Mahabharata — Ashvamedhika Parva, Shloka 15
Mind as Charioteer; Kṣetrajña, Tapas, and Dhyāna-Yoga
Adhyātma-Upadeśa
यावद् द्रव्यं गुणस्तावत् प्रदीप: सम्प्रकाशते । क्षीणे द्रव्ये गुणे ज्योतिरन्तर्धानाय गच्छति
yāvad dravyaṃ guṇas tāvat pradīpaḥ samprakāśate | kṣīṇe dravye guṇe jyotir antardhānāya gacchati ||
વાયુદેવે કહ્યું—જ્યાં સુધી દીપકમાં દ્રવ્ય અને તેને ધારણ કરનાર ગુણ રહે છે, ત્યાં સુધી તે પ્રકાશ આપે છે. દ્રવ્ય અને ગુણ ક્ષીણ થતાં જ જ્યોતિ પણ અંતર્ધાન પામે છે.
वायुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
Manifestations depend on their supports: as a lamp’s light depends on fuel and sustaining conditions, so too strength, glory, or even life persists only while its causes endure; when the supports are exhausted, the manifestation naturally ceases. The ethical implication is to recognize impermanence and not cling to outward brilliance without maintaining its inner bases.
Vāyu-deva delivers an instructive analogy: he explains a principle through the example of a lamp—its illumination lasts only while fuel and enabling qualities remain, and it vanishes when they are spent—using this to guide the listener toward understanding dependence and cessation.