Śrī Vyāsa Anugraham

namo ’stu te vyāsa viśālabuddhe

phullāravindāyatapatranetra ।
yena tvayā bhāratatailapūrṇaḥ
prajvālito jñānamayaḥ pradīpaḥ ॥

Salutations to you, O Vyāsa, whose intellect is vast (viśālabuddhi) and whose eyes are broad like the petals of a fully blossomed lotus. By you was kindled the lamp of knowledge (jñānamayaḥ pradīpaḥ), filled with the oil of the Mahābhārata (bhāratatailapūrṇaḥ).

Svādhyāya is itself a key sādhana. Among the great texts available to us for svādhyāya, the Mahābhārata occupies a foremost place, for it unfolds the entire range of human life through dharma, artha, kāma and mokṣa. In our sampradāya, it is revered as the Pañcama Veda, the fifth Veda.

Clearly, studying all one hundred thousand ślokas of the Mahābhārata is a stupendous undertaking that may require many years. Nevertheless, we can visit a few selected ślokas (59 to be precise) from this great Itihāsa and receive their benefit through svādhyāya and manana.

(All verses are quoted from Critical Edition of Mahābhārata).

On the auspicious occasion of Śrī Vyāsa Pūrṇimā, July 28–29, 2026, I have therefore selected 60 (approx) ślokas from across the first, sixth, twelfth and eighteenth parvas: the Ādiparvan, Bhīṣmaparvan, Śāntiparvan and Svargārohaṇaparvan.

This selection gives us a sense of traversing the breadth of the Mahābhārata, from its opening invocation and the birth of Bhagavān Vyāsa, till the concluding verses.

I'm sure you will be curious about my selection, or perhaps the selection will be too obvious to you, my dear fellow reader and learner.

The theme connecting these passages will become apparent. The purpose is to offer the reader a brief tīrthayātrā through Mahābhārata. All verses are quoted from Critical Edition of Mahābhārata.

Synopsis of selected verses from : -
In the Ādiparvan, the first book, Bhagavān Vyāsa is born and arranges the Veda for humanity.
In the Bhīṣmaparvan, the sixth book, victory is repeatedly connected with dharma and Śrī Kṛṣṇa.
In the Śāntiparvan, the twelfth book, the teaching matures into Guru-saṃbandha, ātmajñāna, sarvātma-bhāva and the knowledge of Brahman.
In the Svargārohaṇaparvan, the eighteenth and final book, Bhagavān Vyāsa condenses the essence of the entire Mahābhārata into the four verses of the Bhārata Sāvitrī.

We must always remember that the final Jaya is freedom from saṃsāra, here and now!

Ādiparvan (1st book)

The opening śloka

The Mahābhārata begins by bowing to Nārāyaṇa, Nara and Sarasvatī before proclaiming Jaya.

nārāyaṇaṃ namaskṛtya naraṃ caiva narottamam ।
devīṃ sarasvatīṃ caiva tato jayam udīrayet ॥

Having bowed (namaskṛtya) to Nārāyaṇa, to Nara, the highest among human beings (narottama), and to Devī Sarasvatī, one should then proclaim Jaya, the sacred account of victory.

The entire epic is introduced as Jaya.

The birth of Śrī Kṛṣṇa Dvaipāyana Vyāsa

The account occurs in Ādiparvan 1.57.

Satyavatī, then known as Matsyagandhā, served her fisherman father by rowing his boat. Maharṣi Parāśara encountered her while travelling among the sacred tīrthas.

vaiśampāyana uvāca

śuśrūṣārthaṃ pitur nāvaṃ tāṃ tu vāhayatīṃ jale ।
tīrthayātrāṃ parikrāmann apaśyad vai parāśaraḥ ॥ 1.57.56 ॥

Vaiśampāyana said: While she was rowing (vāhayatīm) her father’s boat upon the water as an act of service (śuśrūṣārtham), Maharṣi Parāśara, who was travelling among the sacred tīrthas, saw her.

iti satyavatī hṛṣṭā labdhvā varam anuttamam ।
parāśareṇa saṃyuktā sadyo garbhaṃ suṣāva sā ।
jajñe ca yamunādvīpe pārāśaryaḥ sa vīryavān ॥ 1.57.69 ॥

Having received that unsurpassed boon (varam anuttamam), Satyavatī became joyful. Through her union with Parāśara, she immediately conceived and gave birth. On an island in the Yamunā was born the powerful son of Parāśara (Pārāśarya).

sa mātaram upasthāya tapasy eva mano dadhe ।
smṛto ahaṃ darśayiṣyāmi kṛtyeṣv iti ca so abravīt ॥ 1.57.70 ॥

Having approached his mother, he directed his mind toward tapas. He told her: “Whenever I am remembered (smṛtaḥ) at a time when something must be done (kṛtyeṣu), I shall appear.”

evaṃ dvaipāyano jajñe satyavatyāṃ parāśarāt ।
dvīpe nyastaḥ sa yad bālas tasmād dvaipāyano abhavat ॥ 1.57.71 ॥

Thus Dvaipāyana was born to Satyavatī through Parāśara. Because the child was born and placed upon an island (dvīpa), he came to be known as Dvaipāyana.

He is called:

Pārāśarya, the son of Parāśara.
Dvaipāyana, the one born upon an island.
Kṛṣṇa, the dark-complexioned one.
Kṛṣṇa Dvaipāyana, the dark-complexioned sage born upon the island.
Vyāsa, the one who divided and arranged the Veda.

