Mahabharata — Ashvamedhika Parva, Shloka 31

Adhyāya 51: Kṛṣṇa’s Leave-Taking and Departure for Dvārakā (द्वारकागमनानुमति)

Devanagari script

कर्मणा जायते जन्तुर्मूर्तिमान्‌ू षोडशात्मक: । पुरुषं ग्रसते5विद्या तद्‌ ग्राह्मममृताशिनाम्‌

Transliteration

karmaṇā jāyate jantur mūrtimān ṣoḍaśātmakaḥ | puruṣaṃ grasate 'vidyā tad grāhyam amṛtāśinām ||

Translation

ਕਰਮ ਨਾਲ ਜੀਵ ਜਨਮ ਲੈਂਦਾ ਹੈ ਅਤੇ ਸੋਲ੍ਹਾਂ ਤੱਤਾਂ ਨਾਲ ਬਣੀ ਥੂਲ ਦੇਹ ਧਾਰਨ ਕਰਦਾ ਹੈ। ਅਵਿਦਿਆ ਪੁਰੁਸ਼ ਨੂੰ ਲਗਾਤਾਰ ਗ੍ਰਸਦੀ ਰਹਿੰਦੀ ਹੈ; ਅਤੇ ਉਹ ਅੰਮ੍ਰਿਤ-ਭੋਜੀ ਦੇਵਤਿਆਂ ਲਈ ਵੀ ‘ਗ੍ਰਾਹ੍ਯ’—ਅਰਥਾਤ ਉਨ੍ਹਾਂ ਦੇ ਵੱਸ—ਹੋ ਜਾਂਦਾ ਹੈ।

Word by Word

• {'karmaṇā': 'by action

• through karma (often implying desire-motivated acts here)', 'jāyate': 'is born

• comes into existence', 'jantuḥ': 'living being

• embodied soul in saṃsāra', 'mūrtimān': 'having form

• possessing a tangible body', 'ṣoḍaśa-ātmakaḥ': 'consisting of sixteen constituents (a doctrinal count of bodily/psychic factors)', 'puruṣam': 'the person

• the embodied self', 'grasate': 'devours

• overpowers', 'avidyā': 'ignorance

• misapprehension of the Self', 'tad': 'that

• such a one/that condition', 'grāhyam': 'to be grasped/seized

• an object of control or enjoyment', 'amṛta-āśinām': 'of those who eat/drink nectar

Speaker

वायुदेव उवाच

Characters & Entities

• वायुदेव (Vāyudeva)
• अविद्या (Avidyā)
• अमृताशिन् (Amṛtāśin, the immortals/devas)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Desire-driven action leads to repeated embodiment; ignorance dominates the embodied person, making them subject to forces beyond their control. Freedom requires overcoming avidyā and transcending binding karma.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vāyudeva delivers a doctrinal instruction: he explains how karma results in rebirth into a formed body (described as sixteenfold) and how ignorance keeps the person bound, even rendering them an object of higher beings’ enjoyment or control.