Shloka 12
Jarā-Mṛtyu-anatikrama: Janaka–Pañcaśikha-saṃvāda
Aging and Death Cannot Be Overstepped
अनादिनिधनावेतावुभावेवेश्वरो मतौ । तत्त्वसंज्ञावुभावेतौ प्रोच्येत ज्ञानचिन्तकैः
anādinidhanāv etāv ubhāv eveśvaro matau | tattvasaṃjñāv ubhāv etau procyete jñānacintakaiḥ ||
瓦西什塔说道：“此二者被认为无始无终。故因彼此相合相依，便被视为‘自在主’（Īśvara）——全能而具主宰之权。凡深思数论（Sāṅkhya）之智的贤哲，皆以‘真谛’（tattva，根本实在）之名称呼二者。”
वसिष्ठ उवाच
Educational Q&A
That two fundamental realities are both beginningless and endless, and when understood in their inseparable association they are regarded as sovereign (īśvara); Sāṅkhya-oriented thinkers call both of them ‘tattva’, i.e., ultimate principles of reality.
In the Śānti Parva’s didactic discourse, Vasiṣṭha is instructing the listener in philosophical categories, emphasizing the eternal status of two paired principles and how reflective sages classify them within Sāṅkhya-style analysis.