Shloka 3
Mind as Charioteer; Kṣetrajña, Tapas, and Dhyāna-Yoga
Adhyātma-Upadeśa
Devanagari script
ज्ञानं निःश्रेय इत्याहुर्वद्धा निश्चितदर्शिन:
Transliteration
jñānaṃ niḥśreya ity āhur baddhā niścita-darśinaḥ
Translation
وایو نے کہا—جن کی نگاہ پختہ اور فیصلہ کن ہے، وہ بزرگ اہلِ بصیرت کہتے ہیں کہ حقیقی معرفت ہی نِشریَس (نہایت بھلائی) ہے—جو آخری فلاح اور موکش تک لے جاتی ہے۔
Word by Word
ज्ञानम्knowledge
ज्ञानम्:
Karta
TypeNoun
Rootज्ञान
FormNeuter, Nominative, Singular
निःश्रेयःthe highest good, final beatitude
निःश्रेयः:
Karma
TypeNoun
Rootनिःश्रेयस्
FormNeuter, Nominative, Singular
इतिthus
इति:
TypeIndeclinable
Rootइति
आहुःthey say
आहुः:
TypeVerb
Rootअह्
FormPresent, Third, Plural, Parasmaipada
बुद्धाःthe wise, the enlightened
बुद्धाः:
Karta
TypeAdjective
Rootबुद्ध
FormMasculine, Nominative, Plural
निश्चितदर्शिनःthose whose vision is certain/ascertained
निश्चितदर्शिनः:
Karta
TypeAdjective
Rootनिश्चितदर्शिन्
FormMasculine, Nominative, Plural
Speaker
वायुदेव उवाच
Characters & Entities
V
Vāyudeva (the Wind-god)N
niścita-darśinaḥ (the steadfast seers/wise)Character Dynamics
Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)
Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)
Philosophical Teaching
Political Layer
Meter (Chandas)
Sandhi Notes
Educational Q&A
The verse asserts that jñāna (true knowledge) is niḥśreyas—the supreme good—because it leads beyond temporary gains to ultimate welfare, i.e., liberation-oriented fulfillment.
Vāyudeva is speaking in a didactic context, presenting a concise doctrinal claim attributed to established seers: that the highest aim is attained through knowledge rather than through merely external achievements.