Shloka 25

Adhyaya 44 — Subahu’s Counsel to the King of Kashi and Alarka’s Renunciation through Yoga

Sanskrit

एतस्मिन्नेव विज्ञानॆ विज्ञान्तमखिलं त्वया ।

अनात्मन्यात्मविज्ञानमखे खमिति मूढता ॥

Transliteration

etasminneva vijñāne vijñātam akhilaṃ tvayā | anātmany ātma-vijñānam akhe kham iti mūḍhatā ||

Translation

Par cette connaissance même, tout a été connu de toi. Mais vouloir connaître le Soi (Ātman) dans ce qui n’est pas le Soi (anātman)—comme chercher le ciel dans un espace vide—n’est que pure illusion.

Word by Word

• etasmin: in this
• etasmin: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: etad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक; नपुंसकलिङ्गे, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचनम्; deictic pronoun used adjectivally

• eva: indeed/just
• eva: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle/emphasis)

• vijñāne: in knowledge/realization
• vijñāne: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vijñāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचनम्

• vijñātam: known/realized
• vijñātam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √jñā (धाातु) + vi + kta (क्त)
• Form: कृदन्त (past passive participle/कर्मणि भूतकृदन्त); नपुंसकलिङ्गे, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचनम्; predicate participle

• akhilam: all/entire
• akhilam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: akhila (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचनम्; qualifies vijñātam

• tvayā: by you
• tvayā: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yusmad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम; तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), एकवचनम्

• anātmani: in the non-self
• anātmani: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: anātman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे (आत्मन्-शब्दवत्), सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचनम्

• ātma-vijñānam: knowledge of the self
• ātma-vijñānam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ātman (प्रातिपदिक) + vijñāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (genitive determinative): ‘आत्मनः विज्ञानम्’; नपुंसकलिङ्गे, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचनम्

• akhe: in the axle-hole/empty space (akha)
• akhe: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: akha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचनम्

• kham: space/void
• kham: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचनम्

• iti: thus
• iti: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/quotative)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iti (अव्यय)
• Form: उद्धरण-निपात (quotative particle)

• mūḍhatā: delusion/foolishness
• mūḍhatā: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mūḍhatā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचनम्; abstract noun

Speakers

• Subāhu (the sage) instructing King Alarka (Kāśī)

Verse Rasa

{ "primaryRasa": "shanta", "secondaryRasa": "vairagya", "rasaIntensity": 0, "emotionalArcPosition": "", "moodDescriptors": [] }

Key Themes

• Ātma-jñāna
• Viveka (discrimination of Self and not-Self)
• Mokṣa
• Vedānta-like instruction
• Renunciation

FAQs

What is the philosophical or ethical takeaway?

Self-knowledge is not attained by clinging to body-mind identities. The ethical implication is detachment from egoic misidentification and cultivation of discernment (viveka) as the basis of freedom.

How does this fit the Pancalakshana (5 characteristics)?

Primarily Dharma/Upadeśa material rather than strict pañcalakṣaṇa categories; secondarily supports ‘vaṃśānucarita’ (royal story) as a didactic narrative embedding liberation-teaching.

What is the esoteric significance?

‘Seeking the sky in emptiness’ signals the futility of searching for the Self as an object among objects. The Self is the witnessing consciousness, not a thing located in the field of phenomena.