Shloka 42
Śuka’s Guṇa-Transcendence and Vyāsa’s Consolation (शुकगति-वर्णनम्)
त्रिदण्डादिषु यद्यस्ति मोक्षो ज्ञानेन कस्यचित् । छत्रादिषु कथं न स्यात् तुल्यहेतौ परिग्रहे
tridaṇḍādiṣu yady asti mokṣo jñānena kasyacit | chatrādiṣu kathaṁ na syāt tulya-hetau parigrahe ||
阇那迦王说：“若有人在执持三杖等出家标志时，能以智慧得解脱，那么同样以此智慧，执持王伞等王者徽号时，何以不能得解脱？因为所谓障碍之因——‘占有’——在两者中并无差别：一者聚集三杖之类，一者聚集王伞之类。”
जनक उवाच
Educational Q&A
Liberation depends on liberating knowledge and inner non-attachment, not on external status-symbols. If ‘possession’ is blamed as an obstacle, then ascetic insignia can be as much a possession as royal emblems; therefore mokṣa cannot be restricted to a costume or social role.
King Janaka argues against the idea that only a renunciant bearing the triple staff can attain liberation. He challenges the double standard by comparing ascetic insignia (tridaṇḍa, etc.) with royal insignia (parasol, etc.), asserting that the real issue is attachment, not the outward objects.