Shloka 4

Vidyā–Avidyā and the Twenty-Fifth Principle

Sāṃkhya–Yoga Clarification

Devanagari script

एवं तस्य प्रवृत्तस्य नित्यमेवानुपश्यत: । रागद्वेषौ विवर्धेते हानित्यत्वमपश्यत:

Transliteration

evaṁ tasya pravṛttasya nityam evānupaśyataḥ | rāga-dveṣau vivardhete hānityatvam apaśyataḥ ||

Translation

若人久住于外向之行道，日日凝视诸境，而不觉其无常，则贪爱与憎恶便在心中不断滋长。因忽略迁变，心识遂为好恶所缚，而非由明辨所导。

Word by Word

• एवम्: thus, in this manner
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एवम्

• तस्य: of him/that
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Genitive, Singular

• प्रवृत्तस्य: of one engaged/active (in worldly activity)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्रवृत्त
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Genitive, Singular

• नित्यम्: always, constantly
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नित्य

• एव: indeed, just
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव

• अनुपश्यतः: he keeps observing/looking at
• Type: Verb
• Root: अनु + √पश् (पश्यति)
• Form: Present, Third, Singular, Parasmaipada

• राग: attachment, passion
• राग: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: राग
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• द्वेषौ: aversion/hatred (two: attachment and aversion as a pair)
• द्वेषौ: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्वेष
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Dual

• विवर्धेते: grow, increase
• Type: Verb
• Root: वि + √वृध् (वर्धते)
• Form: Present, Third, Dual, Atmanepada

• हानित्यत्वम्: impermanence
• हानित्यत्वम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: अनित्यत्व
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• अपश्यत्: did not see
• Type: Verb
• Root: √पश् (पश्यति)
• Form: Imperfect, Third, Singular, Parasmaipada

Speaker

पराशर उवाच

Characters & Entities

• पराशर (Parāśara)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Continual fixation on objects without insight into their impermanence strengthens rāga (attachment) and dveṣa (aversion). Ethical and spiritual clarity arises from seeing transience; otherwise the mind becomes reactive, driven by likes and dislikes.

What is happening in the narrative?

Parāśara is explaining a psychological-spiritual mechanism: a person who stays in pravṛtti (worldly engagement) keeps observing desirable and undesirable objects, but because he does not perceive their anityatva (impermanence), his inner tendencies of attachment and aversion increase.