Adhyaya 24 — Kuvalayashva’s Refusal of Gifts and the Vision of Madalasa’s Maya
अश्वतर उवाच भूतैर्वियोगिनो योगस्तादृशैरेव तादृशः ।
कथमेतद्विना स्वप्नं मायां वा शम्बरॊदिताम् ॥
aśvatara uvāca bhūtairviyogino yogastādṛśaireva tādṛśaḥ / kathametadvinā svapnaṃ māyāṃ vā śambaroditām
Aśvatara berkata: “Bagi seseorang yang terpisah daripada makhluk-makhluk, ‘penyatuan’ hanyalah dengan yang sejenis, terhasil melalui cara yang serupa. Bagaimanakah hal ini mungkin, melainkan ia suatu mimpi—atau māyā yang dipertunjukkan oleh Śambara?”
{ "primaryRasa": "shanta", "secondaryRasa": "adbhuta", "rasaIntensity": 0, "emotionalArcPosition": "", "moodDescriptors": [] }
The verse models skepticism as dharma: extraordinary experiences should be tested for sources—dream, deception, or truth. Discernment (viveka) is presented as the safeguard against māyā.
Not a pancalakṣaṇa core (sarga/pratisarga/manvantara/vaṃśa/vaṃśānucarita) passage; it is didactic dialogue embedded within vaṃśānucarita-style storytelling.
‘Viyoga’ (separation) indicates the jīva’s felt separation from the real; the ‘yoga’ that arises from similar causes can be pseudo-union—visions produced by subconscious (svapna) or external glamour (māyā). The teaching: verify the ground of experience.