Shloka 24

Vānaprastha-vṛtti and the Transition toward the Fourth Āśrama (वानप्रस्थवृत्तिः चतुर्थाश्रमोपक्रमश्च)

Devanagari script

आकाशभूतश्चाकाशे सवर्णत्वात्‌ प्रकाशते

Transliteration

ākāśabhūtaścākāśe savarṇatvāt prakāśate

Translation

ວະຍາສະ ກ່າວວ່າ: «ສິ່ງໃດທີ່ກາຍເປັນສະພາບແຫ່ງອາກາດ ຍ່ອມປາກົດໃນອາກາດນັ້ນເອງ ເນື່ອງຈາກມີສີສັນ/ຊະນິດດຽວກັນ»។

Word by Word

• आकाशभूतः: having become (like) the sky; sky-formed
• आकाशभूतः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: आकाशभूत
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• आकाशे: in the sky
• आकाशे: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: आकाश
• Form: Neuter, Locative, Singular

• सवर्णत्वात्: because of sameness of color/appearance
• सवर्णत्वात्: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: सवर्णत्व
• Form: Neuter, Ablative, Singular

• प्रकाशते: shines; appears
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्रकाश्
• Form: Present, Third, Singular, Atmanepada

Speaker

व्यास उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vyāsa
• ākāśa (space/ether)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Recognition of the subtle reality (self/inner principle) occurs through sameness and inner refinement: what is of the nature of the subtle is apprehended in the subtle, just as what has become like space is manifest in space. Ethical discipline and purity make the mind ‘of the same kind’ as truth, enabling direct insight.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on peace and liberation, Vyāsa continues a philosophical explanation using an analogy: homogeneity (savarṇatva) is the condition for manifestation/recognition, illustrating how subtle principles are known and realized.