Mahabharata — Ashvamedhika Parva, Shloka 43
Adhyāya 42 — Mahābhūta–Indriya–Adhyātma-Vyavasthā
Brahmā’s Instruction on Elements and Faculties
क्षीणे मनसि सर्वस्मिन् न जन्मसुखमिष्यते । ज्ञानसम्पन्नसत्त्वानां तत् सुखं विदुषां मतम्
kṣīṇe manasi sarvasmin na janma-sukham iṣyate | jñāna-sampanna-sattvānāṃ tat sukhaṃ viduṣāṃ matam ||
वायु ने कहा—जब मन क्षीण हो जाता है और उसके साथ सब लौकिक आधार क्षयप्राय दिखते हैं, तब जन्म-सम्बन्धी सुखों की इच्छा नहीं रहती। जिनका अन्तःकरण ज्ञान से सम्पन्न है, उन विद्वानों के मत में वही ज्ञान ही उनका सुख है।
वायुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
Worldly pleasures (janma-sukha) lose their appeal when the mind’s clinging and projections are worn away; for the wise, happiness is grounded in jñāna—clear, liberating understanding—rather than in sensory enjoyment.
Vāyudeva delivers an instruction on inner renunciation: as the mind’s attachments fade and the impermanence of worldly supports is recognized, the seeker turns from birth-bound pleasures toward the joy of knowledge, which the learned regard as the true good.