Shloka 5
अव्यक्त–पुरुष–विवेकः (Discrimination of Avyakta/Prakṛti and Puruṣa) — Yājñavalkya’s Anvīkṣikī to Viśvāvasu
विद्याविद्ये च भगवन्नक्षरं क्षरमेव च । साड्ख्यं योगं च कार्त्स्न्येन पृथक् चैवापूथक् च ह,भगवन! मैं विद्या, अविद्या, अक्षर और क्षर तथा सांख्य और योगको पृथक्-पृथक् पूर्णरूपसे समझना चाहता हूँ
Janaka uvāca: vidyāvidye ca bhagavann akṣaraṃ kṣaram eva ca | sāṅkhyaṃ yogaṃ ca kārtsnyena pṛthak caivāpṛthak ca ha ||
ભગવન્! હું વિદ્યા અને અવિદ્યા, અક્ષર અને ક્ષર, તેમજ સાંખ્ય અને યોગ—આ બધું કાર્ત્સ્ન્યેન, એટલે પૂર્ણરૂપે, અલગ-અલગ પણ અને તેમના ગૂઢ અભેદ સાથે પણ સમજવા ઇચ્છું છું.
जनक उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames a philosophical inquiry: Janaka asks for a complete explanation of paired concepts—knowledge/ignorance, imperishable/perishable, and Sāṅkhya/Yoga—both as distinct analytical categories and as ultimately reconcilable in higher understanding. It signals that liberation-oriented teaching must clarify differences while also showing their convergence in realized wisdom.
In the Śānti Parva’s instructional setting, King Janaka addresses a revered teacher and requests systematic guidance. He is not asking for mere definitions, but for a comprehensive account that explains how these doctrines and metaphysical categories relate—where they differ in method and where they meet in the goal of freedom from bondage.