Shloka 74
Atithi-satkāra and the Consolation of Wise Counsel (अतिथिसत्कारः प्रज्ञानवचनस्य च पराश्वासनम्)
न हि जातो न जायेय॑ न जनिष्ये कदाचन । क्षेत्रज्ञ: सर्वभूतानां तस्मादहमज: स्मृत:
na hi jāto na jāyeya na janiṣye kadācana | kṣetrajñaḥ sarvabhūtānāṃ tasmād aham ajaḥ smṛtaḥ ||
Je ne suis pas né dans le passé, je ne nais pas maintenant, et je ne naîtrai jamais. Je suis le kṣetrajña, le connaisseur intérieur qui demeure dans les corps de tous les êtres. C’est pourquoi l’on se souvient de moi comme d’« Aja », l’Inengendré.
तामिन्द्र उवाच गच्छ नहुषस्त्वया वाच्योथ<पूर्वेण मामृषियुक्तेन यानेन त्वमधिरूढ
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches the unborn nature of the true Self (Ātman) as kṣetrajña, the inner knower present in all beings. Birth and death belong to the body and changing conditions, not to the witnessing consciousness; hence the Self is called ‘Aja’ (Unborn).
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on peace and liberation, the speaker articulates a doctrinal point: the indwelling knower within all creatures is not subject to temporal birth. The statement functions as a philosophical clarification meant to reorient the listener from bodily identity to the imperishable Self.