Shloka 33
Adhyāya 302: Guṇa-vicāra, Gati-bheda, and the Imperishable State
Yājñavalkya–Janaka
हस्त्यश्वखरशार्दूले सवृक्षे गवि चैव ह । यच्च मूर्तिमयं किंचित् सर्वत्रैतन्निदर्शनम्
hasty-aśva-khara-śārdūle sa-vṛkṣe gavi caiva ha | yac ca mūrtimayaṃ kiñcit sarvatraitad nidarśanam, naraśreṣṭha ||
婆悉吒说道：“在象、马、驴与虎之中；在树木之中；亦在牛之中——凡一切具成形之身者——处处皆见此同一法则，人中最胜者啊。是故，于三界一切具身众生，当知所谓‘身’，不过是这些根本要素的合成，随缘显现为无量形相。”
वसिष्ठ उवाच
Educational Q&A
All embodied forms—whether human, animal, plant, or other beings—are to be understood as configurations of the same fundamental elements. Recognizing this sameness supports ethical restraint, humility, and detachment from superficial differences of species, status, or appearance.
In Śānti Parva’s instructional discourse, Vasiṣṭha addresses a ‘best of men’ and points to many kinds of beings to illustrate a single philosophical point: wherever there is a tangible body, the same elemental basis is observable, so the ‘body’ is a common composite rather than an ultimate self.