Shloka 9

Devanagari script

केवलं पज्चविंशं च चतुर्विशं न पश्यति । बुध्यमानो यदा55त्मानमन्यो5हमिति मन्यते

Transliteration

kevalaṁ pañcaviṁśaṁ ca caturviṁśaṁ na paśyati | budhyamāno yadātmānam anyo 'ham iti manyate ||

Translation

Vasiṣṭha disse: Quando alguém começa a despertar para o entendimento, já não percebe de fato o vigésimo quarto e o vigésimo quinto princípios como eles são; em vez disso, cai na noção: “Eu sou alguém outro (que o Si mesmo)”. Assim surge a identificação equivocada, e a clareza ética se perde, porque o conhecedor toma o Si mesmo por uma identidade estranha ou separada.

Word by Word

केवलम्only, merely

पञ्चविंशम्the twenty-fifth (principle/entity)

चand

चतुर्विंशम्the twenty-fourth (principle/entity)

नnot

पश्यतिsees

बुध्यमानःawakening, becoming aware

यदाwhen

आत्मानम्the self

अन्यःanother, different

अहम्I

इतिthus (quotative)

मन्यतेthinks, considers

Speaker

वसिष्ठ उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vasiṣṭha

Ātman

caturviṁśati-tattva (24 principles)

pañcaviṁśa-tattva (25th principle)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse warns that even when one begins to ‘wake up’ intellectually, one may still fail to discern the true distinction between the 24 principles (the psycho-physical field) and the 25th (the witnessing Self). The error is the thought “I am other,” i.e., misidentifying the Self as a separate ego-entity, which sustains ignorance and undermines right conduct.

What is happening in the narrative?

In Śānti Parva’s instruction-oriented setting, Vasiṣṭha speaks as a teacher, using Sāṅkhya-style categories (24/25 tattvas) to diagnose a subtle confusion in seekers: partial awakening can still leave one trapped in dualistic self-notions, preventing direct insight into the Self.