Why he is called Vyāsa?

pādāpasāriṇaṃ dharmaṃ vidvān sa tu yuge yuge ।
āyuḥ śaktiṃ ca martyānāṃ yugānugam avekṣya ca ॥ 1.57.72 ॥

Knowing that dharma declines by successive quarters from yuga to yuga, and observing the corresponding decline in the lifespan (āyuḥ) and capacity (śakti) of human beings,

brahmaṇo brāhmaṇānāṃ ca tathānugrahakāmyayā ।
vivyāsa vedān yasmāc ca tasmād vyāsa iti smṛtaḥ ॥ 1.57.73 ॥

desiring to confer grace (anugraha) upon sacred knowledge and its custodians, he divided and systematically arranged the Vedas (vivyāsa vedān). Because he thus arranged the Vedas, he is remembered as Vyāsa.

Vyāsa’s arrangement of the Veda is described as anugraha. As human lifespan, memory and capacity declined, Vyāsa made the Vedic revelation accessible to later generations.

The Mahābhārata as the fifth Veda

vedān adhyāpayām āsa mahābhāratapañcamān ।
sumantuṃ jaiminiṃ pailaṃ śukaṃ caiva svam ātmajam ॥ 1.57.74 ॥

He taught (adhyāpayām āsa) the Vedas, with the Mahābhārata as the fifth (mahābhāratapañcamān), to Sumantu, Jaimini, Paila and his own son Śuka.

prabhur variṣṭho varado vaiśaṃpāyanam eva ca ।
saṃhitās taiḥ pṛthaktvena bhāratasya prakāśitāḥ ॥ 1.57.75 ॥

The supreme master (prabhu), foremost among the wise (variṣṭha) and giver of boons (varada), also taught Vaiśampāyana. Through these disciples, distinct saṃhitās of the Bhārata were made known.

We must always remember that Sri Vyāsa is the arranger of the Veda, the composer of the Mahābhārata, the Guru of Śuka and the source of a living Guru-śiṣya-paramparā.

The strongest statement occurs in the very first adhyāya.

itihāsapurāṇābhyāṃ vedaṃ samupabṛṃhayet ।
bibhety alpaśrutād vedo mām ayaṃ pratariṣyati ॥ 1.1.204 ॥

One should amplify and properly unfold the Veda through Itihāsa and Purāṇa. The Veda fears the person of insufficient learning, thinking, “This person will misunderstand or distort me.”

The important word is: samupabṛṃhayet

It means to strengthen, amplify, expand and bring out the intended meaning.

The principle is not that Itihāsa replaces Śruti. The principle is:

Śruti is the pramāṇa. Itihāsa and Purāṇa are its necessary upabṛṃhaṇa.

Without the Itihāsa-Purāṇa framework, a person may know the words of the Veda but misunderstand their application, hierarchy, context and intended meaning.

kārṣṇaṁ vedam imaṁ vidvāñ śrāvayitvārtham aśnute

bhrūṇahatyākr̥taṁ cāpi pāpaṁ jahyān na saṁśayaḥ - 1.1.205

One who knows this Kārṣṇa Veda (the Mahābhārata), and has it recited, attains the desired fruits. Even the pāpaṁ incurred through bhrūṇahatyā is cast off. There is no doubt about this.

Here kārṣṇaṁ vedam means the Veda of Kṛṣṇa Dvaipāyana Vyāsa, namely the Mahābhārata, not the Kṛṣṇa Yajurveda. The preceding verse (1.1.204) already identifies the Mahābhārata as that which expands and completes the understanding of the Veda, making this interpretation explicit.

Knowing all four Vedas is still insufficient

yo vidyāc caturo vedān sāṅgopaniṣadān dvijaḥ ।
na cākhyānam idaṃ vidyān naiva sa syād vicakṣaṇaḥ ॥ 1.2.235 ॥

A person may know all four Vedas, together with the Vedāṅgas and Upaniṣads. Yet, if he does not know this narrative, he cannot be considered truly discerning.

This is an extraordinary statement. Mere textual mastery of the Veda does not by itself make one vicakṣaṇa, a person of mature discrimination. The Mahābhārata supplies the lived, contextual and dharmic understanding through which Vedic teaching is correctly assimilated.

The four Vedas weighed against the Mahābhārata

catvāra ekato vedā bhārataṃ caikam ekataḥ ।
samāgataiḥ surarṣibhis tulām āropitaṃ purā ॥
mahattve ca gurutve ca dhriyamāṇaṃ tato ’dhikam ॥ 1.1.208 ॥

In ancient times, the assembled gods and ṛṣis placed the four Vedas on one side of a balance and the Bhārata alone on the other. In greatness and weight, the Bhārata proved heavier.

mahattvād bhāravattvāc ca mahābhāratam ucyate ॥ 1.1.209 ॥

Because of its greatness and weightiness, it is called the Mahābhārata.

This does not establish a rivalry between Śruti and Itihāsa. It establishes the extraordinary breadth of Vyāsa’s work as the comprehensive exposition of Vedic dharma.

The Mahābhārata as the fifth Veda

The Vyāsa-janma passage itself states:

vedān adhyāpayām āsa mahābhāratapañcamān ॥ 1.57.74 ॥

Vyāsa taught the Vedas with the Mahābhārata as the fifth.

Bhīṣmaparvan: Yato dharmas tato jayaḥ

Here I picked the common refrain yato dharmas tato jayaḥ and traced it to multiple locations in the 6th Parva, in which comes the great Gita.

