Shloka 4
अव्यक्तस्तु न जानीते पुरुषो ज्ञ: स्वभावत: । न मत्त: परमो<स्तीति नित्यमेवाभिमन्यते
avyaktas tu na jānīte puruṣo jñaḥ svabhāvataḥ | na mattaḥ paramo 'stīti nityam evābhimanyate ||
अव्यक्त (प्रकृति) किसी वस्तु को यथार्थ नहीं जानती; इसके विपरीत पुरुष स्वभाव से ही ज्ञानी है। वह नित्य यह मानता रहता है—“मुझसे श्रेष्ठ कोई नहीं।”
याज़्वल्क्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse distinguishes unconscious Nature (Avyakta/Prakṛti), which does not ‘know’, from the conscious Self (Puruṣa), which is inherently the knower. It also highlights the Puruṣa’s self-assertion of supremacy, inviting reflection on how true discernment differs from egoic self-conceit.
In Śānti Parva’s instruction on liberation-oriented philosophy, Yājñavalkya is explaining metaphysical categories—Prakṛti and Puruṣa—and their characteristics, as part of a broader teaching on discrimination (viveka) and the path to inner peace after the war.