Shloka 36
नारद–शुक संवादः
Impermanence, Svabhāva, and Śuka’s Resolve for Yoga
नृपश्रेष्ठ! यह आन्वीक्षिकी विद्या (त्रयी
nṛpaśreṣṭha! iyaṃ ānvīkṣikī vidyā (trayī-vārtā-daṇḍanīti—etāsu tisṛṣu vidyāsu apekṣayā) caturthī proktā. eṣā mokṣe sahāyinī. pañcaviṃśe tattvarūpe puruṣeṇa adhiṣṭhitāṃ tāṃ vidyāṃ mayā te pratipāditā (sā viśvāvasoḥ samīpe’pi kathitā) || athoktas tu mayā rājan rājā viśvāvāsuḥ tadā | śrūyatāṃ yad bhavān asmān praśnaṃ sampṛṣṭavān iha ||
Wahai raja terbaik, Ānvīkṣikī disebut sebagai ilmu keempat bila dibandingkan dengan tiga lainnya—Veda (trayī), warta (tata ekonomi), dan daṇḍanīti (tata pemerintahan). Ia menolong di jalan mokṣa. Pengetahuan yang bertumpu pada prinsip ke-25, yakni Puruṣa, telah kuuraikan kepadamu; ajaran yang sama pun pernah diucapkan di hadapan Raja Viśvāvasu. Lalu, wahai raja, aku berkata kepada Raja Viśvāvasu: “Wahai raja para Gandharva, dengarkanlah jawaban atas pertanyaan yang engkau ajukan kepadaku di sini.”
याज़्ञवल्क्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
Ānvīkṣikī—disciplined philosophical inquiry—is presented as a distinct and superior aid to mokṣa, because it is grounded in knowledge of Puruṣa (the 25th principle), i.e., the conscious self that underlies and transcends material categories.
Yājñavalkya reminds the king that he has already taught this liberating inquiry and notes that the same doctrine was taught earlier to the Gandharva king Viśvāvasu; he then transitions into addressing Viśvāvasu directly, inviting him to hear the answer to his question.