The Bhīṣmaparvan repeatedly develops the relationship among dharma, Śrī Kṛṣṇa and jaya. The statements occur through different speakers and in different situations, but they converge upon one conclusion:

yato dharmas tato jayaḥ

Where dharma is, there is jaya, victory.

Vyāsa to Dhṛtarāṣṭra

Immediately before the war, Bhagavān Vyāsa visits Dhṛtarāṣṭra and foretells the destruction that is approaching. Dhṛtarāṣṭra does not wish to see the slaughter, and Vyāsa grants divine vision to Sañjaya.

vyāsa uvāca

diṣṭam etat purā caiva nātra śocitum arhasi ।
na caiva śakyaṃ saṃyantuṃ yato dharmas tato jayaḥ ॥ 6.2.14 ॥

Vyāsa said: This has already been ordained (diṣṭam) in the course of destiny. You should not grieve (śocitum) over it. It can no longer be restrained, because where dharma is, there is jaya, victory.

Arjuna to Yudhiṣṭhira

When Yudhiṣṭhira sees Bhīṣma’s vast and apparently impenetrable formation, he becomes discouraged. Arjuna reassures him by recalling a teaching originally given by Pitāmaha Brahmā to Indra and the Devas.

arjuna uvāca

na tathā balavīryābhyāṃ vijayante jigīṣavaḥ ।
yathā satyānṛśaṃsyābhyāṃ dharmeṇaivodyamena ca ॥ 6.21.10 ॥

Those who seek victory (jigīṣavaḥ) do not prevail merely through physical strength (bala) and martial power (vīrya). They prevail through truth (satya), freedom from cruelty (anṛśaṃsya), dharma and sustained effort (udyama).

tyaktvādharmam ca lobhaṃ ca mohaṃ codyamam āsthitāḥ ।
yudhyadhvam anahaṃkārā yato dharmas tato jayaḥ ॥ 6.21.11 ॥

Abandoning adharma, greed (lobha) and delusion (moha), and firmly undertaking the required effort, fight without ahaṃkāra. Where dharma is, there is jaya.

evaṃ rājan vijānīhi dhruvo ’smākaṃ raṇe jayaḥ ।
yathā me nāradaḥ prāha yataḥ kṛṣṇas tato jayaḥ ॥ 6.21.12 ॥

Know this clearly (vijānīhi), O King. Our victory (jaya) in battle is certain, just as Nārada told me: where Kṛṣṇa is, there is jaya.

Droṇācārya to Yudhiṣṭhira

Before the battle formally begins, Yudhiṣṭhira lays aside his weapons and approaches Bhīṣma, Droṇa, Kṛpa and Śalya for their permission and blessings.

Droṇa is materially obligated to fight for the Kauravas, but he recognizes where dharma and Kṛṣṇa stand.

droṇa uvāca

dhruvas te vijayo rājan yasya mantrī haris tava ।
ahaṃ ca tvābhijānāmi raṇe śatrūn vijeṣyasi ॥ 6.41.54 ॥

Droṇa said: Your victory (vijaya) is certain, O King, because Hari is your counsellor (mantrī). I also know you well. You will conquer your enemies in battle.

yato dharmas tataḥ kṛṣṇo yataḥ kṛṣṇas tato jayaḥ ।
yudhyasva gaccha kaunteya pṛccha māṃ kiṃ bravīmi te ॥ 6.41.55 ॥

Where dharma is, there is Kṛṣṇa. Where Kṛṣṇa is, there is jaya. Fight, O son of Kuntī. Now go, or ask me what further I should tell you.

Sañjaya to Dhṛtarāṣṭra

Dhṛtarāṣṭra asks why the Pāṇḍavas cannot be killed and whether they possess some secret mantra, magical power or extraordinary boon. Sañjaya rejects this explanation.

sañjaya uvāca

yudhyanti te yathānyāyaṃ śaktimantaś ca saṃyuge ।
dharmeṇa sarvakāryāṇi kīrtitānīti bhārata ॥ 6.61.15 ॥

Sañjaya said: They fight according to the proper rule (yathānyāyam) and possess great power in battle. All their undertakings (sarvakāryāṇi) are established through dharma, O descendant of Bharata.

na te yuddhān nivartante dharmopetā mahābalāḥ ।
śriyā paramayā yuktā yato dharmas tato jayaḥ ॥ 6.61.16 ॥

Those mighty warriors do not withdraw from battle. They are endowed with dharma (dharmopetāḥ) and joined with the highest auspicious fortune (paramā śrī). Where dharma is, there is jaya.

tenāvadhyā raṇe pārthā jayayuktāś ca pārthiva ।
tava putrā durātmānaḥ pāpeṣv abhiratāḥ sadā ॥ 6.61.17 ॥

Therefore the sons of Pṛthā cannot be slain in battle and are joined with victory (jayayuktāḥ), O King. Your sons, being governed by corrupted minds (durātmānaḥ), have always delighted in sinful actions (pāpa).

Sañjaya does not attribute the Pāṇḍavas’ success to magic. He attributes it to the cumulative power of conduct rooted in dharma.

Bhīṣma to Duryodhana

Duryodhana asks why the Pāṇḍavas repeatedly prevail even though the Kaurava side possesses Bhīṣma, Droṇa, Kṛpa, Aśvatthāman, Śalya and many other great warriors.

