Shloka 25

Jñāna-plava (The Raft of Knowledge): Svabhāva, Prajñā, and the Ascent to Ātmajñāna

Devanagari script

नास्य देवा न गन्धर्वा न पिशाचा न राक्षसा: । पदमन्ववरोहन्ति प्राप्तस्थ परमां गतिम्‌

Transliteration

nāsya devā na gandharvā na piśācā na rākṣasāḥ | padam anvavarohanti prāptastha paramāṃ gatim ||

Translation

Ngay cả chư thiên, Gandharva, Piśāca và Rākṣasa cũng không thể lần theo dấu chân của bậc đại trí đã chứng đắc tối thượng cảnh. Lộ trình của người ấy vượt ngoài sự bắt chước hay truy đuổi: vì mục tiêu là tối thượng, còn con đường thì vi tế, hướng nội, đặt nền trên chân tri.

Word by Word

• na: not
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na

• asya: of him/of this (person)
• asya: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: idam (pronominal base: asmad/etat-series; here 'asya' of 'idam')
• Form: masculine/neuter, genitive, singular

• devāḥ: gods
• devāḥ: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: deva
• Form: masculine, nominative, plural

• na: nor/not
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na

• gandharvāḥ: Gandharvas
• gandharvāḥ: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: gandharva
• Form: masculine, nominative, plural

• na: nor/not
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na

• piśācāḥ: Piśācas/ghouls
• piśācāḥ: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: piśāca
• Form: masculine, nominative, plural

• na: nor/not
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na

• rākṣasāḥ: Rākṣasas/demons
• rākṣasāḥ: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: rākṣasa
• Form: masculine, nominative, plural

• padam: footstep/track; position
• padam: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: pada
• Form: neuter, accusative, singular

• anu: after, following
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: anu

• avarohanti: follow/trace (lit. descend after)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ava√ruh
• Form: present, 3rd, plural, parasmaipada

• prāptastha: one who has reached and stands (in)
• prāptastha: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: prāpta-stha
• Form: masculine, accusative, singular

• paramām: supreme, highest
• Type: Adjective
• Root: parama
• Form: feminine, accusative, singular

• gatim: state/goal, course, destiny
• gatim: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: gati
• Form: feminine, accusative, singular

Speaker

जैगीषव्य उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Jaigiṣavya
• Devas
• Gandharvas
• Piśācas
• Rākṣasas

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse teaches that the realized knower who has reached the supreme goal becomes untraceable by ordinary cosmic beings; liberation/ultimate attainment is subtle and inward, not something that even powerful beings can ‘follow’ as an external path.

What is happening in the narrative?

Jaigiṣavya is describing the stature of a liberated sage: even exalted classes of beings—devas, gandharvas, piśācas, and rākṣasas—cannot track or imitate the realized one’s ‘footsteps’ once he has attained the highest state.