Shloka 3
अव्यक्त–प्रकृति–इन्द्रियविचारः
The Unmanifest, Prakṛtis, and the Sense-Complex
पराशर उवाच असज्ज: श्रेयसो मूलं ज्ञानं चैव परा गति: । चीर्ण तपो न प्रणश्येद्वाप: क्षेत्रे न नश्यति,पराशरजीने कहा--राजन्! आसक्तिका अभाव ही श्रेयका मूल कारण है। ज्ञान ही सबसे उत्तम गति है। स्वयं किया हुआ तप तथा सुपात्रको दिया हुआ दान--ये कभी नष्ट नहीं होते
parāśara uvāca | asajjaḥ śreyaso mūlaṃ jñānaṃ caiva parā gatiḥ | cīrṇa-tapo na praṇaśyed vāpaḥ kṣetre na naśyati ||
Parāśara berkata: “Wahai Raja, bebas dari keterikatan adalah akar kesejahteraan sejati; pengetahuan adalah tujuan tertinggi. Tapa yang dijalankan dengan semestinya tidak binasa; demikian pula dana yang diberikan kepada penerima yang layak tidak pernah sia-sia.”
पराशर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Non-attachment is presented as the foundation of true good (śreyas), while liberating knowledge is the highest goal. The verse also affirms the enduring fruit of rightly performed austerity and properly directed giving—spiritual effort and charity to a worthy recipient are never wasted.
In Śānti Parva’s instruction on dharma and liberation, the sage Parāśara addresses a king, summarizing key principles: detach from craving, pursue knowledge as the supreme end, and trust that sincere tapas and well-placed dāna yield imperishable merit.