Bhīṣma explains that the Pāṇḍavas are sustained by Vāsudeva.

bhīṣma uvāca

tasmād bravīmi te rājann eṣa vai śāśvato ’vyayaḥ ।
sarvalokamayo nityaḥ śāstā dhātā dharo dhruvaḥ ॥ 6.62.32 ॥

Bhīṣma said: Therefore I tell you, O King, that He is eternal (śāśvata) and imperishable (avyaya). He is present as all the worlds (sarvalokamaya), ever-existent (nitya), the ruler (śāstā), the creator and sustainer (dhātā), the bearer of all (dhara) and the unchanging foundation (dhruva).

lokān dhārayate yas trīṃś carācaraguruḥ prabhuḥ ।
yoddhā jayaś ca jetā ca sarvaprakṛtir īśvaraḥ ॥ 6.62.33 ॥

He sustains the three worlds. He is the Guru of all moving and unmoving beings (carācaraguru), the Lord (prabhu), the warrior (yoddhā), victory itself (jaya), the victor (jetā), the source of all prakṛti and Īśvara.

rājan sattvamayo hy eṣa tamorāgavivarjitaḥ ।
yataḥ kṛṣṇas tato dharmo yato dharmas tato jayaḥ ॥ 6.62.34 ॥

O King, He is established in pure sattva and is free from tamas and attachment (rāga). Where Kṛṣṇa is, there is dharma. Where dharma is, there is jaya.

tasya māhātmyayogena yogenātmana eva ca ।
dhṛtāḥ pāṇḍusutā rājañ jayaś caiṣāṃ bhaviṣyati ॥ 6.62.35 ॥

Through the power of His greatness (māhātmya) and through His own divine yoga, the sons of Pāṇḍu are sustained. Therefore, O King, victory (jaya) will belong to them.

This is the fullest formulation:

yataḥ kṛṣṇas tato dharmaḥ
Where Kṛṣṇa is, there is dharma.

yato dharmas tato jayaḥ
Where dharma is, there is victory.

Bhīṣma identifies Kṛṣṇa as carācaraguru, the Guru of all moving and unmoving beings. Kṛṣṇa is not merely one powerful participant in the war. He is the source, ruler, sustainer, warrior, victory and victor.

Bhīṣma to Karṇa

After Bhīṣma falls and lies upon the bed of arrows, Karṇa privately approaches him. Karṇa asks forgiveness for the harsh words he had spoken and seeks permission to enter the battle.

Bhīṣma had repeatedly attempted to establish peace. Recognizing that reconciliation had failed, he permits Karṇa to fight but instructs him to do so without anger and ahaṃkāra.

bhīṣma uvāca

na cec chakyam athotsraṣṭuṃ vairam etat sudāruṇam ।
anujānāmi karṇa tvāṃ yudhyasva svargakāmyayā ॥ 6.117.29 ॥

Bhīṣma said: If this terrible enmity (vaira) cannot now be abandoned, I give you permission, Karṇa. Fight with the aspiration to attain the warrior’s heavenly state (svarga).

vimanyur gatasaṃrambhaḥ kuru karma nṛpasya hi ।
yathāśakti yathotsāhaṃ satāṃ vṛtteṣu vṛttavān ॥ 6.117.30 ॥

Free yourself from anger (vimanyu) and agitation (gatasaṃrambha). Perform your duty toward the king according to your strength (yathāśakti) and effort (yathotsāha), while conducting yourself according to the way of the noble (satāṃ vṛtta).

ahaṃ tvām anujānāmi yad icchasi tad āpnuhi ।
kṣatradharmajitāṃl lokān saṃprāpsyasi na saṃśayaḥ ॥ 6.117.31 ॥

I give you permission. May you obtain what you seek. You will certainly attain the worlds gained through the observance of kṣatriya-dharma.

yudhyasva nirahaṃkāro balavīryavyapāśrayaḥ ।
dharmād dhi yuddhāc chreyo ’nyat kṣatriyasya na vidyate ॥ 6.117.32 ॥

Fight without ahaṃkāra (nirahaṃkāraḥ), relying upon your strength and courage. For a Kṣatriya, there is no greater good than a battle undertaken according to dharma.

praśame hi kṛto yatnaḥ sucirāt suciraṃ mayā ।
na caiva śakitaḥ kartuṃ yato dharmas tato jayaḥ ॥ 6.117.33 ॥

For a very long time I made every effort (yatna) to establish peace (praśama), but it could not be accomplished. Where dharma is, there is jaya.

Śāntiparvan - Book 12th

The Bhīṣmaparvan declares where victory lies. The Śāntiparvan asks what the highest victory actually is. Books 12 and 13 were given to us by the grace of Sri Bhīṣma.

Its Mokṣadharma section leads from conduct to knowledge, from knowledge to the Guru, from the Guru to the recognition of Ātman, and from Ātman to Brahman.

The Guru as the indispensable means to knowledge

Śuka asks King Janaka whether one who has attained direct knowledge must still pass through the successive stages of the āśrama system. Janaka first establishes the indispensable relationship between mokṣa, knowledge and the Guru.

janaka uvāca

na vinā jñānavijñānaṃ mokṣasyādhigamo bhavet ।
na vinā gurusaṃbandhaṃ jñānasyādhigamaḥ smṛtaḥ ॥ 12.313.22 ॥

Janaka said: Without knowledge and assimilated recognition (jñāna-vijñāna), the attainment of mokṣa is not possible. Without a relationship with the Guru (guru-saṃbandha), the attainment of knowledge (jñāna) is not possible.

