Shloka 21
अव्यक्त–प्रकृति–इन्द्रियविचारः
The Unmanifest, Prakṛtis, and the Sense-Complex
यथा मृणालानुगतमाशु मुज्चति कर्दमम् । तथा55त्मा पुरुषस्येह मनसा परिमुच्यते
yathā mṛṇālānugataṃ āśu muñcati kardamam | tathā ātmā puruṣasyeha manasā parimucyate ||
यथा मृणालानुगतमाशु मुञ्चति कर्दमम् । तथा आत्मा पुरुषस्येह मनसा परिमुच्यते ॥
पराशर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that liberation from worldly bondage is achieved through the mind: when the mind is oriented toward renunciation and non-attachment, the self becomes free, just as mud easily washes off a lotus-stalk. The emphasis is on inner purification and deliberate letting-go rather than external change alone.
Parāśara is instructing his listener using a vivid natural simile. He compares saṃsāric impurity (mud) that clings to a person to mud on a lotus-stalk, and explains that disciplined mental detachment can remove bondage swiftly, highlighting the Shānti Parva’s focus on peace, ethics, and liberation.