Shloka 2

जनकस्य मोक्षमार्गप्रश्नः तथा पञ्चशिखोपदेश-प्रस्तावः | Janaka’s Path to Liberation: Prelude to Pañcaśikha’s Instruction

Devanagari script

यथाश्व॒त्थकणीकायामन्तर्भूतो महाद्रुम: । निष्पन्नो दृश्यते व्यक्तमव्यक्तात्‌ सम्भवस्तथा

Transliteration

yathāśvatthakaṇīkāyām antarbhūto mahādrumaḥ | niṣpanno dṛśyate vyaktam avyaktāt sambhavas tathā ||

Translation

భీష్ముడు పలికెను—అశ్వత్థ (రావి) యొక్క అతి చిన్న విత్తనములో ఒక మహావృక్షము అవ్యక్తరూపముగా అంతర్భూతమై ఉండి, మొలకెత్తినపుడు అదే వ్యక్తమై స్పష్టముగా కనబడునట్లు—అలాగే అవ్యక్తమునుండి వ్యక్త జగత్తు ఉద్భవించును.

Word by Word

• यथा: just as
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा

• अश्वत्थकणीकायाम्: in the (small) seed of the aśvattha (peepal)
• अश्वत्थकणीकायाम्: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: अश्वत्थकणिका
• Form: Feminine, Locative, Singular

• अन्तर्भूतः: contained within, included
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अन्तर्भूत
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• महाद्रुमः: the great tree
• महाद्रुमः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: महाद्रुम
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• निष्पन्नः: having come forth, produced
• Type: Adjective
• Root: निष्पन्न
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• दृश्यते: is seen, appears
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश्
• Form: Present, Atmanepada (passive sense), Third, Singular

• व्यक्तम्: clearly, manifestly
• Type: Adjective
• Root: व्यक्त
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• अव्यक्तात्: from the unmanifest
• अव्यक्तात्: Apadana
• Type: Noun
• Root: अव्यक्त
• Form: Neuter, Ablative, Singular

• सम्भवः: origin, coming-into-being
• सम्भवः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: सम्भव
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• तथा: so, likewise
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhīṣma
• aśvattha (sacred fig tree)
• seed (kaṇīkā)
• great tree (mahādruma)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The visible, differentiated world (vyakta) emerges from an unseen, subtle source (avyakta), just as a vast tree is present in potential within a minute seed and becomes perceptible only when it develops.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on higher principles, Bhīṣma explains to his listener a metaphysical point about origination, using a concrete natural analogy (seed and tree) to clarify how the manifest arises from the unmanifest.