ācāryaḥ plāvitā tasya jñānaṃ plava ihocyate ।
vijñāya kṛtakṛtyas tu tīrṇas tad ubhayaṃ tyajet ॥ 12.313.23 ॥

The Ācārya is the one who causes the disciple to cross (plāvitā), and knowledge is said to be the raft (plava). Having clearly known (vijñāya), having accomplished what had to be accomplished (kṛtakṛtya), and having crossed over (tīrṇa), the wise person relinquishes dependence upon both as external means.

It describes the fulfilment of the Guru’s purpose. The Guru and śāstra reveal that the disciple’s real nature was never bound. When this is assimilated, dependence upon an external means ends, while reverence for the Guru remains.

Brahman beyond all categories

Yudhiṣṭhira asks Bhīṣma about the fruit of jñānayoga and the nature of the indwelling Self. Bhīṣma recounts an ancient dialogue in which Maharṣi Bṛhaspati approaches Prajāpati Manu as a disciple and bows before him.

Bṛhaspati has studied the Ṛgveda, Sāmaveda, Yajurveda, Vedāṅgas, grammar, ritual and the movements of the stars, but he admits that he does not yet know the fundamental nature of existence.

manur uvāca

yato jagat sarvam idaṃ prasūtaṃ
jñātvātmavanto vyatiyānti yat tat ।
yan mantraśabdair akṛtaprakāśaṃ
tad ucyamānaṃ śṛṇu me paraṃ yat ॥ 12.194.22 ॥

Manu said: Listen as I teach that Supreme Reality (param) from which this entire universe (jagat) has arisen, and which those established in the Self (ātmavantaḥ) attain after knowing it. It is that which cannot be fully revealed merely by the sounds of mantras (mantraśabda).

rasair viyuktaṃ vividhaiś ca gandhair
aśabdam asparśam arūpavac ca ।
agrāhyam avyaktam avarṇam ekaṃ
pañcaprakāraṃ sasṛje prajānām ॥ 12.194.23 ॥

It is free from all tastes (rasa) and diverse smells (gandha). It is soundless (aśabda), untouched by contact (asparśa) and without form (arūpa). It is ungraspable (agrāhya), unmanifest (avyakta), without distinguishing colour or category (avarṇa) and one (eka), yet from it arose the fivefold field of created beings.

na strī pumān vāpi napuṃsakaṃ ca
na san na cāsat sadasac ca tan na ।
paśyanti yad brahmavido manuṣyās
tad akṣaraṃ na kṣaratīti viddhi ॥ 12.194.24 ॥

It is neither female (strī), male (pumān) nor neuter (napuṃsaka). It is neither empirical being (sat), nonbeing (asat), nor a combination of being and nonbeing. The knowers of Brahman (brahmavidaḥ) recognize it. Know that as the Imperishable (akṣara), because it never perishes (na kṣarati).

The one Ātman in all beings

Śuka asks how Brahman may be attained. Vyāsa teaches that the one great Ātman dwells in every moving and unmoving being.

vyāsa uvāca

sa hi sarveṣu bhūteṣu jaṅgameṣu dhruveṣu ca ।
vasaty eko mahān ātmā yena sarvam idaṃ tatam ॥ 12.231.20 ॥

Vyāsa said: The one great Ātman (eko mahān ātmā) dwells in all beings (sarveṣu bhūteṣu), both moving (jaṅgama) and unmoving (dhruva). By that Ātman, all this is pervaded (tatam).

sarvabhūteṣu cātmānaṃ sarvabhūtāni cātmani ।
yadā paśyati bhūtātmā brahma saṃpadyate tadā ॥ 12.231.21 ॥

When the embodied seeker sees the Ātman in all beings (sarvabhūteṣu ātmānam) and all beings in the Ātman (sarvabhūtāni ātmani), he becomes one with Brahman (brahma saṃpadyate).

yāvān ātmani vedātmā tāvān ātmā parātmani ।
ya evaṃ satataṃ veda so ’mṛtatvāya kalpate ॥ 12.231.22 ॥

The Ātman known within oneself (ātmani) is the same Ātman in the Supreme (parātmani). One who constantly knows this (satataṃ veda) becomes fit for immortality (amṛtatva).

The Ātman in oneself and the Ātman in another are not two consciousnesses. Bodies, minds, roles and experiences differ. The consciousness because of which they are known is one.

(In another portion of the same parva : - )

samāsatas tu yad vyāsaḥ puruṣaikatvam uktavān ।
tat te ’haṃ saṃpravakṣyāmi prasādād amitaujasaḥ ॥ 12.338.7 ॥

I shall now explain to you in detail that puruṣaikatva, the oneness of the Puruṣa, which Vyāsa taught briefly (samāsataḥ), through the prasāda, the grace, of that immeasurably radiant sage (amitaujasaḥ).

The expression puruṣaikatvam is direct and significant. The teaching is not that there are many independent consciousnesses inhabiting different bodies. There is one Puruṣa, one Ātman, appearing through all bodies and minds.

