Shloka 61
Saṃhāra-krama (The Sequence of Cosmic Dissolution) — Yājñavalkya’s Discourse
नागान् नगान् यक्षगणान् दिशश्व गन्धर्वसंघान् पुरुषान् स्त्रियश्न । परस्पर प्राप्प महान्महात्मा विशेत योगी न चिराद् विमुक्त:
bhīṣma uvāca |
nāgān nagān yakṣagaṇān diśaś ca gandharvasaṅghān puruṣān striyaś ca |
parasparaṃ prāpya mahān mahātmā viśet yogī na cirād vimuktaḥ ||
Bhishma berkata: “Sang yogin dapat memasuki para Nāga, gunung-gunung, rombongan Yaksha, arah-arah penjuru, kelompok Gandharva, bahkan laki-laki dan perempuan—berpindah dari satu tatanan makhluk ke tatanan lain sesuka kehendaknya. Namun mahātma itu pun dapat segera mencapai pembebasan. Petikan ini menegaskan luasnya daya pencapaian yoga, seraya menyiratkan bahwa kepenuhan sejati terletak pada moksha, bukan pada pamer kuasa.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Yogic mastery can yield extraordinary powers (such as moving among and ‘entering’ various beings or realms), but the higher aim is swift liberation (vimukti). The verse contrasts siddhi-like capacities with the superior goal of moksha.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on dharma and spiritual disciplines, Bhishma describes the capacities of a perfected yogin: he may quickly attain liberation, or—by yogic power—move through different classes of beings and realms, reaching and entering them at will.