Mahabharata — Udyoga Parva, Shloka 27
Sanatsujāta on the Imperceptible Eternal Light (यत्तच्छुक्रं महज्ज्योतिः)
जैसे सब ओर जलसे परिपूर्ण बड़े जलाशयके प्राप्त होनेपर जलके लिये अन्यत्र जानेकी आवश्यकता नहीं होती, उसी प्रकार आत्मज्ञानीके लिये सम्पूर्ण वेदोंमें कुछ भी प्राप्त करनेयोग्य शेष नहीं रह जाता ।।
yathā sarvataḥ jalena paripūrṇe mahati jalāśaye prāpte jalārtham anyatra gantum na āvaśyakam, tathā ātmajñāninaḥ sarveṣu vedeṣu kiñcid api prāptavyaṁ śeṣaṁ na tiṣṭhati. aṅguṣṭhamātraḥ puruṣo mahātmā na dṛśyate sauhṛdi sanniviṣṭaḥ; ajaḥ akṣaraḥ divārātram atandritaḥ—taṁ santaṁ matvā kaviḥ āste prasannaḥ.
Kung paanong kapag narating ang malaking imbakan ng tubig na punô sa lahat ng dako ay hindi na kailangang maghanap pa ng tubig sa iba, gayon din sa nakakakilala sa Sarili: wala nang natitira pang dapat makamit mula sa lahat ng Veda. Ang Dakilang Sarili—ang Purusha na kasinlaki ng hinlalaki—ay nananahan sa loob ng puso, ngunit hindi nakikita ng lahat. Siya’y di-isinilang at di-nasisira, laging gising sa araw at gabi. Ang nakakakilala sa Kanya bilang Tunay ay nananahan sa payapang ligaya.
सनत्सुजात उवाच
Educational Q&A
Sanatsujāta teaches that once the Self is realized, scriptural learning no longer remains an external ‘means to gain’—like water-seeking ends when one reaches a full reservoir. The supreme inner Person, subtle and heart-abiding, is unborn and imperishable; knowing Him brings settled serenity and freedom from dependence on outer supports.
In Udyoga Parva, as the Kuru crisis moves toward war, Dhṛtarāṣṭra is instructed by the sage Sanatsujāta. The discourse shifts the king’s attention from anxiety, policy, and mere textual knowledge to the inner ground of dharma—Self-knowledge—present in the heart and capable of granting clarity and peace amid impending conflict.