Shanti Parva Adhyaya 335 Shloka 31 - Mahabharata | Lao | Vedapath

Vyasa

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Shloka 31

अश्वशिरो-आख्यानम्

Aśvaśiras / Hayaśiras Narrative: Retrieval of the Vedas

Devanagari script

तस्मादव्यक्तमुत्पन्न॑ त्रिगुणं द्विजसत्तम । अव्यक्ता व्यक्तभावस्था या सा प्रकृतिरव्यया

Transliteration

tasmād avyaktam utpannaṁ triguṇaṁ dvijasattama | avyaktā vyaktabhāvasthā yā sā prakṛtir avyayā ||

Translation

ນາຣະດະ ກ່າວວ່າ: ດັ່ງນັ້ນ ໂອ ຜູ້ປະເສີດໃນດວິຊະ, ຈາກຄວາມເປັນຈິງສູງສຸດນັ້ນ ເກີດຂຶ້ນ «ອະວະຍັກຕະ» ອັນມີສາມກຸນ. ປຣະກຣິຕິ (Prakṛti) ອັນບໍ່ເສື່ອມສະລາຍນັ້ນ ຖືກເອີ້ນວ່າ «ອະວະຍັກຕະ» ແມ່ນແມ່ນວ່າດໍາລົງຢູ່ໃນສະພາບແຫ່ງການປາກົດ—ລະອຽດລຶກ, ບໍ່ອາດຮູ້ໄດ້, ບໍ່ຖືກກ່າວອອກ, ບໍ່ເຄື່ອນໄຫວ, ແລະຄົງທີ່; ຂ້າມພົ້ນອິນທຣີ, ອາຣົມຂອງອິນທຣີ, ແລະສັດທັງປວງ. ມັນເປັນອາດຕະພາຍໃນຂອງສັດທຸກຊີວິດ ຈຶ່ງເອີ້ນວ່າ «ຜູ້ຮູ້ແຫ່ງສະໜາມ» (kṣetrajña), ຂ້າມພົ້ນສາມກຸນ ແລະເອີ້ນວ່າ «ປຸຣຸສະ» (puruṣa). ແລະຈາກນັ້ນອີກ ກໍກ່າວວ່າ «ອະວະຍັກຕະ» ອັນມີສາມກຸນ ເກີດຂຶ້ນ.

Word by Word

तस्मात्from that; therefore

अव्यक्तम्the unmanifest (principle)

उत्पन्नम्arisen; produced

त्रिगुणम्consisting of the three guṇas

द्विजसत्तमO best of the twice-born

अव्यक्ताunmanifest

व्यक्तभावस्थाabiding in the state of manifestation

याwhich

साthat

प्रकृतिःPrakṛti; primordial nature

अव्ययाimperishable

Speaker

नारद उवाच

Characters & Entities

Nārada

dvijasattama (addressed brāhmaṇa sage)

Prakṛti

Puruṣa

kṣetrajña

three guṇas (sattva, rajas, tamas)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse distinguishes the imperishable inner Self (kṣetrajña/puruṣa), which is beyond the three guṇas, from Prakṛti, the unmanifest principle associated with the guṇas. It teaches that the true Self is subtle, constant, beyond senses and objects, and is the inner witness of all beings—knowledge of which supports liberation-oriented discernment.

What is happening in the narrative?

Nārada is instructing a brāhmaṇa sage within the Śānti Parva’s mokṣa-oriented discourse. He explains the cosmological and psychological framework of Sāṅkhya: from the supreme, guṇa-transcending Self, the guṇa-bearing unmanifest Prakṛti is spoken of as arising, and Prakṛti is described as ‘unmanifest’ even when it appears as the manifest world.