Shloka 25
Śara-śayyā-sthita-bhīṣma-saṃvāda-prastāvaḥ
The Prelude to Questioning Bhīṣma on the Bed of Arrows
वायुदेव उवाच यशस: श्रेयसश्वैव मूलं मां विद्धि कौरव । मत्त: सर्वेडभिनिर्वत्ता भावा: सदसदात्मका:
vāyudeva uvāca | yaśasaḥ śreyasaś caiva mūlaṃ māṃ viddhi kaurava | mattaḥ sarve ’bhinirvṛttā bhāvāḥ sadasad-ātmakāḥ ||
Vāyudeva dit : «Ô Kaurava, sache que je suis la racine même de la renommée et du vrai bien. De moi seul sont issus tous les états et tous les êtres — le réel comme l’irréel, ce qui porte la nature de l’être et du non-être.»
वायुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse asserts a single ultimate source behind both worldly success (yaśas) and the higher good (śreyas), and behind all phenomena—those regarded as real (sat) and unreal (asat). Ethically, it redirects the listener from pride in outcomes to recognition of a deeper causal ground, encouraging humility and right orientation toward the source of all.
In Śānti Parva’s instruction-setting, Vāyudeva addresses a Kuru prince and delivers a doctrinal statement about origins: all states of existence, whether affirmed or denied as real, arise from him. The speech functions as a metaphysical clarification within the broader post-war discourse on peace, duty, and ultimate reality.