Shloka 44

Adhyāya 302: Guṇa-vicāra, Gati-bheda, and the Imperishable State

Yājñavalkya–Janaka

Devanagari script

सहवास विनाशित्वान्नान्योडहमिति मन्यते । यो<5हं सो5हमिति हुक्त्वा गुणानेवानुवर्तते,प्रकृतिके सहवाससे अपने स्वरूपका बोध लुप्त हो जानेके कारण पुरुष यह समझने लगता है कि मैं शरीरसे भिन्न नहीं हूँ। “मैं यह हूँ, वह हूँ, अमुकका पुत्र हूँ, अमुक जातिका हूँ", इस प्रकार कहता हुआ वह सात्त्विक आदि गुणोंका ही अनुसरण करता है

Transliteration

sahavāsa-vināśitvān nānyo ’ham iti manyate | yo ’haṃ so ’ham iti uktvā guṇān evānuvartate ||

Translation

پرکرتی اور بدن کے طویل اختلاط سے جب اپنے حقیقی سوروپ کا بोध مٹ جاتا ہے تو انسان سمجھنے لگتا ہے کہ ‘میں اس سے جدا نہیں ہوں’۔ ‘میں یہ ہوں، میں وہ ہوں’—کسی کا بیٹا، فلاں خاندان یا ذات کا—یوں کہہ کر وہ آتما کو ان سے الگ نہ جانتے ہوئے محض ستّو وغیرہ گُنوں کے کھیل ہی کی پیروی کرتا ہے۔

Word by Word

सहवासassociation, cohabitation

विनाशित्वात्from (its) perishable nature

नnot

अन्यःother, different

अहम्I

इतिthus (quotative)

मन्यतेthinks, considers

यःwho

अहम्I

सःthat (he)

अहम्I

इतिthus (quotative)

उक्त्वाhaving said

गुणान्qualities (gunas)

एवindeed, only

अनुवर्ततेfollows, conforms to

Speaker

वसिष्ठ उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vasiṣṭha

guṇas (sattva, rajas, tamas)

Prakṛti (implied by guṇas and association with the body)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Misidentification with the body and social labels arises from long association with Prakṛti; as a result, one is driven by the guṇas. The remedy implied is discernment: knowing the Self as distinct from guṇas, body, and acquired identities.

What is happening in the narrative?

In Vasiṣṭha’s instruction, he explains how a person loses awareness of their true nature and begins to speak in terms of worldly identity (“I am this, I am that”), thereby living under the influence of sattva, rajas, and tamas.