Shloka 803
Āścarya-kathana: Brāhmaṇa–Nāga Dialogue on Sūrya (Vivasvat) and the ‘Second Sun’ Phenomenon
पुरुष: पुरुष गच्छेन्निष्क्रियः पजचविंशक: । वैशम्पायनजीने कहा--जो अत्यन्त सूक्ष्म
vaiśampāyana uvāca | puruṣaḥ puruṣaṁ gacchen niṣkriyaḥ pañcaviṁśakaḥ |
Vaiśampāyana berkata: “Prinsip kedua puluh lima—iaitu diri individu—apabila menjadi tidak bertindak, bebas daripada keakuan ‘akulah pelaku’, maka ia mencapai Puruṣa Tertinggi. Diri Tertinggi itu dihuraikan sebagai amat halus, terkait dengan sattva, dan sebagai praṇava (Oṁ) yang terbina daripada tiga bunyi a, u, dan m.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Liberation is framed as the jīva (the 25th tattva, puruṣa) attaining the Supreme Person by becoming niṣkriya—free from the ego of doership (ahaṅkāra tied to kartṛtva). The passage links this realization to contemplation of the Supreme as praṇava (Oṁ), the subtle, sattva-associated reality expressed as a-u-m.
In the didactic setting of Śānti Parva, Vaiśampāyana continues a philosophical exposition on liberation: he states, in aphoristic form, that when the individual self relinquishes the sense of agency and becomes inwardly actionless, it reaches the Supreme Self, characterized here through the symbolism of Oṁ.