Shloka 1
Śuka–Janaka Saṃvāda: Āśrama-krama, Jñāna-vijñāna, and the Marks of Liberation (शुक-जनक संवादः)
अफ-#-राज त्रयोदशाधिकत्रिशततमो< ध्याय: अध्यात्म
yājñavalkya uvāca | pādāv adhyātmam ity āhur brāhmaṇās tattvadarśinaḥ | gantavyam adhibhūtaṃ ca viṣṇus tatrādhidaivatam ||
యాజ్ఞవల్క్యుడు పలికెను—రాజా! తత్త్వదర్శి బ్రాహ్మణులు చెప్పునది: రెండు పాదములు అధ్యాత్మము; చేరవలసిన గమ్యము అధిభూతము; అక్కడ విష్ణువే అధిదైవతము।
याज़्वल्क्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse presents a threefold interpretive framework: adhyātma (inner/self-related), adhibhūta (the embodied/material field), and adhidaivata (the presiding divine principle). It maps ‘feet’ to the inner dimension, the ‘destination’ to the field of beings/objects, and identifies Viṣṇu as the divine presider over that domain—linking spiritual practice, worldly reality, and divine governance into one coherent view.
In Śānti Parva’s instructional setting, the sage Yājñavalkya addresses a king and conveys what truth-seeing Brahmins teach. He explains how to understand key terms (adhyātma, adhibhūta, adhidaivata) through symbolic correspondences, guiding the listener toward a disciplined, theologically grounded understanding of reality.