Shloka 3
मृत्युकारणप्रश्नः / Inquiry into the Cause and Designation of Death
प्रध्वस्ता न निवर्तन्ते प्रवृत्तिनोपलभ्यते । एवमेके व्यवस्यन्ति निवृत्तिरिति चापरे
pradhvastā na nivartante pravṛttir nopalabhyate | evam eke vyavasyanti nivṛttir iti cāpare ||
Vyāsa berkata: “Sebagian berpendapat bahwa meski guṇa ‘dihancurkan’ oleh pengetahuan sejati, mereka tidak lenyap sepenuhnya; bagi sang mengetahui, guṇa tidak lagi tertangkap—tak ada hubungan yang bekerja. Yang lain menyatakan ada penghentian total: penarikan sempurna sehingga guṇa sama sekali tidak ada.”
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse contrasts two philosophical conclusions about liberation: (1) the guṇas may continue to exist in some sense, but for the realized person they are not apprehended and no longer bind; (2) alternatively, liberation is understood as complete nivṛtti—total cessation—where the guṇas are held to have no remaining existence.
In the didactic discourse of Śānti Parva, Vyāsa reports differing viewpoints among thinkers regarding the fate of the guṇas after the rise of tattva-jñāna (knowledge of reality), framing a doctrinal debate about whether liberation is non-apprehension/disconnection or absolute cessation.