Shloka 3
भिक्षुलक्षणम्—एकचर्याः, अहिंसा, कैवल्याश्रमः
Marks of the Mendicant: Solitary Wandering, Non-Injury, and the Kaivalya-Discipline
व्यास उवाच यस्तु पश्यन् स्वभावेन विनाभावमचेतन: । पुष्यते च पुनः सर्वान् प्रज्ञया मुक्तहेतुकान्
vyāsa uvāca | yas tu paśyan svabhāvena vinābhāvam acetanaḥ | puṣyate ca punaḥ sarvān prajñayā mukta-hetukān |
व्यासजी बोले—जो मनुष्य जगत् को देखकर यह मान लेता है कि यह केवल स्वभाव से ही उत्पन्न है और इसके पीछे कोई चेतन तत्त्व नहीं, वह अविवेकी है; वह अपनी तर्कयुक्त चतुर बुद्धि से बार-बार हेतुरहित कथनों को ही पुष्ट करता रहता है।
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse criticizes the view that the world is produced solely by 'svabhāva' (mere nature) without any conscious grounding or meaningful causality. It warns that such a stance leads one to keep defending baseless claims through argumentative cleverness rather than true discernment.
In Śānti Parva’s instructional setting, Vyāsa is presenting a philosophical evaluation of doctrines about the origin and governance of the world. Here he rebukes a naturalistic, non-conscious-cause explanation and characterizes its proponent as repeatedly propping up causeless assertions.