Shloka 30

Adhyaya 44 — Subahu’s Counsel to the King of Kashi and Alarka’s Renunciation through Yoga

Sanskrit

पश्यन् जगदिदं सर्वं सदेवासुरमानुषम् ।

पाशैर्गुणमयैर्बद्धं बध्यमानञ्च नित्यशः ॥

Transliteration

paśyan jagad idaṃ sarvaṃ sadevāsuramānuṣam | pāśair guṇamayair baddhaṃ badhyamānañ ca nityaśaḥ ||

Translation

അവൻ ദേവന്മാരും അസുരന്മാരും മനുഷ്യരും അടങ്ങിയ ഈ സമസ്ത ലോകം ഗുണരജ്ജുക്കളായ പാശങ്ങളാൽ ബന്ധിതമായി, നിത്യമായി വീണ്ടും വീണ്ടും ബന്ധിക്കപ്പെടുന്നതായി കണ്ടു.

Word by Word

• paśyan: seeing
• paśyan: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: paś (धातु)
• Form: वर्तमानकृदन्त (शतृ/Present active participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा एकवचन; परस्मैपदी; from √paś

• jagat: the world
• jagat: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jagat (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया एकवचन (object)

• idam: this
• idam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: idam (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया एकवचन; विशेषण (to jagat)

• sarvam: all/entire
• sarvam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया एकवचन; विशेषण (to jagat)

• sa-deva-asura-mānuṣam: with gods, demons, and humans
• sa-deva-asura-mānuṣam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sa (उपसर्ग/सह-अर्थक) + deva (प्रातिपदिक) + asura (प्रातिपदिक) + mānuṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समाहार-द्वन्द्व (collective): देवा+असुरा+मानुषाः; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया एकवचन; विशेषण (to jagat)

• pāśaiḥ: by fetters/nooses
• pāśaiḥ: Karana (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pāśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया बहुवचन (instrumental)

• guṇa-mayaiḥ: made of the guṇas
• guṇa-mayaiḥ: Karana (करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: guṇa (प्रातिपदिक) + maya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष (मयट्-अर्थ: ‘made of’): गुणमय; पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया बहुवचन; विशेषण (to pāśaiḥ)

• baddham: bound
• baddham: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Verb
• Root: bandh (धातु)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त/Past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया एकवचन; कर्मणि प्रयोग; (to jagat)

• badhyamānam: being bound
• badhyamānam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Verb
• Root: bandh (धातु)
• Form: वर्तमानकृदन्त (शानच्/Present passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया एकवचन; कर्मणि; (to jagat)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय (conjunction)

• nityaśaḥ: always/constantly
• nityaśaḥ: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: nityaśas (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb)

Speakers

• Narrator voice (describing Alarka’s insight/vision)

Verse Rasa

{ "primaryRasa": "shanta", "secondaryRasa": "karuna", "rasaIntensity": 0, "emotionalArcPosition": "", "moodDescriptors": [] }

Key Themes

• Guṇa-bandhana
• Saṃsāra
• Tri-guṇa doctrine
• Compassionate seeing of worldly bondage

FAQs

What is the philosophical or ethical takeaway?

All embodied classes—divine, demonic, human—remain vulnerable to guṇa-driven bondage. The lesson is to transcend guṇas through discrimination and disciplined yoga rather than seeking status within saṃsāra.

How does this fit the Pancalakshana (5 characteristics)?

Not pañcalakṣaṇa cosmology; it is sādhana-oriented philosophy embedded in narrative.

What is the esoteric significance?

The ‘nooses of guṇas’ symbolize subtle conditioning (vāsanā/saṃskāra) that repeatedly rebinds consciousness to identification and rebirth.