The Same Brahman as Saguṇa and Nirguṇa

The Mahābhārata presents One Reality as both saguṇa Brahman and nirguṇa Brahman. The same Brahman, intrinsically free from all attributes and divisions, assumes name, form and divine attributes through māyā. This manifest form becomes available for worship, meditation and relationship according to the adhikāritvam of the seeker.

nirguṇo niṣkalaś caiva nirdvandvo niṣparigrahaḥ ।
etat tvayā na vijñeyaṃ rūpavān iti dṛśyate ।
icchan muhūrtān naśyeyam īśo ’haṃ jagato guruḥ ॥ 12.326.42 ॥

I am nirguṇa, free from attributes, and niṣkala, without divisions or parts. I am nirdvandva, free from all dualities, and niṣparigraha, possessing nothing. You should not understand Me to be essentially endowed with form merely because I appear as rūpavān. If I so willed, I could disappear in a moment. I am Īśvara, the Lord, and the jagato guruḥ, the Guru of the universe.

māyā hy eṣā mayā sṛṣṭā yan māṃ paśyasi nārada ।
sarvabhūtaguṇair yuktaṃ naivaṃ tvaṃ jñātum arhasi ।
mayaitat kathitaṃ samyak tava mūrticatuṣṭayam ॥ 12.326.43 ॥

Nārada, that you see Me endowed with the attributes of all beings (sarvabhūtaguṇaiḥ yukta) is a manifestation of māyā created by Me. You should not understand My essential nature in this manner. This fourfold manifestation (mūrticatuṣṭaya) has been properly revealed by Me for your understanding.

These two ślokas are important because they hold both levels together. Bhagavān is available as saguṇa, with form, attributes and divine functions, for upāsanā and devotion. Yet His essential nature (svarupa) is nirguṇa, niṣkala and nirdvandva. The form is not false in the sense of being useless or arbitrary. It is a deliberate manifestation through māyā, revealed by Īśvara for the benefit of the seeker.

Thus, according to the seeker’s adhikāritvam, the same Brahman is approached as saguṇa and understood through knowledge as nirguṇa. There are not two Brahmans. The distinction lies in the standpoint and the mode of approach.

Importance of Mahābhārata 12.326.43 in Our Sampradāya

Some Śruti passages describe Brahman through forms, qualities, limbs, and cosmic manifestations. Others deny every form, attribute, and distinction. Do both descriptions pertain equally to Brahman’s intrinsic nature?

Brahmasūtra 3.2.14: arūpavad eva hi tatpradhānatvāt

Brahman is indeed formless, because that is the principal purport of Śruti.

Brahmasūtra 3.2.15: prakāśavac cāvaiyarthyāt

Descriptions of Brahman with form remain meaningful, as in the case of light.

Śaṅkarācārya gives the example of sunlight or moonlight. Light does not possess the shape of any object, yet, when passing through a straight or curved opening, it appears straight or curved. Similarly:

brahmāpi pṛthivyādyupādhisaṃbandhāt tadākāratām iva pratipadyate

“Brahman also, through association with upādhis such as earth, appears as though it assumes their forms.”

The word iva, “as though,” is decisive. Brahman does not actually acquire those forms.

Brahmasūtra 3.2.16: āha ca tanmātram

Śruti also declares Brahman to be that alone.

The previous sūtra explains the appearance of form. This sūtra states positively what Brahman is: consciousness alone.

Quoting Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad 4.5.13, Śaṅkarācārya says:

caitanyamātraṃ vilakṣaṇarūpāntararahitaṃ nirviśeṣaṃ brahma

“Brahman is consciousness alone, free from every other distinguishable form and devoid of differentiation.”

Brahmasūtra 3.2.17: darśayati cātho api smaryate

Śruti reveals this, and the same is also taught in Smṛti.

In his bhāṣya, Śaṅkarācārya cites Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad 2.3.6, Kena Upaniṣad 1.4, Taittirīya Upaniṣad 2.4.1, the well-known instruction of Bādhva to Bāṣkali, and finally Nārāyaṇa’s instruction to Nārada in the Śāntiparvan.

Nārāyaṇa says:

māyā hy eṣā mayā sṛṣṭā
yan māṃ paśyasi nārada ।
sarvabhūtaguṇair yuktaṃ
naivaṃ tvaṃ jñātum arhasi ।
mayaitat kathitaṃ samyak
tava mūrticatuṣṭayam ॥ 12.326.43 ॥

“O Nārada, this which you see as Me has been projected by Me through māyā. It is endowed with the attributes of all beings. You should not understand Me to be truly of this nature. I have now properly explained to you My fourfold manifestation.”

Śaṅkarācārya quotes its central portion:

māyā hy eṣā mayā sṛṣṭā yan māṃ paśyasi nārada ।
sarvabhūtaguṇair yuktaṃ naivaṃ māṃ jñātum arhasi ॥

This śloka must be read together with the preceding verse:

nirguṇo niṣkalaś caiva
nirdvandvo niṣparigrahaḥ ।
etat tvayā na vijñeyaṃ
rūpavān iti dṛśyate ।
icchan muhūrtān naśyeyam
īśo ’haṃ jagato guruḥ ॥ 12.326.42 ॥

“I am without guṇas, without parts, free from dualities, and without possessions. You should not conclude from what is seen that I am intrinsically possessed of form. If I willed it, I could make this appearance disappear in an instant. I am the Lord and teacher of the universe.”

Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa expresses the same teaching with his unassuming simplicity and clarity in the Śrī Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa Kathāmṛta

QUOTE

A Brahmo devotee: “Sir, does God have form, or is He formless?”

Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa: “No one can say with finality that God is only this and nothing else. He is formless, and again He has forms. For the bhakta, He assumes forms. But He is formless for the jñānī, who regards the world as a mere dream.

“The bhakta feels that he is one entity and the world another. Therefore, God reveals Himself to him as a Person. But the jñānī, the Vedāntin, continually reasons through the process of ‘Not this, not this.’ Through this discrimination, he realizes by inner perception that the ego and the universe are both illusory, like a dream. The jñānī then realizes Brahman in his own consciousness. He cannot describe what Brahman is.

