Shloka 12
Śuka–Janaka Saṃvāda: Āśrama-krama, Jñāna-vijñāna, and the Marks of Liberation (शुक-जनक संवादः)
शास्त्रज्ञाननिपुण विद्वान् कहते हैं कि मन अध्यात्म है, मन्तव्य अधिभूत है और चन्द्रमा अधिदेवता हैं ।। अहंकारिकमध्यात्ममाहुस्तत्त्वनिदर्शिन: । अभिमानो<धिभूत॑ तु रुद्रश्नात्राधिदिवतम्,तत्त्वदर्शी पुरुषोंका कथन है कि अहंकार अध्यात्म है, अभिमान अधिभूत है और रुद्र अधिदेवता हैं
ahaṅkārikam adhyātmam āhus tattvanidarśinaḥ | abhimāno 'dhibhūtaṃ tu rudraś cātrādhidaivatam ||
अहंकारिकमध्यात्ममाहुस्तत्त्वनिदर्शिनः । अभिमानोऽधिभूतं तु रुद्रश्चाधिदैवतम् ॥
याज़्वल्क्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse maps experience into a threefold framework: the inner subjective factor (adhyātma) identified here with ego-sense (ahaṅkāra), the objective field (adhibhūta) identified with self-appropriating identification (abhimāna) as it operates toward things, and the presiding divine principle (adhidaivata) identified with Rudra. The ethical implication is discernment: by separating inner ‘I’-making from outer objects and recognizing a higher governing order, one reduces confusion and attachment.
In Śānti Parva’s instructional setting, Yājñavalkya is presenting a doctrinal classification used to interpret mind, self-sense, and their cosmic correspondences. The teaching is not a battle episode but a contemplative exposition aimed at stabilizing understanding and conduct after the war, guiding the listener toward clarity about self and reality.