Shloka 3
अव्यक्त-प्रबोधः (Awakening to the Unmanifest): The 25th and 26th Principles and Eligibility for Brahma-vidyā
पराशर उवाच एवमेतन्महाराज येन जात: स एव सः | तपसस्त्वपकर्षेण जातिग्रहणतां गत:
Parāśara uvāca: evam etan mahārāja yena jātaḥ sa eva saḥ | tapasas tv apakarṣeṇa jātigrahaṇatāṁ gataḥ ||
Парашара сказал: «Так и есть, о великий царь: природа существа соответствует источнику, от которого оно рождено. Но когда ослабевают аскеза и духовная дисциплина, люди оказываются отнесены к более низким состояниям и словно “принимают на себя” низший статус рождения.»
पराशर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Parāśara affirms that one’s nature aligns with one’s origin, but adds an ethical warning: when tapas (discipline and spiritual effort) diminishes, people fall into inferior conditions and become identified with lower birth-status. The verse links moral/spiritual decline with social degradation.
Parāśara addresses the king and clarifies a point about birth and identity: while it is generally true that a being reflects its source, the decline of austerity alters outcomes, leading to the acquisition of lower social classification. It functions as an explanatory remark within a broader dharma discussion in Śānti Parva.