“Do you know what I mean? Think of Brahman, Existence-Knowledge-Bliss Absolute, as a shoreless ocean. Through the cooling influence of the bhakta’s love, the water freezes in places into blocks of ice. In other words, God assumes various forms for His devotees and reveals Himself to them as a Person.

“But with the rising of the sun of Knowledge, the blocks of ice melt. Then one no longer feels that God is a Person, nor does one see God’s forms. What He is cannot be described. Who will describe Him? The one who would do so disappears. He can no longer find his ‘I’.”

UNQUOTE

The ocean and the ice are not two different substances. The same Brahman appears with form for the bhakta and is known as formless by the jñānī. The distinction lies in the standpoint and adhikāritvam of the seeker, not in Brahman.

Sulabhā tests Janaka’s knowledge (Back to Mbh)

King Janaka is known to have received mokṣa-śāstra from Pañcaśikha and attained liberation while continuing to rule his kingdom.

Sulabhā examines whether the teaching has truly removed his bheda-buddhi, the notion of real separation. Janaka’s question, “Who are you, and whose are you?” reveals that he still judges her through bodily and social categories.

sulabhā uvāca

ātmany evātmanātmānaṃ yathā tvam anupaśyasi ।
evam evātmanātmānam anyasmin kiṃ na paśyasi ॥ 12.308 ॥

Sulabhā said: Just as you behold the Self (ātmānam) by the Self (ātmanā) within yourself, why do you not similarly behold that same Self in another (anyasmin)?

yady ātmani parasmiṃś ca samatām adhyavasyasi ।
atha māṃ kāsi kasyeti kimartham anupṛcchasi ॥ 12.308 ॥

If you have truly ascertained sameness (samatā) between the Self in yourself and the Self in another (parātman), why do you question me by asking, “Who are you, and whose are you?”

śrutaṃ te na śrutaṃ manye mithyā vāpi śrutaṃ śrutam ।
atha vā śrutasaṃkāśaṃ śrutam anyac chrutaṃ tvayā ॥ 12.308 ॥

I think that what you heard (śrutam) was not truly heard, or that what was heard was understood incorrectly (mithyā śrutam), or that you heard something else which merely resembled the true teaching (śrutasaṃkāśam).

The advaita teaching must remove identification with status, gender, ownership, superiority and social role. Otherwise, what was heard has not become knowledge.

Ekatva is vision

In the dialogue between Vasiṣṭha and Karālajanaka, the distinction between the Imperishable and the perishable is expressed through ekatva and nānātva.

vasiṣṭha uvāca

ekatvam akṣaraṃ prāhur nānātvaṃ kṣaram ucyate ।
ekatvaṃ darśanaṃ cāsya nānātvaṃ cāpy adarśanam ॥ 12.293.47–48 ॥

Vasiṣṭha said: Unity (ekatva) is called the Imperishable (akṣara), while multiplicity (nānātva) is called the perishable (kṣara). The vision of unity (ekatva-darśana) is true seeing, while the perception of multiplicity as ultimately real is non-seeing (adarśana).

Empirical distinctions continue to function, but the wise no longer grant them absolute reality. True darśana is the recognition of the one imperishable principle through all changing forms.

The bodiless witness in every body

Brahmā teaches that the one eternal Puruṣa dwells in all bodies but is never affected by bodily action.

brahmovāca

aśarīraḥ śarīreṣu sarveṣu nivasaty asau ।
vasann api śarīreṣu na sa lipyati karmabhiḥ ॥ 12.339.3 ॥

Brahmā said: Bodiless (aśarīra), that Reality dwells in all bodies (śarīreṣu). Though dwelling in bodies, it is not affected or tainted by actions (na lipyati karmabhiḥ).

mamāntarātmā tava ca ye cānye dehasaṃjñitāḥ ।
sarveṣāṃ sākṣibhūto ’sau na grāhyaḥ kena cit kva cit ॥ 12.339.4 ॥

It is my inner Self (antarātman), your inner Self and the inner Self of all who are identified as embodied beings (dehasaṃjñitāḥ). It is the witness of all (sarveṣāṃ sākṣī) and cannot be grasped as an object by anyone.

eko hutāśo bahudhā samidhyate
ekaḥ sūryas tapasāṃ yonir ekā ।
eko vāyur bahudhā vāti loke
mahodadhiś cāmbhasāṃ yonir ekaḥ ।
puruṣaś caiko nirguṇo viśvarūpaḥ ॥ 12.339.10 ॥

One fire (ekaḥ hutāśaḥ) is kindled in many forms. One sun (ekaḥ sūryaḥ) is the source of light. One wind (ekaḥ vāyuḥ) blows in many ways throughout the world. One great ocean is the source of the waters. In the same way, the Puruṣa is one (puruṣaḥ ekaḥ), free from the guṇas (nirguṇa), while appearing as the entire universe (viśvarūpa).

The many bodies do not divide consciousness. The one nirguṇa Puruṣa appears through many bodies, minds and names without becoming many.

Svargārohaṇaparvan (18th book, last book)

The whole human pursuit is contained in the Mahābhārata

Near the conclusion of the epic, the Mahābhārata declares that it encompasses the complete range of human life.

sūta uvāca

dharme cārthe ca kāme ca mokṣe ca bharatarṣabha ।
yad ihāsti tad anyatra yan nehāsti na tat kva cit ॥ 18.5.38 ॥

Sūta said: Concerning dharma, artha, kāma and mokṣa, O best of the Bharatas, whatever is found here may be found elsewhere. What is not found here is found nowhere.

The Mahābhārata does not treat these as isolated pursuits. It shows how they interact, conflict and require discrimination.

