Shloka 7
Adhyāya 33: Brāhmaṇa-Upadeśa on Buddhi, Āśrama-Forms, and Inner Freedom
बुद्ध्यायं गम्यते मार्ग: शरीरेण न गम्यते । आद्यन्तवन्ति कर्माणि शरीरं कर्मबन्धनम्
buddhyāyaṁ gamyate mārgaḥ śarīreṇa na gamyate | ādyantavanti karmāṇi śarīraṁ karmabandhanam ||
ਬ੍ਰਾਹਮਣ ਨੇ ਆਖਿਆ—ਇਹ ਮਾਰਗ ਬੁੱਧੀ ਨਾਲ ਹੀ ਪ੍ਰਾਪਤ ਹੁੰਦਾ ਹੈ; ਸਰੀਰ ਨਾਲ ਨਹੀਂ। ਕਰਮਾਂ ਦਾ ਆਰੰਭ ਵੀ ਹੁੰਦਾ ਹੈ ਤੇ ਅੰਤ ਵੀ; ਅਤੇ ਸਰੀਰ ਹੀ ਕਰਮ-ਬੰਧਨ ਦੀ ਰੱਸੀ ਹੈ।
ब्राह्मण उवाच
Educational Q&A
Liberation is approached through buddhi—clear discernment and inner understanding—rather than through bodily exertion or mere physical/ritual performance. Since actions are finite and produce binding results, identification with the body keeps one tied to karma.
In Ashvamedhika Parva, a Brahmin speaker delivers an instructive reflection: he contrasts the inward path of understanding with outward, bodily means, emphasizing that embodied action tends to generate karmic bondage and thus cannot by itself lead to the highest goal.