Shloka 16

Bhūta-guṇa-saṃkhyāna

Enumeration of the Properties of the Elements and Cognitive Faculties

Devanagari script

सर्वेषामेव भूतानां तमस्यपगते यथा । प्रकाशं भवते सर्व तथेदमुपधार्यताम्‌

Transliteration

sarveṣām eva bhūtānāṁ tamasy apagate yathā | prakāśaṁ bhavate sarvaṁ tathā idam upadhāryatām ||

Translation

毗耶娑说：“正如黑暗消散之时，光明便在一切众生之前铺展；同样，你们当确知：唯有无明灭尽之际，那以知为性之真我，方得直接证悟。”

Word by Word

• सर्वेषाम्: of all
• सर्वेषाम्: Adhikarana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Genitive, Plural

• एव: indeed/only
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव

• भूतानाम्: of beings/creatures
• भूतानाम्: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: भूत
• Form: Neuter, Genitive, Plural

• तमसि: in darkness
• तमसि: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: तमस्
• Form: Neuter, Locative, Singular

• अपगते: when (it has) gone away/ceased
• Type: Verb
• Root: अपगम्
• Form: क्त (past passive participle), Neuter, Locative, Singular

• यथा: just as
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा

• प्रकाशम्: light/illumination
• प्रकाशम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रकाश
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• भवते: arises/comes to be
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू
• Form: Present (Lat), 3rd, Singular, Parasmaipada

• सर्वम्: all (around)/everything
• सर्वम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• तथा: so/in the same way
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा

• इदम्: this
• इदम्: Karma
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: इदम्
• Form: Neuter, Nominative/Accusative, Singular

• उपधार्यताम्: let it be understood/considered
• Type: Verb
• Root: उप-धृ
• Form: Imperative (Lot), 3rd, Singular, Passive

Speaker

व्यास उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vyāsa

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Knowledge of the Self is not produced as something new; it becomes evident when ignorance (tamas) is removed—like light appearing when darkness is dispelled.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the didactic setting of the Śānti Parva, Vyāsa instructs the listener using a simple analogy (darkness and light) to clarify the relation between ignorance, knowledge, and direct realization of the Self.