Shloka 36
अरण्यवृत्ति-वैराग्योपदेशः | Forest Discipline and the Program of Non-Attachment
तस्मात् प्रज्ञामृतमिदं चिरान्मां प्रत्युपस्थितम् । तत् प्राप्य प्रार्थये स्थानमव्ययं शाश्रवतं ध्रुवम्
tasmāt prajñāmṛtam idaṃ cirān māṃ pratyupasthitam | tat prāpya prārthaye sthānam avyayaṃ śāśvataṃ dhruvam ||
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युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames true wisdom (prajñā) as 'nectar' because it leads beyond sorrow and instability. Once discernment arises, the ethical aim shifts from merely managing worldly outcomes to seeking the imperishable, eternal, and unwavering state—i.e., liberation grounded in steady understanding.
Yudhiṣṭhira, in the reflective atmosphere of the Śānti Parva, expresses that after prolonged struggle and instruction, he has finally gained clarifying discernment. With that insight in hand, he voices a resolve to pursue the highest, unchanging goal rather than transient achievements.