viśvāvasu
न चाभिमन्यते किंचिन्न च बुध्यति काषठवत् । तदा प्रकृतिमापन्नं युक्तमाहुर्मनीषिण:
na cābhimanyate kiṃcin na ca budhyati kāṣṭhavat | tadā prakṛtim āpannaṃ yuktam āhur manīṣiṇaḥ ||
Vasiṣṭha dit : Lorsque quelqu’un ne s’approprie rien et ne relève même plus la conscience—demeurant tel un morceau de bois—alors les sages déclarent qu’il est revenu à sa nature originelle et qu’il est véritablement attelé au yoga. En cet état, le mental ne fait naître ni intention ni construction, et les sens ne se ruent plus au-dehors ; l’enseignement vise une liberté éthique à l’égard de la possession et de l’ego, où la stabilité intérieure remplace l’avidité réactive.
वसिष्ठ उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse defines a hallmark of yogic integration: the cessation of possessive identification (abhimāna) and reactive cognition, so that one abides in one’s own nature (prakṛti) without mental constructions. Ethically, it points to freedom from ‘mine-ness’ and ego-driven grasping, which stabilizes conduct and reduces harm.
Vasiṣṭha is instructing about inner realization and the yogic condition. He describes a state where the senses and mind no longer project outward and the person remains unmoved—‘like wood’—not as dullness, but as non-reactive steadiness that the wise recognize as true yoga and return to one’s pure nature.