Shanti Parva Adhyaya 251 Shloka 11 - Mahabharata | Oriya | Vedapath

Vyasa

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Mahabharata — Shanti Parva, Shloka 11

धर्मलक्षण-प्रश्नः (Marks and Sources of Dharma) | Chapter 251: Inquiry into the Definition of Dharma

Devanagari script

एकादशस्त्वनन्तात्मा स सर्व: पर उच्यते | व्यवसायात्तमिका बुद्धिर्मनो व्याकरणात्मकम्‌ | कर्मानुमानादू विज्ञेय: स जीव: क्षेत्रसंज़्क:

Transliteration

ekādaśas tv anantātmā sa sarvaḥ para ucyate | vyavasāyātmikā buddhir mano vyākaraṇātmakam | karmānumānād u vijñeyaḥ sa jīvaḥ kṣetrajña-saṃjñakaḥ avināśī ātmā ||

Translation

ଏକାଦଶ ତତ୍ତ୍ୱ ହେଉଛି ଅନନ୍ତ ଆତ୍ମା; ସେହିଁକୁ ସର୍ବସ୍ୱରୂପ ଓ ପରମ ବୋଲି କୁହାଯାଏ। ବୁଦ୍ଧି ନିଶ୍ଚୟାତ୍ମିକ, ଏବଂ ମନ ବିଶ୍ଳେଷଣ କରିବାରୁ ସନ୍ଦେହାତ୍ମକ ବୋଲି ବର୍ଣ୍ଣିତ। କର୍ମର ଅନୁମାନରୁ—କାରଣ କର୍ମ ପାଇଁ ଜ୍ଞାତା ଓ କର୍ତ୍ତା ଆବଶ୍ୟକ—‘କ୍ଷେତ୍ରଜ୍ଞ’ ନାମରେ ପରିଚିତ ସେଇ ଅବିନାଶୀ ଜୀବାତ୍ମାକୁ ବୁଝିବା ଉଚିତ।

Word by Word

एकादशःthe eleventh

तुbut/indeed

अनन्तात्माthe infinite-self (one whose self is endless)

सःhe/that (one)

सर्वःall; the all (as a whole)

परःsupreme; higher

उच्यतेis said/called

व्यवसायात्from determination/decisive resolve

आत्मिकाhaving the nature (of); consisting in

बुद्धिःintellect

मनःmind

व्याकरणात्मकम्of the nature of analysis/discrimination (lit. grammatical/analytical)

कर्मby action; through action

अनुमानात्from inference

उindeed/also (emphatic particle)

विज्ञेयःto be known; should be understood

सःhe/that (one)

जीवःthe living being (jīva)

क्षेत्रसंज्ञःcalled 'kṣetra' / having the designation 'kṣetra' (i.e., kṣetrajña-context epithet)

अविनाशीimperishable

आत्माself; soul

Speaker

व्यास उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vyāsa

Ātman

Jīva

Kṣetrajña

Buddhi

Manas

Karma

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse distinguishes buddhi (decisive intellect) from manas (analytical, doubt-prone mind) and argues that action implies a conscious knower and agent; therefore an imperishable Self exists, called the kṣetrajña (knower of the field/body).

What is happening in the narrative?

In the didactic discourse of Śānti Parva, Vyāsa continues a philosophical exposition on principles (tattvas), identifying the supreme eleventh principle as the infinite Self and explaining how reasoning from karma supports recognition of the kṣetrajña.