Shloka 45
Śānti-parva 168: Śoka-nivṛtti-buddhi (The Cognition that Reduces Grief) and Piṅgalā’s Nairāśya
भूतानि जातिस्मरणात्मकानि जराविकारैश्न समन्वितानि । भूयश्व तैस्तै: प्रतिबोधितानि मोक्ष प्रशंसन्ति न तं च विद्य:
yudhiṣṭhira uvāca |
bhūtāni jātismaraṇātmakāni jarāvikāraiś ca na samanvitāni |
bhūyaś ca tais tais pratibodhitāni mokṣaṃ praśaṃsanti na taṃ ca vidmaḥ ||
ایسے بھی موجودات ہیں جو اپنے پچھلے جنموں کو یاد رکھتے ہیں اور بڑھاپے کی بگاڑ سے دوچار نہیں ہوتے۔ گوناگوں تجربات سے بار بار بیدار اور آگاہ کیے جا کر وہ صرف نجات (موکش) ہی کی ستائش کرتے ہیں؛ مگر ہم اس موکش کو حقیقتاً جانتے نہیں۔
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Those who are spiritually awakened—described as remembering past births and being free from the impairments of old age—come to value liberation above worldly experience; Yudhiṣṭhira admits that ordinary people lack clear knowledge of mokṣa and thus need instruction.
In Śānti Parva’s discourse setting, Yudhiṣṭhira raises a reflective question about liberation: he contrasts rare, awakened beings who extol mokṣa with his own uncertainty, preparing the ground for further teaching on the nature and means of liberation.