Shloka 3

Mind as Charioteer; Kṣetrajña, Tapas, and Dhyāna-Yoga

Adhyātma-Upadeśa

Devanagari script

ज्ञानं निःश्रेय इत्याहुर्वद्धा निश्चितदर्शिन:

Transliteration

jñānaṃ niḥśreya ity āhur baddhā niścita-darśinaḥ

Translation

Vāyu berkata: “Para bijak yang teguh dan berpandangan mantap menyatakan bahwa pengetahuan sejati adalah niḥśreyasa—kebaikan tertinggi yang menuntun pada kesejahteraan akhir dan pembebasan.”

Word by Word

• ज्ञानम्: knowledge
• ज्ञानम्: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: ज्ञान
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• निःश्रेयः: the highest good, final beatitude
• निःश्रेयः: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: निःश्रेयस्
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• इति: thus
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति

• आहुः: they say
• Type: Verb
• Root: अह्
• Form: Present, Third, Plural, Parasmaipada

• बुद्धाः: the wise, the enlightened
• बुद्धाः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: बुद्ध
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• निश्चितदर्शिनः: those whose vision is certain/ascertained
• निश्चितदर्शिनः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: निश्चितदर्शिन्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

Speaker

वायुदेव उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vāyudeva (the Wind-god)
• niścita-darśinaḥ (the steadfast seers/wise)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse asserts that jñāna (true knowledge) is niḥśreyas—the supreme good—because it leads beyond temporary gains to ultimate welfare, i.e., liberation-oriented fulfillment.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vāyudeva is speaking in a didactic context, presenting a concise doctrinal claim attributed to established seers: that the highest aim is attained through knowledge rather than through merely external achievements.