Shloka 26
अध्यात्म-तत्त्व-निर्णयः
Adhyātma Taxonomy: Elements, Faculties, and Guṇas
न तदूर्ध्व न तिर्यक् च नाधो न च पुनः पुनः । न मध्ये प्रतिगृहल्लीते नैव किंचित् कुतश्चन
na tad ūrdhva na tiryak ca nādho na ca punaḥ punaḥ | na madhye pratigṛhallīte naiva kiṃcit kutaścana ||
ਉਸ ਅਵਸਥਾ ਵਿੱਚ ਉਹ ਨਾ ਉੱਪਰ ਹੈ, ਨਾ ਪਾਸੇ/ਤਿਰਛਾ, ਨਾ ਹੇਠਾਂ; ਅਤੇ ਨਾ ਹੀ ਉਹ ਮੁੜ ਮੁੜ ਆਉਂਦੀ ਹੈ। ‘ਵਿਚਕਾਰ ਪਈ ਕੋਈ ਚੀਜ਼’ ਸਮਝ ਕੇ ਉਸ ਨੂੰ ਫੜਿਆ ਨਹੀਂ ਜਾ ਸਕਦਾ। ਅਸਲ ਵਿੱਚ ਉਹ ਕਿਤੇ ਤੋਂ ਵੀ ਲੈਣ-ਯੋਗ ਕੋਈ ਵਸਤੂ ਨਹੀਂ।
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse points to an ultimate reality or liberated state that cannot be located in space (above/below/sideways/middle) and cannot be grasped as an object. It is beyond ordinary categories of direction, place, and repeated occurrence, emphasizing transcendence and non-objectifiability.
In Śānti Parva’s instruction on peace and liberation, Vyāsa articulates a contemplative teaching: the highest truth is not something one can ‘take’ or ‘find’ in any particular region or position. The passage functions as a philosophical clarification within the broader discourse on dharma and mokṣa.