Bhagavān Vyāsa teaches Śuka: Bhārata Sāvitrī

The essence of the Mahābhārata is then presented as four ślokas taught by Vyāsa to his son Śuka.

maharṣir bhagavān vyāsaḥ kṛtvemāṃ saṃhitāṃ purā ।
ślokaiś caturbhir bhagavān putram adhyāpayac chukam ॥ 18.5.46 ॥

Having composed this sacred Saṃhitā in ancient times, Bhagavān Maharṣi Vyāsa instructed (adhyāpayat) his son Śuka through four ślokas.

The impermanence of saṃsāric relationships

mātāpitṛsahasrāṇi putradāraśatāni ca ।
saṃsāreṣv anubhūtāni yānti yāsyanti cāpare ॥ 18.5.47 ॥

Thousands of mothers and fathers (mātāpitṛsahasrāṇi), and hundreds of sons and spouses (putradāraśatāni), have been experienced through the cycles of saṃsāra. They have passed away (yānti), and others will likewise come and pass away (yāsyanti).

The wise person is not invaded by excitement and fear

harṣasthānasahasrāṇi bhayasthānaśatāni ca ।
divase divase mūḍham āviśanti na paṇḍitam ॥ 18.5.48 ॥

Every day (divase divase), thousands of occasions for excitement and elation (harṣasthāna) and hundreds of occasions for fear (bhayasthāna) enter the deluded person (mūḍha), but they do not enter and overwhelm the wise person (paṇḍita).

The mūḍha is repeatedly carried away by hope, fear, success, loss, pride and grief. The paṇḍita recognizes their impermanence and does not lose inner stability.

Artha and kāma must arise from dharma

ūrdhvabāhur viraumy eṣa na ca kaś cic chṛṇoti me ।
dharmād arthaś ca kāmaś ca sa kimarthaṃ na sevyate ॥ 18.5.49 ॥

With my arms raised (ūrdhvabāhuḥ), I cry aloud (viraumi), yet no one listens to me. Both artha and kāma arise from dharma. Why, then, is that dharma not practised (sevyate)?

Vyāsa declares that legitimate artha and sustainable kāma must arise from dharma.

Dharma must never be abandoned

na jātu kāmān na bhayān na lobhād
dharmaṃ tyajej jīvitasyāpi hetoḥ ।
nityo dharmaḥ sukhaduḥkhe tv anitye
jīvo nityo hetur asya tv anityaḥ ॥ 18.5.50 ॥

One must never abandon dharma because of desire (kāma), fear (bhaya) or greed (lobha), not even for the sake of preserving one’s life (jīvita). Dharma is enduring (nitya), while pleasure and pain (sukha-duḥkha) are impermanent (anitya). The jīva is enduring, while the causes and circumstances of its present embodied experience are impermanent.

This is the final ethical verdict of the Mahābhārata.

The epic therefore does not merely command, “Follow dharma.” It demonstrates how difficult dharma becomes when desire, fear, loyalty, gratitude, power and survival exert pressure upon the mind.

Why these verses are called the Bhārata Sāvitrī

imāṃ bhāratasāvitrīṃ prātar utthāya yaḥ paṭhet ।
sa bhārataphalaṃ prāpya paraṃ brahmādhigacchati ॥ 18.5.51 ॥

One who rises in the morning (prātar utthāya) and recites this Bhārata Sāvitrī obtains the fruit of the Bhārata (bhārataphala) and attains the Supreme Brahman (paraṃ brahma adhigacchati).

These four ślokas contain the purpose of the narrative movement of the entire Mahābhārata:

The Mahābhārata as a repository of treasures

yathā samudro bhagavān yathā ca himavān giriḥ ।
khyātāv ubhau ratnanidhī tathā bhāratam ucyate ॥ 18.5.52 ॥

Just as the great ocean (samudra) and the Himālaya (himavān) are renowned as repositories of treasures (ratnanidhi), so too is the Bhārata.

The ruler finds rājadharma. The householder finds guidance concerning duties and relationships. The devotee finds Bhagavān. The renunciate finds vairāgya. The Vedāntin finds ātmajñāna and mokṣa.

The final śloka of Mahābhārata

dvaipāyanoṣṭhapuṭaniḥsṛtam aprameyaṃ
puṇyaṃ pavitram atha pāpaharaṃ śivaṃ ca ।
yo bhārataṃ samadhigacchati vācyamānaṃ
kiṃ tasya puṣkarajalair abhiṣecanena ॥ 18.5.53 ॥

Immeasurable (aprameya), meritorious (puṇya), supremely purifying (pavitra), destructive of sin (pāpahara) and auspicious (śiva) is the Bhārata that issued from the lips of Dvaipāyana (dvaipāyana-oṣṭhapuṭa-niḥsṛtam). For one who properly receives the Bhārata as it is recited (vācyamānam), what further need is there for ritual ablution in the waters of Puṣkara?

The Mahābhārata concludes by transferring the sanctity of an external tīrtha to the sacred act of śravaṇa. Listening to the Mahābhārata with śraddhā becomes a pilgrimage of the mind.

The epic begins:

tato jayam udīrayet
Then one should proclaim Jaya.

It repeatedly teaches:

yato dharmas tato jayaḥ
Where dharma is, there is Jaya.

It reveals:

yataḥ kṛṣṇas tato dharmaḥ
Where Kṛṣṇa is, there is dharma.

It culminates:

paraṃ brahmādhigacchati
One attains the Supreme Brahman.