Shanti Parva Adhyaya 314 Shloka 12 - Mahabharata | Lao | Vedapath

Vyasa

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Shloka 12

Devanagari script

अचेतना चैव मता प्रकृतिश्वापि पार्थिव | एतेनाधिछिता चैव सृजते संहरत्यपि,पृथ्वीनाथ! प्रकृति अचेतन मानी गयी है। इस परमतत्त्वद्वारा अधिष्ठित होकर ही वह सृष्टि एवं संहार करती है

Transliteration

acetanā caiva matā prakṛtiś cāpi pārthiva | etena adhiṣṭhitā caiva sṛjate saṃharaty api, pṛthvīnātha |

Translation

ຍາຊະນະວັນກະຍະ ກ່າວວ່າ: «ໂອ ພຣະຣາຊາ, ປຣະກຣິຕິ (ທໍາມະຊາດວັດຖຸ) ຖືກເຫັນວ່າເປັນອະເຈຕະນາ. ແຕ່ເມື່ອຖືກອະທິສະຖານ ແລະຖືກເສີມພະລັງໂດຍຫຼັກການສູງສຸດນີ້ ນາງຈຶ່ງກໍ່ໃຫ້ເກີດການສ້າງ ແລະກໍ່ຖອນຄືນໃນການລະລາຍ. ດັ່ງນັ້ນ ຂະບວນການຂອງໂລກບໍ່ແມ່ນສຸ່ມໆ: ທໍາມະຊາດອັນເຉື່ອຍຊາ ດໍາເນີນໄດ້ກໍ່ຕໍ່ເມື່ອຢູ່ໃຕ້ການປົກຄອງຂອງຄວາມເປັນຈິງສູງສຸດ.»

Word by Word

अचेतनाunconscious, insentient

चand

एवindeed, just

मताconsidered, held to be

प्रकृतिःPrakriti (primordial nature)

चand

अपिalso, even

पार्थिवO king, O ruler

एतेनby this, with this

अधिष्ठिताpresided over, governed

चand

एवindeed

सृजतेcreates, produces

संहरतिwithdraws, destroys

अपिalso, even

Speaker

याज़्वल्क्य उवाच

Characters & Entities

य

याज्ञवल्क्य (Yājñavalkya)

प

पार्थिव / पृथ्वीनाथ (the king addressed)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Prakṛti is inert and cannot act independently; creation and dissolution occur only when Prakṛti is superintended by the Supreme Principle (the highest reality). This frames cosmic activity as governed, not accidental, and supports ethical detachment by locating agency beyond mere material processes.

What is happening in the narrative?

In Śānti Parva’s philosophical instruction, the sage Yājñavalkya addresses a king and explains the relation between Prakṛti (nature) and the supreme presiding reality: nature is non-conscious, yet under that higher governance it produces the universe and later withdraws it.