Shloka 75
नारद–शुक संवादः
Impermanence, Svabhāva, and Śuka’s Resolve for Yoga
यथैव बुध्यते मत्स्यस्तथैषो5प्यनुबुध्यते । स स्नेहात् सहवासाच्च साभिमानाच्च नित्यश:
yathaiva budhyate matsyas tathaivo 'py anubudhyate | sa snehāt sahavāsāc ca sābhimānāc ca nityaśaḥ ||
Yājñavalkya bersabda: Seperti ikan, walau hidup di air, tetap memahami bahwa air itu berbeda dari dirinya; demikian pula sang diri yang berjasad, meski tinggal dalam tubuh material, dapat menyadari dirinya berbeda dari prakṛti. Namun karena keterikatan yang terus-menerus, kebiasaan bergaul dengan tubuh, serta rasa “aku” dan “milikku”, ia gagal mengalami kesatuannya dengan Yang Mahatinggi; maka ia tenggelam dalam samudra Waktu. Tetapi ketika ia diselimuti pengertian yang seimbang dan mengenali keesaannya dengan Yang Mahatinggi, ia terangkat dari samudra Waktu itu.
याज़्ञवल्क्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even when the self can intellectually discern that it is distinct from the body and material nature, it remains bound if it clings through attachment (sneha), habitual identification (sahavāsa), and egoic possessiveness (abhimāna). Liberation comes through even-minded insight that recognizes the self’s true relation—ultimately unity—with the Supreme, thereby crossing beyond the destructive flow of Time.
In Śānti Parva’s instruction on liberation and right understanding, Yājñavalkya uses a simple analogy—fish and water—to explain how the embodied self can know it is not the body, yet still remain trapped due to attachment and ego. The teaching contrasts bondage (sinking in the ‘ocean of Time’) with release through equanimous wisdom.