Shloka 79
नारद–शुक संवादः
Impermanence, Svabhāva, and Śuka’s Resolve for Yoga
राजन! परमात्मा भिन्न है और जीवात्मा भिन्न; क्योंकि परमात्मा जीवात्माका आश्रय है; परंतु ज्ञानी संत-महात्मा उन दोनोंको एक ही देखते और समझते हैं ।।
rājan! paramātmā bhinnaḥ ca jīvātmā bhinnaḥ; yasmāt paramātmā jīvātmano 'śrayaḥ; kintu jñāninaḥ santa-mahātmānaḥ tau ubhau ekam iva paśyanti ca manyante. te na etat nābhinandanti pañcaviṃśakam acyutam | janma-mṛtyu-bhayād bhītā yogāḥ sāṅkhyāś ca kāśyapa | ṣaḍviṃśam anupaśyantaḥ śucayas tat-parāyaṇāḥ ||
Yājñavalkya bersabda: “Wahai Raja, Ātman Tertinggi (Paramātman) itu berbeda, dan ātman individu (jīvātman) pun berbeda; sebab Paramātman adalah sandaran jīvātman. Namun para bijak—para resi suci dan mahatma—memandang dan memahami keduanya sebagai satu. Karena itu, wahai keturunan Kaśyapa, para yogin dan penganut Sāṅkhya yang gentar oleh bahaya kelahiran dan kematian tidak berpuas diri hanya pada prinsip kedua puluh lima. Dengan hati yang murni dan sepenuhnya berserah kepada Yang Mahatinggi, mereka merenungkan prinsip kedua puluh enam—Paramātman—dan melalui penglihatan tanpa-dua itu, mereka senantiasa bersukacita.”
याज़्ञवल्क्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that although the Supreme Self (paramātmā) and the individual self (jīvātmā) can be spoken of as distinct—because the Supreme is the support and ground of the individual—the realized sages perceive a deeper unity. Hence serious seekers do not stop at a limited metaphysical account (the ‘twenty-fifth principle’) but contemplate the higher ‘twenty-sixth’ reality, the Supreme, and rejoice in the vision of non-difference that frees one from fear of birth and death.
In Śānti Parva’s instruction on liberation, Yājñavalkya addresses the king and explains how advanced practitioners of Yoga and Sāṅkhya, motivated by dread of saṃsāra (repeated birth and death), pursue direct contemplation of the Supreme principle. The passage frames philosophical enumeration (tattvas) as a practical spiritual ladder culminating in devotion and purified insight.