Shloka 23

Devanagari script

सर्वभूतात्मभूतस्य विभोर्भूतहितस्य च । देवा5पि मार्गे मुहान्ति अपदस्य पदैषिण:,जो सम्पूर्ण प्राणियोंका आत्मा होकर सब प्राणियोंके हितमें लगा हुआ है, जिसका अपना कोई स्पष्ट मार्ग नहीं है तथा जो ब्रह्मपदको प्राप्त करना चाहता है, उस समर्थ ज्ञानयोगीके मार्गकी खोज करनेमें देवता भी मोहित हो जाते हैं

Transliteration

sarvabhūtātmabhūtasya vibhor bhūtahitasya ca | devā api mārge muhyanti apadasya padaiṣiṇaḥ ||

Translation

సర్వభూతాల ఆత్మగా నిలిచిన, సమర్థుడైన, సమస్త జీవుల హితంలో నిమగ్నుడైన, స్థిరమైన అడుగుజాడలు లేని మార్గంతో నడిచే, బ్రహ్మపదాన్ని కోరుకునే ఆ జ్ఞానయోగి మార్గాన్ని అన్వేషించబోతే దేవతలకూ మోహం కలుగుతుంది।

Word by Word

सर्वभूतात्मभूतस्यof (him) who has become the Self of all beings

विभोःof the all-pervading/sovereign one

भूतहितस्यof (him) devoted to the welfare of beings

चand

देवाःthe gods

अपिeven/also

मार्गेin the path/way

मुह्यन्तिare deluded/confused

अपदस्यof the trackless/without a (fixed) path

पदैषिणःseekers of the (supreme) state/footing

Speaker

व्यास उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vyāsa

devāḥ (the gods)

sarvabhūta (all beings)

Brahman (implied by 'pada' as the supreme state)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The realized jñāna-yogin, established as the Self of all beings and working for universal welfare, moves in a ‘trackless’ way that cannot be fully mapped by conventional rules or even by divine perception; liberation is not a merely external route but an inward realization culminating in Brahman.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on dharma and liberation, Vyāsa describes the extraordinary status of the perfected yogin: even the gods, who are normally guides and witnesses, become confused when attempting to discern the yogin’s true path and inner state.