Shloka 58
Adhyāya 287 — Janaka’s Inquiry on Śreyas, Abhayadāna, and Asaṅga
Non-attachment
पृच्छतस्ते मया तात श्रेय एतदुदाह्तम् । न हि शव्यं प्रधानेन श्रेय: संख्यातुमात्मन:,तात! मैंने तुम्हारे प्रश्नके अनुसार यह श्रेयोमार्गका वर्णन किया है। पूर्णतया तो आत्मकल्याणकी परिगणना हो ही नहीं सकती
pṛcchatas te mayā tāta śreya etad udāhṛtam | na hi śakyaṃ pradhānena śreyaḥ saṅkhyātum ātmanaḥ ||
اے بچے، تمہارے سوال کے مطابق میں نے یہ راہِ شریہ بیان کی ہے۔ نفس کے لیے جو حقیقی بھلائی ہے، اسے کسی ایک قطعی معیار سے پوری طرح گن کر بیان کرنا ممکن نہیں۔
नारद उवाच
Educational Q&A
Nārada teaches that he has explained the way of śreyas (the highest good), yet the full extent of true self-benefit cannot be exhaustively measured or reduced to a single definitive calculation; spiritual welfare transcends neat enumeration.
In Śānti Parva’s instructional setting, Nārada addresses a questioner affectionately (“tāta”) and concludes or summarizes his guidance by stating that he has described the śreyas-mārga, while also emphasizing its immeasurable, non-quantifiable nature.