Shloka 39
अव्यक्तकालमान-निर्णयः
Measures of Time from the Unmanifest; Creation, Elements, and the Primacy of Mind
साध्या ऊचु. केनायमावृतो लोक: केन वा न प्रकाशते । केन त्यजति मित्राणि केन स्वर्ग न गच्छति
sādhyā ūcuḥ | kenāyam āvṛto lokaḥ? kena vā na prakāśate? kena tyajati mitrāṇi? kena svargaṃ na gacchati? |
เหล่าสาธยะถามว่า “โอ้หงส์ โลกนี้ถูกปกคลุมด้วยสิ่งใด? ด้วยเหตุใดสภาวะแท้จริงจึงไม่ปรากฏสว่างไสว? มนุษย์ละทิ้งมิตรด้วยเหตุใด? และด้วยโทษใดจึงไปไม่ถึงสวรรค์?”
हंस उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames a moral inquiry: the same inner forces that obscure reality also damage relationships and block higher attainments. It sets up a teaching that ignorance and ethical faults (such as delusion, attachment, greed, anger, or deceit—depending on the ensuing reply) veil the world, disrupt friendship, and prevent the fruits of merit like Svarga.
In Śānti Parva’s didactic setting, the celestial Sādhyas question Haṃsa (the ‘swan’ sage figure) with four linked questions about the causes of delusion, lack of clarity, betrayal of friends, and failure to attain heaven—inviting a concise ethical-philosophical answer.