Shloka 54

अव्यक्त-गुण-पुरुषविवेकः | Avyakta, Guṇas, and Discrimination of Puruṣa

Devanagari script

अक्षर: क्षरमात्मानमबुद्धिस्त्वभिमन्यते

Transliteration

akṣaraḥ kṣaram ātmānam abuddhis tv abhimanyate |

Translation

Wika ni Vasiṣṭha: Ang Sariling Di-nasisira (akṣara) ay napagkakamalang nasisira (kṣara) ng pag-unawang walang pagkilatis. Kahit hindi nag-aayuno o nagtatapa, iniisip ng tao na siya’y isang asceta; kahit hindi lumalakad saanman, iniisip niyang siya’y manlalakbay. Bagaman malaya sa pagkakabuhol sa sanlibutan, inaakala niyang siya’y makamundo; bagaman tunay na walang takot, iniisip niyang siya’y natatakot. Kaya, bagaman siya’y akṣara, iniisip niyang siya’y kṣara; at bagaman lampas sa abot ng talino, ipinagmamalaki pa rin niyang siya’y matalino—ito ang pagkakamaling etikal na bunga ng pagkalito tungkol sa Sarili.

Word by Word

• अक्षरम्: the imperishable (Self)
• अक्षरम्: Karma
• Type: Noun/Adjective
• Root: अक्षर
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• क्षरम्: perishable
• क्षरम्: Karma
• Type: Noun/Adjective
• Root: क्षर
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• आत्मानम्: the self
• आत्मानम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: आत्मन्
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• अबुद्धिः: non-intelligence; ignorance
• अबुद्धिः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: अ-बुद्धि
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

• तु: but
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु

• अभिमन्यते: thinks/imagines (to be)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अभि+मन्
• Form: Present, 3rd, Singular, Atmanepada

Speaker

वसिष्ठ उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vasiṣṭha
• Ātman (Self)
• Akṣara
• Kṣara

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Misidentification is the root ethical and spiritual error: the imperishable Self is wrongly taken as perishable, leading to false self-images (ascetic, traveler, worldly, fearful) and pride in intellect even when the Self transcends intellect.

What is happening in the narrative?

In Śānti Parva’s instruction on peace and liberation, Vasiṣṭha explains how delusion (abuddhi) makes one superimpose changing attributes onto the Self, producing contradictory self-conceptions and bondage in saṃsāra.