Shloka 37

Adhyāya 302: Guṇa-vicāra, Gati-bheda, and the Imperishable State

Yājñavalkya–Janaka

Devanagari script

महांश्वैवाग्रजो नित्यमेतत्‌ क्षरनिदर्शनम्‌ | कथितं ते महाराज यन्मां त्वं परिपृच्छसि

Transliteration

mahāṁś caivāgrajo nityam etat kṣara-nidarśanam | kathitaṁ te mahārāja yan māṁ tvaṁ paripṛcchasi ||

Translation

ਵਸਿਸ਼ਠ ਨੇ ਆਖਿਆ—ਖ਼ਰ ਦਾ ਇਹ ਲੱਛਣ ਸਦਾ ਯਾਦ ਰੱਖੋ: ਖ਼ਰ-ਤੱਤਾਂ ਵਿੱਚ ‘ਮਹਤ’ ਤੱਤ ਹੀ ਪਹਿਲਾਂ ਜਨਮਿਆ। ਹੇ ਮਹਾਰਾਜ! ਤੁਸੀਂ ਜੋ ਮੈਨੂੰ ਪੁੱਛਿਆ ਸੀ, ਉਸ ਅਨੁਸਾਰ ਮੈਂ ਖ਼ਰ-ਅਖ਼ਰ ਦਾ ਵਿਸ਼ਾ ਤੁਹਾਡੇ ਸਾਹਮਣੇ ਰੱਖਿਆ ਹੈ।

Word by Word

• {'mahān (mahat-tattva)': 'the ‘Great’ principle

• primordial intellect/cosmic intelligence, first evolute in Sāṅkhya-style cosmology', 'agrajaḥ': 'first-born

• earliest produced', 'nityam': 'always

• constantly (to be kept in mind)', 'etat': 'this', 'kṣara': 'perishable

• that which undergoes change/decay', 'nidarśanam': 'mark, characteristic sign, definition by indication', 'kathitam': 'told, explained', 'te': 'to you', 'mahārāja': 'O great king', 'yat': 'which

• what', 'mām': 'me', 'tvam': 'you', 'paripṛcchasi': 'you ask

Speaker

वसिष्ठ उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vasiṣṭha
• Mahārāja (the king, unnamed here)
• Mahat (Mahattattva)
• Kṣara
• Akṣara

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The perishable realm (kṣara) is identified by origination and change; its first manifest principle is Mahat (cosmic intellect). Remembering this helps distinguish mutable phenomena from the imperishable (akṣara).

What is happening in the narrative?

Vasiṣṭha concludes a response to the king’s inquiry, summarizing the defining sign of kṣara and stating that he has explained the doctrine of kṣara and akṣara as requested.