Shloka 46
नारद–शुक संवादः
Impermanence, Svabhāva, and Śuka’s Resolve for Yoga
अक्षयत्वात् प्रजनने अजमत्राहुरव्ययम् अक्षयं पुरुष प्राहु: क्षयो हास्य न विद्यते
akṣayatvāt prajanane ajam atrāhur avyayam | akṣayaṃ puruṣaṃ prāhuḥ kṣayo hāsya na vidyate ||
ヤージュニャヴァルキヤは言った。「生に入るときでさえ滅びぬがゆえに、賢者はここで自己を『不生』また『不変』と呼ぶ。彼らはプルシャを尽きることなきものと宣言する。まことに、衰滅も破壊も、彼に属することは決してないからである。この教えは、身を受けた生のただ中にあっても、内なる自己を不死と知ることから、倫理の堅固さと恐れなき自由が生ずることを示している。」
याज़्ञवल्क्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
The embodied condition does not imply that the true Self is born or destroyed. Because the Puruṣa is intrinsically imperishable (akṣaya) and unchanging (avyaya), the wise describe it as ‘unborn’ (aja) even while it appears in the cycle of birth.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on peace and liberation, Yājñavalkya expounds a metaphysical point: the inner Person/Self remains free from decay. This supports the broader ethical aim of Śānti Parva—cultivating fearlessness, restraint, and clarity through knowledge of the deathless Self.