Shloka 31

अव्यक्त–पुरुष–विवेकः (Discrimination of Avyakta/Prakṛti and Puruṣa) — Yājñavalkya’s Anvīkṣikī to Viśvāvasu

Devanagari script

यस्माद्‌ यदभिजायेत तत्‌ तत्रैव प्रलीयते । लीयन्ते प्रतिलोमानि सृज्यन्ते चान्तरात्मना,जो तत्त्व जिससे उत्पन्न होता है, वह उसीमें लीन भी होता है। अनुलोमक्रमसे उन तत्त्वोंकी उत्पत्ति होती है (जैसे प्रकृतिसे महत्तत्त्व, महत्तत््वसे अहंकार, अहंकारसे सूक्ष्म भूत आदिके कमसे सृष्टि होती है); परंतु उनका संहार विलोमक्रमसे होता है (अर्थात्‌ पृथ्वीका जलमें, जलका तेजमें और तेजका वायुमें लय होता है। इस तरह सभी तत्त्व अपने-अपने कारणमें लीन होते हैं)। ये सभी तत्त्व अन्तरात्माद्वारा ही रचे जाते हैं

Transliteration

vasistha uvāca | yasmād yad abhijāyeta tat tatraiva pralīyate | līyante pratilomāni sṛjyante cāntarātmanā ||

Translation

यस्माद् यदभिजायेत तत् तत्रैव प्रलीयते। लीयन्ते प्रतिलोमानि सृज्यन्ते चान्तरात्मना॥

Word by Word

यस्मात्from which

यत्whatever/that which

अभिजायेतmight arise/be born

तत्that (same thing)

तत्रthere/in that (cause)

एवindeed/only

प्रलीयतेdissolves/merges

लीयन्तेdissolve/merge

प्रतिलोमानिin reverse order (things/steps)

सृज्यन्तेare created

चand

अन्तरात्मनाby the inner Self

Speaker

वसिष्ठ उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vasiṣṭha

antarātman (Inner Self)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Whatever arises from a cause returns to that same cause; creation proceeds in a forward sequence, while dissolution happens in reverse, and the entire process is governed by the Inner Self. This supports a disciplined, detached understanding of worldly change.

What is happening in the narrative?

In Śānti Parva’s instructional setting, the sage Vasiṣṭha delivers a philosophical explanation of cosmic emanation and reabsorption, shifting the focus from external events to inner knowledge and the order underlying existence.