Shloka 93
नारद–शुक संवादः
Impermanence, Svabhāva, and Śuka’s Resolve for Yoga
नरेन्द्र! अत: सब ओरसे ज्ञान प्राप्त करनेका ही प्रयत्न करना चाहिये। यह तो मैं तुमसे बता ही चुका हूँ कि सभी वर्णोके लोग अपने-अपने आश्रममें रहते हुए ही ज्ञान प्राप्त कर सकते हैं; अतः जो ब्राह्मण ज्ञानमें स्थित है अथवा जो दूसरे वर्णका मनुष्य भी ज्ञाननिष्ठ है
narendra! ataḥ sarva-ore jñāna-prāptiṃ kartum eva prayatnaḥ kartavyaḥ. etat tu mayā tubhyaṃ pūrvam eva kathitam—sarve varṇāḥ sva-svāśrame sthitvā jñānaṃ prāptuṃ śaknuvanti; ataḥ yaḥ brāhmaṇaḥ jñāne sthitaḥ, athavā yaḥ anyavarṇīyaḥ api jñāna-niṣṭhaḥ, tasya nityaṃ mokṣa-prāptiḥ proktā. yat te pṛṣṭaṃ tan mayā copadiṣṭaṃ yāthātathyaṃ; tad viśoko bhavasva. rājan, gacchasva etad-arthasya pāraṃ; samyak proktaṃ; svasti te tv astu nityam.
नरेन्द्र! अतः सर्वतो ज्ञानलाभाय प्रयतितव्यम्। सर्वे वर्णा स्वस्वाश्रमे स्थित्वैव ज्ञानं लभन्ते; तस्माद् यो ब्राह्मणो ज्ञाननिष्ठो यो वा अन्यवर्णोऽपि ज्ञाननिष्ठः, तस्य नित्यं मोक्षः कथ्यते ॥ यत् ते पृष्टं तन्मया चोपदिष्टं याथातथ्यं तद्विशोको भवस्व । राजन् गच्छस्वैतदर्थस्य पारं सम्यक् प्रोक्तं स्वस्ति ते त्वस्तु नित्यम् ॥
याज़्वल्क्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
Liberating knowledge (jñāna) is the decisive means to mokṣa, and it is accessible to people of all varṇas when they live rightly within their own āśrama; steadfastness in knowledge, not mere social identity, is what is praised as leading to enduring liberation.
Yājñavalkya concludes his instruction to the king: he affirms that he has answered the king’s question truthfully, urges him to become free from grief, and sends him forth with a blessing to internalize the teaching and reach the ‘far shore’ of its meaning.