Shloka 2

ब्रह्मघोष-प्रवर्तनम्, अनध्याय-नियमः, वायु-मार्ग-वर्णनम्

Restoring Vedic Recitation, the Anadhyaya Rule, and the Taxonomy of Winds

Devanagari script

गुणैहिं गुणवानेव निर्गुणश्वागुणस्तथा । प्राहुरेवं महात्मानो मुनयस्तत्त्वदर्शिन:,तत्त्वदर्शी महात्मा मुनि कहते हैं, जिसका गुणोंके साथ सम्पर्क है, वह गुणवान्‌ है तथा जो गुणोंके संसर्गसे रहित है, वह निर्गुण कहलाता है

Transliteration

guṇaiḥ hi guṇavān eva nirguṇaś ca aguṇas tathā | prāhur evaṁ mahātmāno munayas tattvadarśinaḥ ||

Translation

తత్త్వదర్శి మహాత్మ మునులు ఇలా ప్రకటిస్తారు—గుణాలతో సంసర్గమున్నవాడు ‘గుణవాన్’; గుణసంసర్గం లేనివాడు ‘నిర్గుణుడు’ అని పిలువబడతాడు.

Word by Word

गुणैःby/with qualities

हिindeed/for

गुणवान्possessed of qualities

एवonly/indeed

निर्गुणःwithout qualities

चand

अगुणःwithout qualities

तथाthus/so

प्राहुःthey said/declare

एवम्thus/in this manner

महात्मानःgreat-souled ones

मुनयःsages

तत्त्वदर्शिनःseers of truth/reality

Speaker

याज़्वल्क्य उवाच

Characters & Entities

Yājñavalkya

mahātmānaḥ (great-souled sages)

munayaḥ (sages)

tattvadarśinaḥ (truth-seers)

guṇas (sattva-rajas-tamas, implied)

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?

A person is termed guṇavān when bound up with the guṇas (the qualities of nature), and termed nirguṇa/aguṇa when free from their association. The verse frames liberation as dis-identification from prakṛti’s qualities.

What is happening in the narrative?

In Śānti Parva’s instruction-oriented setting, Yājñavalkya cites the verdict of truth-seeing sages, offering a concise doctrinal definition that supports the broader discourse on peace, renunciation, and the path to inner freedom.