Shloka 10

Śukasya Janma-yoga-phalaṁ — Vyāsasya Tapasā Putrārthaḥ (Śānti-parva 310)

Devanagari script

अष्टौ प्रकृतय: प्रोक्ता विकाराश्चापि षोडश । तत्र तु प्रकृतीरष्टौ प्राहुरध्यात्मचिन्तका:,प्रकृतियाँ आठ बतायी गयी हैं और उनके विकार सोलह। अध्यात्मशास्त्रका चिन्तन करनेवाले विद्वान्‌ आठ प्रकृतियोंके नाम इस प्रकार बतलाते हैं--अव्यक्त (मूल प्रकृति), महत्तत्त्व, अहंकार, आकाश, वायु, अग्नि, जल और पृथ्वी

Transliteration

aṣṭau prakṛtayaḥ proktā vikārāś cāpi ṣoḍaśa | tatra tu prakṛtīr aṣṭau prāhur adhyātma-cintakāḥ ||

Translation

എട്ട് പ്രകൃതികൾ പ്രസ്താവിക്കപ്പെട്ടിരിക്കുന്നു; അവയുടെ വികാരങ്ങൾ പതിനാറെന്നും പറയുന്നു. അധ്യാത്മചിന്തകർ ആ എട്ട് പ്രകൃതികളെ ഇങ്ങനെ എണ്ണുന്നു—അവ്യക്തം (മൂലപ്രകൃതി), മഹത്തത്ത്വം, അഹങ്കാരം, പിന്നെ പഞ്ചമഹാഭൂതങ്ങൾ: ആകാശം, വായു, അഗ്നി, ജലം, പൃഥ്വി.

Word by Word

• {'aṣṭau': 'eight', 'prakṛtayaḥ (prakṛti)': 'primordial natures

• fundamental principles/constituents', 'proktāḥ': 'declared

• taught', 'vikārāḥ': 'modifications

• derivative transformations', 'cāpi': 'and also', 'ṣoḍaśa': 'sixteen', 'tatra tu': 'therein

• in that matter', 'prāhuḥ': 'they say

• they declare', 'adhyātma-cintakāḥ': 'thinkers devoted to adhyātma

• contemplatives of the inner self/spiritual doctrine', 'avyakta': 'the unmanifest

• root nature (mūla-prakṛti)', 'mahat-tattva': 'the ‘great principle’

• cosmic intelligence', 'ahaṃkāra': 'ego-maker

• I-sense', 'ākāśa': 'space/ether', 'vāyu': 'wind/air', 'agni': 'fire', 'jala': 'water', 'pṛthivī': 'earth'}

Speaker

याज़्ञवल्क्य उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Yājñavalkya
• prakṛti
• vikāra
• avyakta
• mahat-tattva
• ahaṃkāra
• ākāśa
• vāyu
• agni
• jala
• pṛthivī

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse outlines a Sāṅkhya-style framework: eight foundational ‘prakṛtis’ (including the unmanifest, mahat, ahaṃkāra, and the five great elements) and sixteen ‘vikāras’ (their evolutes). It frames spiritual inquiry as understanding how the manifest world arises from fundamental principles, aiding detachment and self-knowledge.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the didactic setting of Śānti Parva, Yājñavalkya is instructing listeners in adhyātma (inner/spiritual doctrine) by enumerating the basic constituents of reality as taught by contemplative sages, shifting the discussion from external action to philosophical analysis of nature and self.