Shloka 38
नारद–शुक संवादः
Impermanence, Svabhāva, and Śuka’s Resolve for Yoga
गन्धर्वपते! आपने जो विश्वा और अविश्व इत्यादि कहकर यह प्रश्नावली उपस्थित की है, उसमें विश्वा अव्यक्त प्रकृतिका नाम है। यह संसार-बन्धनमें डालनेवाली होनेके कारण भूत, भविष्य और वर्तमान तीनों कालोंमें भयंकर है--इस बातको आप अच्छी तरह समझ लें।।
Gandharvapate! āpane yo viśvā aviśva ityādī kahakara yaḥ praśnāvalī upasthita kī hai, usameṃ viśvā avyaktaprakṛtikā nāma hai. yaha saṃsāra-bandhana meṃ ḍālanevālī hone ke kāraṇa bhūta, bhaviṣya aura vartamāna tīnoṃ kāloṃ meṃ bhayaṅkara hai—isa bāta ko āpa acchī taraha samajha leṃ. triguṇaṃ guṇakartṛtvād aviśvo niṣkalas tathā | aśvaśnāśvā ca mithunam evam evānudṛśyate ||
Yājñavalkya berkata: “Wahai penguasa para Gandharva! Dalam rangkaian pertanyaanmu tentang ‘Viśvā’ dan ‘Aviśva’ dan seterusnya, ketahuilah: ‘Viśvā’ adalah nama bagi Prakṛti yang Tak-Termanifest (Avyakta). Karena ia menjerumuskan makhluk ke dalam belenggu saṃsāra, ia tampak menggentarkan pada tiga masa—lampau, depan, dan kini; pahamilah ini dengan terang. Ia bersifat triguna; dan karena menjadi pelaku yang melahirkan akibat-akibat guṇa, ia disebut pula ‘Aviśva’; ia juga niṣkala (tanpa bagian). Ia tampak sebagai pasangan pertentangan—kuda dan bukan-kuda—demikianlah ia terindra.”
याज़्ञवल्क्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse identifies ‘Viśvā’ with unmanifest Prakṛti, portraying it as the source of saṃsāric bondage across all time. It further characterizes this principle as tri-guṇa (structured by the three guṇas), yet in another sense ‘niṣkala’ (undivided), and explains that it is apprehended through paired opposites in experience.
In Śānti Parva’s philosophical instruction, Yājñavalkya responds to the Gandharva-lord’s set of questions about terms like ‘Viśvā’ and ‘Aviśva.’ He clarifies the referents of these terms and frames them within a Prakṛti/guṇa-based analysis of how the world is experienced and how bondage arises.