Shloka 7
नारद–शुक संवादः (Nārada–Śuka Dialogue): Tyāga, Saṃyama, and Vyakta–Avyakta Viveka
वेदेषु चाष्टगुणिनं योगमाहुर्मनीषिण: । सूक्ष्ममष्टगुणं प्राहुनेंतरं नृपसत्तम
vedeṣu cāṣṭaguṇinaṃ yogam āhur manīṣiṇaḥ | sūkṣmam aṣṭaguṇaṃ prāhur na itaraṃ nṛpasattama ||
Sinabi ni Yājñavalkya: “O pinakadakilang hari, ipinahahayag ng marurunong na sa mga Veda ay may dalawang anyo ng yoga—isang ‘walong-bahagi’ sa magaspang na diwa at isang ‘walong-bahagi’ sa maselang diwa. Ang magaspang na yoga’y sinasabing nagbubunga ng walong pambihirang pagtatamo gaya ng aṇimā at iba pa; ngunit ang maselang yoga lamang ang tunay na walong-sangay—binubuo ng yama, niyama, āsana, prāṇāyāma, pratyāhāra, dhāraṇā, dhyāna, at samādhi. Wala nang iba ang dapat tawaging walong-bahaging yoga.”
याज़्ञवल्क्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse distinguishes two ‘eightfold’ yogas: a gross form associated with attaining the eight siddhis (like aṇimā), and a subtle form identified as the true eight-limbed discipline (yama through samādhi). It implicitly prioritizes inner ethical-meditative transformation over the pursuit of powers.
In Śānti Parva’s instructional setting, Yājñavalkya addresses a king and clarifies competing notions of ‘eightfold yoga,’ steering the listener away from power-oriented practice and toward the classical inward path of restraint, discipline, meditation, and absorption.