Shloka 9

Adhyāya 51: Kṛṣṇa’s Leave-Taking and Departure for Dvārakā (द्वारकागमनानुमति)

Devanagari script

आजीवं सर्वभूतानां सर्वप्राणभूतां गति: । एतद्‌ ब्रह्मवनं नित्यं तस्समिं श्वरति क्षेत्रवित्‌

Transliteration

ājīvaṁ sarvabhūtānāṁ sarvaprāṇabhūtāṁ gatiḥ | etad brahmavanaṁ nityaṁ tasmin śarati kṣetrajñaḥ ||

Translation

风神伐由说道：“此乃一切众生之生计，亦是一切有命者之究竟归途。此永恒宇宙名为‘梵之林’；其中，知田者（有觉之我）往来行止。故当观世间为广大而有序之整体：由不显之源所支撑，为觉知所遍满，使执著与恐惧退去，而辨明生起。”

Word by Word

• आजीवम्: livelihood; means of living
• आजीवम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: आजीव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• सर्वभूतानाम्: of all beings
• सर्वभूतानाम्: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्वभूत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Genitive, Plural

• सर्वप्राणभूतानाम्: of all living creatures (all that are prāṇa-endowed)
• सर्वप्राणभूतानाम्: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्वप्राणभूत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Genitive, Plural

• गतिः: course; goal; refuge; movement
• गतिः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: गति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

• एतत्: this
• एतत्: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• ब्रह्मवनम्: the forest of Brahman (cosmic forest)
• ब्रह्मवनम्: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्मवन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• नित्यम्: eternal; always
• नित्यम्: Adhikarana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: नित्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative/Accusative, Singular

• तस्मिन्: in that (in it)
• तस्मिन्: Adhikarana
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Locative, Singular

• विचरति: wanders; moves about
• विचरति: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: चर् (धातु)
• Form: Present (Lat), Third, Singular, Parasmaipada

• क्षेत्रवित्: knower of the field (kṣetrajña)
• क्षेत्रवित्: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षेत्रविद् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

Speaker

वायुदेव उवाच

Characters & Entities

• वायुदेव (Vāyu-deva)
• ब्रह्मवन (brahmavana)
• क्षेत्रज्ञ (kṣetrajña)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The world is portrayed as an eternal ‘forest of Brahman’ that sustains all life; within it the kṣetrajña (conscious Self) moves as the witness-knower. The ethical thrust is toward discernment: recognize the sustaining order of existence and the presence of consciousness, reducing possessiveness and fear.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vāyu-deva is speaking and summarizing a metaphysical vision: the cosmos (described in the surrounding passage as arising from the unmanifest prakṛti and expanding through elements, senses, and mind) is the support and destination of living beings, while the kṣetrajña traverses it as the inner knower.