Shloka 20
मृत्योर्ब्रह्मणा नियोजनम् — The Commissioning of Mṛtyu by Brahmā
समाहित परे तत्त्वे क्षीणकाममवस्थितम् । सर्वत: सुखमन्वेति वपुश्चान्द्रमसं यथा
samāhitaḥ pare tattve kṣīṇakāmam avasthitam | sarvataḥ sukham anveti vapuś cāndramasaṃ yathā ||
समाहिते परे तत्त्वे क्षीणकाममवस्थितम् । सर्वतः सुखमन्वेति वपुश्चान्द्रमसं यथा ॥
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
When the mind is steadily absorbed in the highest Truth and desire has been extinguished, happiness naturally grows in a complete and unobstructed way—like the moon waxing in the bright fortnight. The verse links ethical purification (freedom from craving) with contemplative stability (samādhi-like composure).
In the instruction-heavy Shānti Parva, Vyāsa states a general principle about spiritual attainment: the person established in the supreme Reality, having destroyed desires, experiences ever-increasing well-being, illustrated through the familiar image of the waxing moon.