Mahabharata 3.2.71 — Vana Parva, Adhyaya 2, Shloka 71
ब्राह्मणानुयात्रा—शौनकोपदेशः
Brāhmaṇas Follow into Exile and Śaunaka’s Instruction
एवं पतति संसारे तासु तास्विह योनिषु । अविद्याकर्मतृष्णाभि भ्राम्यमाणो5थ चक्रवत्,इस प्रकार अविद्या, कर्म और तृष्णाद्वारा चक्रकी भाँति भ्रमण करता हुआ मनुष्य संसारकी विभिन्न योनियोंमें गिरता है
evaṁ patati saṁsāre tāsu tāsv iha yoniṣu | avidyā-karma-tṛṣṇābhiḥ bhrāmyamāṇo ’tha cakravat ||
Assim, neste ciclo da existência mundana, o homem—rodopiado como uma roda pela ignorância, pelo ímpeto dos atos e pelo desejo—cai repetidas vezes de um ventre a outro, renascendo sem cessar em formas diversas.
शौनक उवाच
Educational Q&A
Ignorance (avidyā), the binding force of past actions (karma), and craving (tṛṣṇā) together keep a person revolving in saṁsāra, leading to repeated births in various wombs. Ethical self-restraint and right knowledge are implied as the antidotes to this compulsive cycle.
Śaunaka states a general doctrinal point: the human being, driven by ignorance, action, and desire, wanders like a wheel and repeatedly falls into different forms of birth. The verse functions as reflective instruction rather than describing a specific event.
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