Shloka 3

Devanagari script

प्रध्वस्ता न निवर्तन्ते प्रवृत्तिनोपलभ्यते । एवमेके व्यवस्यन्ति निवृत्तिरिति चापरे,किन्हींका मत है कि तत्त्वज्ञानसे जब गुणोंका नाश कर दिया जाता है, तब भी वे सर्वथा नष्ट नहीं होते; किंतु तत्त्वज्ञके लिये उनकी उपलब्धि नहीं होती अर्थात्‌ उसका उनसे सम्बन्ध नहीं रहता। दूसरे लोग मानते हैं कि उनकी सर्वथा निवृत्ति हो जाती है अर्थात्‌ उनका अस्तित्त्व नहीं रहता

Transliteration

pradhvastā na nivartante pravṛttir nopalabhyate | evam eke vyavasyanti nivṛttir iti cāpare ||

Translation

व्यास उवाच—प्रध्वस्ता न निवर्तन्ते, प्रवृत्तिर्नोपलभ्यते—इति केचिद् व्यवस्यन्ति। निवृत्तिरिति चापरे—सर्वथा निवृत्तिं मन्यन्ते, यथा तेषामस्तित्वमेव न भवेत्॥

Word by Word

प्रध्वस्ताःdestroyed, annihilated

नnot

निवर्तन्तेthey cease/return (i.e., withdraw)

प्रवृत्तिःactivity, manifestation

नnot

उपलभ्यतेis obtained/perceived

एवम्thus

एकेsome (people)

व्यवस्यन्तिdecide/maintain (as a doctrine)

निवृत्तिःcessation, withdrawal

इतिthus (quotative)

चand

अपरेothers

Speaker

व्यास उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vyāsa

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 contrasts two philosophical conclusions about liberation: (1) the guṇas may continue to exist in some sense, but for the realized person they are not apprehended and no longer bind; (2) alternatively, liberation is understood as complete nivṛtti—total cessation—where the guṇas are held to have no remaining existence.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the didactic discourse of Śānti Parva, Vyāsa reports differing viewpoints among thinkers regarding the fate of the guṇas after the rise of tattva-jñāna (knowledge of reality), framing a doctrinal debate about whether liberation is non-apprehension/disconnection or absolute cessation.