Shloka 29
अव्यक्त-गुण-पुरुषविवेकः | Avyakta, Guṇas, and Discrimination of Puruṣa
इस प्रकार आत्मा प्रकृतिके द्वारा अपने ही स्वरूपके अनेक विभाग करता है। वह कभी स्वाहा, कभी स्वधा, कभी वषट्कार और कभी नमस्कारमें प्रवृत्त होता है ।। याजनाध्यापन दान तथैवाहु: प्रतिग्रहम् । यजनाध्ययने चैव यच्चान्यदपि किंचन
iti prakāreṇa ātmā prakṛtyā svasyā eva svarūpasya anekān vibhāgān karoti | sa kadācid svāhāyāṃ kadācid svadhāyāṃ kadācid vaṣaṭkāre kadācid namaskāre ca pravartate || yājanādhyāpana-dānaṃ tathaivāhuḥ pratigraham | yajanādhyayane caiva yac cānyad api kiṃcana ||
एवं आत्मा प्रकृत्या स्वस्यैव स्वरूपस्य नानाविभागान् करोति। स कदाचित् स्वाहेति, कदाचित् स्वधेति, कदाचित् वषट्कार इति, कदाचित् नमस्काररूपेण प्रवर्तते॥ याजनाध्यापनं दानं तथैव प्रतिग्रहम्। यजनाध्ययने चैव यच्चान्यदपि किंचन॥
वसिष्ठ उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that the one Self appears to act in many different ways—ritual utterances, worship, teaching, giving, receiving—because it operates through Prakṛti and social-religious duties. Multiplicity belongs to functional expression, not to the essential unity of the Self.
Vasiṣṭha is instructing his listener in a reflective, dharma-oriented discourse: he lists ritual formulas and standard duties (sacrifice, study, teaching, charity, accepting gifts) to illustrate how a single inner principle seems divided into many roles within Vedic life.